The Privileges of a Sports Fan

It’s a depressing world out there these days, nobody will deny. Sports is one thing though that keeps our spirits high, gives us something to cheer about on occasion. It has all that we celebrate of life and more, allows us to live vicariously for those brief, but glorious few hours, and its highs and lows remain with us indefinitely, inspiring us and leaving us wishing for more.

That it did all this in last Sunday’s Australian Open Final is undeniable. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer gave us another classic Grand Slam final and indeed we are quite privileged to see two such amazing athletes battle for supremacy of their sport.

Not since Borg-McEnroe have tennis matches been awaited with such bated breath and been the cause of so much speculation, expectation and intrigue. This is a rivalry for the ages, a titanic struggle between two ultimate athletes. That we might yet have a long way to go in this rivalry is a mouth-watering prospect for all of us.

Few will doubt that with his win, Rafael Nadal is now the best tennis player on the planet. He has got here the hard way, and it is truly a testament to his perseverance, his hard-earned, versatile all surface game, his unbelievable physical fitness and supreme mental toughness. When he first appeared on the scene, Federer was all the rage, with talk of invincibility and GOAT (greatest of all time) status. Nadal has, over a quick three years, put paid to those notions.

Nobody should doubt Nadal’s legitimacy as the premier player in the world today. He has beaten Federer more often than not, on all surfaces, and especially in the big matches. McEnroe once said he would chase Borg to the ends of the earth; Rafa has done much the same with Federer. As one sports writer put it, “Rafael Nadal is not the No. 1 because Federer is having an off year. He is not the No. 1 because a champion is fading. He is No. 1 because he has taken on and beaten the best, time and again on the biggest stages tennis offers.”

Soon after Federer embarked on his 4 year, hell on the loose tear through men’s tennis, it was almost inconceivable that we would ever get to this stage. There was talk of him reaching Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles. It was only a matter of time before he won the French Open and then he would surely be the greatest player this sport had ever seen. For his fans, they got all they wanted. Complete annihilation of his opposition in final after final. For neutral observers, apart from the aesthetic quality of his game, it was getting tedious. Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt were mere pretenders to Federer’s crown, a real challenger was needed and the world got one. Rafael Nadal fit that role perfectly. He raised the stakes for Federer and thereby legitimized his greatness by the sheer force of his challenge. Every victory over Nadal was hard earned for Federer and as the rivalry was becoming legendary, the prism with which we began to view Federer’s greatness was unalterably shifted.

It is unusual in a sport for one supreme talent to face another in his own generation. Typically, an extraordinary talent has a lopsided career with very few challengers. We wish we had seen or could see legitimate challengers to Michael Jordan, Michael Schumacher, Tiger Woods, Valentino Rossi and Sergei Bubka and now we want Michael Phelps to have one. In Federer’s case we wished for it and got one. Nobody will doubt that Nadal is Federer’s equal on the court. Perhaps not in terms of talent alone or in an aesthetic sense, but when the point is played, Nadal can match Federer every bit of the way. This is extremely rare to see in sport, and we are privileged to see it happen.

For Nadal fans, it is an amazing story that their man has come from seemingly nowhere to heroically disturb and stymie Federer’s march to immortality. In many ways it is the ultimate achievement against the odds; the quintessential example of an underdog champion (though he can no longer be considered an underdog). It is a phenomenal effort and I do not believe there is a parallel anywhere else in the sports world. We have been witness to something extremely unusual and amazingly inspiring.

For Federer fans, while their man might well have 18 Grand Slams by now were it not for Nadal, they should welcome the Nadal challenge and accept it for what it is. It is a clarion call to Federer to raise his game even more, dig deep, stare adversity in the face, stomach the Nadal challenge and triumph, so as to assure his greatness and his name in the history books.It will make him more human, his losses more tragic, his achievements more heroic. Make no mistake, if Federer does not again beat Nadal in a Grand Slam final, several people will be reluctant to place him alongside the likes of Laver, Borg and Sampras. If he cannot consistently beat his main rival in his own time, wherefore does he become the greatest player of all time? Federer’s genius deserves this test and we are lucky to see him challenged like this. It will be the ultimate test of him as a player and champion.

This will be the next chapter in this ongoing saga that we’re all witnessing from Melbourne to London to New York: two supreme athletes and talents battling it out tooth and nail to etch their own names in history. The ending matters only to them; we are witnesses to the means alone. Heaven only knows what they have in store for us. That it remains a friendly and healthy rivalry, given what’s at stake, is only further testament to the rarefied heights these two have taken themselves and their games to. Indeed, we are very lucky.

An acclaimed sports writer had similar sentiments the morning after the Australian Open Final:
“After their effulgent Wimbledon encounter much was spoken about how these two great athletes were by themselves reviving interest in the sport, especially here in the United States. Many fans who had neglected tennis for so long had welcome home their prodigal son of sports and were once again interested in its happenings. Surely, there has never been a duo who so represent tennis - or any sport - in such a fine manner. And if that match seven months ago is indeed considered the greatest display of tennis in a century then the post-match ceremony yesterday will certainly be remembered as the ultimate graceful nod to sportsmanship. Federer's tears and Nadal's sincere embrace and words for his rival will only solidify and crystallize this brilliant period in tennis history. And it leaves us all begging for more, wondering what other gifts these two wondrous athletes will bequeath to future generations of tennis followers. “