(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) He prepares to begin the new season at Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.
Rafael Nadal prepares to serve during a match in the Wimbledon tournament in London. — Getty Images
Dubai—His bulging biceps ferocious forehands and the willingness to never stop trying have fetched him 14 Grand Slam titles nine of which have incredibly come on the energy-sapping clay courts in Paris.
There is no point in stating the obvious that Rafael Nadal is one of the greatest players in tennis history. Everyone knows that. But the question that has been playing on every tennis fans’ mind is whether the Spaniard could actually go on to become the greatest ever.
For someone who is only 28 it doesn’t seem to be too tough a task. Just win four more slams and you can eclipse Roger Federer’s all-time record of 17 Grand Slams. He has so utterly dominated Federer in the head-to-head contest (23-10 in favour of Nadal) that it was in the 2007 Wimbledon final that the Swiss maestro last managed to beat his great rival in a Grand Slam.
Nadal was only 21 then. Federer is 33 now and despite his fluid on-court movement and majestic play he would need a miracle to add to his 17 Majors. So doesn’t it make Nadal’s job that much easier
Not really. The man from Mallorca not only has to deal with a formidable opponent like Novak Djokovic and a new crop of fearless exciting shot-makers he must also overcome his own body which hasn’t stopped rebelling in the last few years. Knee and wrist injuries have given him nightmares. Recently he was also down with appendicitis forcing him to pull out of the final events of the last season.
Now as he prepares to begin the new season in the three-day Mubadala World Tennis Championship at Zayed Sports City tennis stadium in Abu Dhabi today his diehard fans would be curious to see the progress he has made physically.
The star-studded tournament gets under way today but Nadal and Djokovic have been given direct entries to semis which will be held on Friday. So Nadal’s first match could possibly be against Andy Murray who would take on the stylish compatriot of Nadal Feliciano Lopez in the championship’s first game on Thursday.
Djokovic will wait on Friday for the winner of Thursday’s second game between Stanislas Wawrinka and Nicolas Almagro. The format of this unofficial event is such that the players get a chance to play two matches even if they lose their first match. The match for the third place and the final will be played on Saturday. The Mubadala World Tennis Championship may not have the official tag but the presence of three multiple Grand Slam winners – world number one Djokovic world number three Nadal and world number six Murray—and 2014 Australian Open champion Wawrinka – world number four – makes it one of the most exciting tournaments in the early season.
The conditions are also pretty similar to Melbourne which traditionally hosts the first Grand Slam of the year in January. So it will be a great chance for the likes of Nadal Djokovic Murray and Wawrinka to test their form going into the biggest tournament Down Under.
But yes it will be Nadal that everyone will be focusing on. Will the Spaniard give hints of an emphatic return to form and fitness Gustavo Kuerten the three-time former French open champion from Brazil recently said that Nadal could surprise everyone by making a strong comeback—the way he did twice in the past. The Spaniard’s loyal fans would hope the Brazilian was right about the most ruthless left-hander the game has ever seen.
riturajkhaleejtimes.com
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