0
0
Federer Haunted by Nadal at Wimbledon
You are haunted by one man, Roger. You can’t escape him. In the morning when you wake up you think about his top spin forehand deep to your backhand side, bouncing high and spinning fast. In the evening you think about what life would be like if he, that guy who is crazy great, didn’t come along.
His forehand top spin has twisted up your career and the emotions of those of us who admire the way you play and compete and want you to be the greatest player ever. Take away the Raphael Nadal top spin hook forehand that neutralizes your background and you would have more Major Grand Slam titles than Michael Phelps has Gold Medals (23).
Instead, you have 18 Slams – a phenomenal career. But there’s this other guy, the left-hander with the big forehand. He’s got 15. It’s close, Roger, but we know you know this.
And now Wimbledon is on your mind mostly because it’s on his mind, Roger. It has to be. You see, Nadal wants to go down as the greatest tennis player ever. You’re in his way. You are what motivates him. If he takes Wimbledon this year, you won’t get to 19 and he will get to 16. He will be only two Grand Slams away. If we’re being honest with ourselves, we have to accept that he will win at least two more Majors after Wimbledon, probably five or six, actually.
This is a real problem for you, Roger because as tremendous as you have been, you may not have enough game and energy left to get another one. Father Time is looking over your shoulder watching carefully and taking action.
This is ominous, but this is not all. Even worse than Nadal catching and passing you for total Slams is the fact that when he plays you he usually beats you – especially when the stakes are high. He doesn’t completely own you, Roger. But he kind of does if we’re being honest with ourselves.
From 2006-2008 he took you out in three straight French Open Finals. In 2011 he eliminated you again. No one in the world except this cat has beaten you in three different Major tournaments: the French, Australian and Wimbledon.
As great as you have been, as graceful as you play, as talented as you are, your career has been disrupted and muddied by the Spaniard who just knows how to beat you time and again. Why, Roger? How come you almost always thump every other tennis player on Earth but not this guy? Is he better? Is he the greatest? What are we to think about all this? What’s your honest assessment? Are you better than him or vice versa? If you say you are superior to him, how come he beats you more often than you beat him?
When you lay awake at night in the quiet when no one’s around, who do you tell yourself is the greatest tennis player who has ever lived? Have you ever acknowledged that it’s actually someone other you, someone from Spain, some bulldog tennis player named Raphael Nadal.
The two of you have a complex relationship. If he doesn’t haunt you, does he bother you? Do you wish he never played tennis so no one would ever question whether you’re the best tennis player of all time? Has his presence been a net positive or negative for you?
When you started winning Wimbledon and became the undisputed greatest player on Earth, we thought this was going to continue for ten or fifteen years. Then this spectacular Spaniard came along. You know him so well, too well. The sound of his name isn’t especially pleasing to your ear, is it Roger?
When you play against him, it’s a problem. No, it’s more than a problem. It’s usually disappointment and despair. He scraps. He fights. He tortures you with his looping forehand to your backhand. You are left with two unfavorable options. Slice the forehand looper back and he will charge the net and volley it for a winner. Hit a topspin backhand and hope that the ball doesn’t bounce so high that you mis-hit it. You are caught between two undesirable alternatives. Nadal checkmates you.
One shot, Roger. One left-handed forehand. One guy. One tournament going on right now. Yet this is not any tournament. It’s THE tournament –Wimbledon. It’s your legacy versus his.
One guy will take one giant step towards being regarded as the best tennis player ever. And one player won’t.
There is the one guy, Roger, with whom you must vie.
Author Profile
-
Sammy Sportface, a sports blogger, galvanizes, inspires, and amuses The Baby Boomer Brotherhood. And you can learn about his vision and join this group's Facebook page here:
Sammy Sportface Has a Vision -- Check It Out
Sammy Sportface -- The Baby Boomer Brotherhood Blog -- Facebook Page
Latest entries
BonusApril 24, 2024German Rides Record 93-Foot Wave In Run Up to Olympics Surfing
BonusApril 22, 2024Old Friends Reconnect As New Friends
BonusApril 21, 2024Sportface Unveils Board of Directors to Land Sneaker Deal
BonusApril 20, 2024A Horrible Life Becomes Great