Spain is celebrating the Rafael Nadal phenomenon
Rafael Nadal writes tennis history, the sports world bows. And there is still no end in sight to this unbelievable record hunt.
by SID
last edit: Jan 31, 2022, 06:46 pm
With very small eyes, the completely exhausted Rafael Nadal went on his triumphal march through Melbourne after a sleepless night. "Even now I'm still completely physically destroyed, to be honest," said the tired "Matador" on Monday at the official photo session with the silver trophy in front of Government House. But despite all the hardships and pain, the now sole Grand Slam record champion savored every moment of his historic success at the Australian Open.
At home, the press meanwhile went overboard with hymns of praise for the "new god" of tennis, "the greatest of the great" - the Spanish royal family even left the 21-time major winner almost speechless. "Rafa, we're running out of words," the royal family wrote on Twitter. "There are no obstacles for those who have no limits."
In fact, the 35-year-old had once again pushed the boundaries of what seemed possible with his epic comeback in the final thriller against Daniil Medvedev - even if this 5:24 hour long five-set spectacle was clearly in his bones. It wasn't until 5 a.m. that he returned to the hotel, completely exhausted, and he couldn't sleep.
Pau Gasol and Marc Marquez are cheering
"Many moments of the match," said Nadal, he even "can't remember at all". However, he must have gotten an idea of his heroic performance after being 2-0 down when all the homage was poured down on him.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described Nadal as the "greatest" after his milestone in tennis history. Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic (both 20 titles), who had been shaken off in the Grand Slam ranking for the time being, sent their congratulations immediately after the final, and ex-basketball star Pau Gasol and motorcycle champion Marc Marquez were also enthusiastic. For badminton Olympic champion Carolina Marin, Nadal comes "from another planet".
On September 11th, Nadal showed himself on social networks on crutches with a thickly bandaged, operated foot. Even thoughts of the end of his career came to him during the difficult rehabilitation, he admitted. A good four and a half months later, according to the Sport newspaper, the Mallorcan climbed the "Olympus of sport, far beyond tennis". Marca, meanwhile, acknowledged Nadal's irrepressible willpower: "If they tell you it's impossible, then think of Rafa."
In view of his injury history, Nadal himself only spoke of "luck to achieve something very special again". The Melbourne triumph must not have been the last great moment. Finally, in May, the king of clay courts has the great opportunity to continue to pull away in the all-time ranking with a 14th French Open title.
Nadal - 'It's just a game at the end of the day'
Because while a comeback of the 40-year-old Federer after a third knee operation is still completely uncertain, there is also a question mark behind Djokovic's participation in the upcoming Grand Slam tournaments if he does not give up his vaccination rejection. However, Nadal emphasized that he "don't really care" about the debate about the GOAT, the greatest of all time.
"At the end of the day, it's just a game," he said, "and in some ways we've achieved more than we dreamed of as kids." That's why Nadal didn't want to make any predictions as to how long he wants to push his battered body to peak performance.
"My passion and love for the game is still very strong as everyone can see," he said. "I just want to enjoy the moment, go ahead and try to enjoy this beautiful sport."
And the sports world is enjoying with him.