The Rafael Nadal Show Electrifies New York

Tennis fans were cheering both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as they performed sensational tennis last night on Ashe Stadium court. Two Spanish female fans in the row in front of me, respectfully applauded each player after winning points throughout the whole match. Their good sportsmanship reflected what they were watching – two high class champions at their very best.

At different times in the match, passionate “Rafael” chants followed one of Nadal’s big shots. Then the very next point, equally excited “Novak” chants would follow. It was that kind of fantastic match which inspired an equally appropriate crowd response. It was tennis at it’s very best.

When it was over, on the way out, I even saw a little boy, playing tennis near the exit steps, swinging serves and forehands with an invisible racquet. This eager and diligent youngster couldn’t wait to the next day to practice the game he watched of the two best players on the planet.

I remember when Nadal first came to New York as a 17-year-old boy. He had gotten to the third round of Wimbledon and had won some matches in Monte Carlo and Hamburg. In his first round match, he crushed countryman Fernando Vicente in three sets then took on the seeded Younes El Aynouaui on grandstand in an afternoon match. The Rockin’ Moroccan was a top player that year but he certainly had his hands full with young Rafa. Rafa battled back from a break down in the first set, and thrilled the crowd with his full throttle intensity and that astounding concentration. You couldn’t take your eyes off him.

With the grandstand in an absolute frenzy from seeing Nadal’s electrifying comeback heroics, I looked over at the Nadal box, wondering if his camp were as excited as, say, Wawrinka or Kuerten’s boxes. But they weren’t. Agent Carlos Costa and Uncle Toni sat there calmly, like two stoics, with matter of fact expressions, while the awed grandstand was erupting. It was no big deal to them at all, they had seen it many times before and this was what they expected to happen.

Nadal would lose that first set tiebreak and the match, but you just knew he was going to be an unstoppable force someday. Seven years later, Nadal is virtually unbeatable. This year he dominated Roland Garros, Wimbledon and now has figured out the puzzle of the U.S. Open. The doubters of Nadal should have listened to Roger Federer, who said in 2006 that it was just a matter of time before Nadal would win everything. Roger, the top rival of Nadal, would know his adversary best of all, wouldn’t he?

Now the #2 player in the world Novak Djokovic offered his insights of Nadal, last night after the match: “He has the game now for each surface and he has won every major. He’s so mentally strong and dedicated to the sport. He has all the capabilities, everything he needs, in order to be the biggest ever, in my opinion. He has lots of time to come, if he physically holds on the next five, six, seven years.”

Nadal in action, just minutes away from winning the U.S. Open.

After the excellence of Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, it was hard to imagine anyone being able to surpass their marvelous examples. Such tough acts to follow, they were. But Rafael Nadal has managed to do it. And hopefully he will be around for a while and many, many young players will try to follow his example and inspiration – to lead the sport to even greater heights in the future.

Nole: "Rafa can be the biggest ever"

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