{"id":10497,"date":"2024-10-11T03:46:20","date_gmt":"2024-10-11T03:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=10497"},"modified":"2024-10-11T03:46:20","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T03:46:20","slug":"rafael-nadal-transformed-tennis-with-his-full-blooded-style-and-dragged-roger-federer-into-the-clay-splattered-trenches-yet-despite-his-glory-his-humility-never-waned-writes-matthew-lambert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=10497","title":{"rendered":"Rafael Nadal transformed tennis with his full-blooded style and dragged Roger Federer into the clay-splattered trenches – yet despite his glory, his humility never waned, writes MATTHEW LAMBERT"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rafael Nadal wove many miracles on a tennis court, but his greatest trick was to constantly evolve while always staying the same.<\/p>\n

The serve, the backhand, the volley and even the signature forehand changed but underpinning it all was a humility and decency which has never wavered.<\/p>\n

In the way he treated the many hundreds of ancillary workers at a tennis event, Nadal was the same courteous soul with zero Grand Slams as he was with 22.<\/p>\n

In purely human terms, that counts for even more than the 38-year-old\u2019s on-court legacy. And what a legacy that is.\u00a0Roger Federer<\/span>\u00a0and Bjorn Borg had more of a cultural impact but in terms of changing the game itself Nadal stands alone.<\/p>\n

In the way his great rival and friend Federer played tennis, one could still trace the bloodline back to English garden parties, to jumpered gentlemen sauntering around the court, caressing the ball over the net.<\/p>\n

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Rafael Nadal was an era-defining star thanks to his physical, full-blooded playing style<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He forced Roger Federer – all suave with his luxurious style – to go to battle on the clay<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While Nadal was thunderous on the court like a bull, he remained forever a gentleman off it<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He played for every point of every match – even in training – with every atom of body and soul<\/p>\n

Nadal changed all that, dragging Federer and everyone else into the clay-spattered trenches. As Tiger Woods did with golf, Nadal brought tennis to a new level of physicality.<\/p>\n

His most remarkable trait is an ability to play each point of the match \u2013 and, indeed, practice session – with every atom of body and soul. At 40-0 down on the opponent\u2019s serve, the convention is to take a wild swing at a return and hurry to the next game; Nadal would fight for that point as if it were the last of the match.<\/p>\n

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The Spaniard smoulders with intensity on the court. Often called the matador he is far more like a bull, pawing the ground and blowing steam from its nostrils.<\/p>\n

Fans adore him and some have become his rivals. World No6 Andrey Rublev and British No1 Jack Draper wore the Nadal sleeveless shirt as kids in homage to their idol and French Open finalist Casper Ruud is the most notable graduate from his academy in Mallorca. Carlos Alcaraz, asked to name his favourite player, replied: \u2018Rafa is my favourite everything.\u2019<\/p>\n

As well as his outfits, young players would try to ape Nadal\u2019s idiosyncratic forehand, whipped like a lasso around his head to impart never-before-seen levels of topspin.<\/p>\n

If Federer was effortless then Nadal was the opposite. As Andy Roddick once put it: \u2018Rafa has a weird ability to make tennis look so easy and so hard.\u2019<\/p>\n

All that rigour and graft took a toll on his body. Many years ago a coach told me Nadal\u2019s style meant there was no way he would play much beyond 30. He defied that prediction, of course, and although injuries arrived with regularity \u2013 knee, wrist, foot, hip – he always recovered, often easing back to form on his beloved clay.<\/p>\n

On that surface he was close to unbeatable, especially on the Philippe Chatrier court at Roland Garros where he won 14 French Open titles. Casper Ruud described the experience of playing Nadal on clay in Paris thus: \u2018First he takes your legs and then he takes your mind.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Nadal has announced he will retire from tennis, bringing an end to a storied career<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He first erupted onto the scene with a stunning French Open title at 19 in 2005 – his first attempt<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Nadal represented Spain at the Olympics in Paris on the court that has seen him enjoy so much glory<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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