The Flash in the Pan

Ever since Roger Federer tasted success, the one roadblock that he faced every year was, and this is no revelation, the Spaniard, Rafael Nadal. The 17-year old became such a treat to watch, as he worked his way up to the #2 spot, winning four French opens. No rally was too long for him, and the opponent had no answer for his powerful forehands. Then came Wimbledon ’07, and we saw him battle out for the #1 spot, a classic five-setter match, eventually which he lost. A year later, an emphatic Nadal returned and confronted the same nerves with much more confidence, winning the Wimbledon '08. The ghosts of Nadal got to Federer and he lifted the Australian Open ‘09. As he felt happiness with tears in his eyes, Nadal set out to become the #1 player. However, as opposed to Fed-Ex’s game which is based on fluid mechanics, Nadal’s game deteriorated as his knees gave out to tendinitis. The injury caused not only physical, but a mental glitch as well. Recovering from the injury, he came back a different, a struggling Nadal. The US Open ‘09 and the Australian Open ‘10 witnessed the fall of Nadal, from a demolition machine to the guy with a limp. The world expressed its sympathy, and gave the once champion a burial in their minds, considering him just a flash in the pan. He returns from injury again though and I, a Rafael Nadal fanatic, can only hope that they are wrong. Vamos Rafa!