00:00Hello and welcome to this episode where we are talking about Rafael Nadal who has just
00:08announced his retirement. I'm your host Riya and with me is the editor of mykhel.com, Avinash.
00:17Avinash, first thing, we all know Rafael is like, there's no Grand Slam that he has not
00:24won. 22 Grand Slams. I mean, it's a huge number. How will people take his retirement? Because
00:33there was no sign, you know, we all came by a surprise of his retirement. What do you
00:37have to say?
00:38Well, Riya, I mean, yeah, the timing could be called as a surprise, but it was a long
00:44time coming. Because we've seen Rafael Nadal dominate the courts. But injuries have plagued
00:51him. He's already 37, 38. So, in a competitive sport like tennis, where the wear and tear
00:57is, I mean, it's to the next level and you're flag bearer of the sport for more than almost
01:05two decades means something. And we were expecting it. We've seen a few legends of the game bid
01:14goodbye. We've seen Serena Williams bid goodbye. We saw Novak Djokovic carrying and he's also
01:21entering into the dusk of his career. Roger Federer retired a couple of years back. So,
01:29and if you talk about the big three or the big four of tennis, if you include Serena
01:34Williams into it, because she's been one of the greatest tennis players in the history
01:37of the game. So, she also falls into the same category. But having said that, if you look
01:44at the way Rafael Nadal has been doing things off the court and the injuries, as I was just
01:52mentioning about them, they have kept him away from the court off plate. We saw him
01:58into action during the Paris Olympics at the Rola Garros. Everybody was expecting him to
02:04end his career on a high with the second Paris Olympic or Olympic medal, which didn't happen.
02:10He even participated in the doubles as well. But that also didn't materialize the way all of his
02:16fans across the globe wanted him to. But I personally feel it's a sad, it's an emotional
02:25moment for all the tennis fans. But it was on the, I mean, I think it was going to happen
02:34sooner rather than later.
02:36Right, right. Absolutely right. I think, I mean, this can be a very controversial question
02:41to ask you. But if you have to choose among the top three, and we know what top three
02:47we are talking about, who top three we are talking about, of course, the Federer, Djokovic
02:53and Nadal. Who is your favorite tennis player who has been your favorite?
02:58Well, Rhea, and that's what the emotional moment comes into play. Because I have always
03:02admired Rafael Nadal more than anyone else. I mean, I've had debates with my friends.
03:08One of the biggest reasons for my adoration for Rafael Nadal was because the French Open
03:16was happening, it used to happen in the summer, during the summer break that we used to get
03:22in the May and June season. So you actually get to watch him play. When it comes to the
03:30Australian Open or the US Open, I mean, you just don't get a lot of time to watch it because
03:36of the time differences. The zones are entirely different. So I myself was exposed to a lot
03:42of Rafael Nadal via French Open. So I've seen him do those duels, those battles on the clay
03:49court and playing on clay court looks, I mean, you can sit and watch more than anything,
03:56any Grand Slam across the world. I think the most fascinating aspect of any Grand Slam
04:02is other courts and the clay court would attract you more than anyone else because it gives
04:08you a rusty feeling, the mud, the clay, which we all talk about. It's there for everyone
04:14to see. You're playing in your vials, the clothes get dirty, more in the red clay, dust.
04:22There you can see Rafael Nadal just weaving his magic across the court. I mean, he was
04:28just electrifying across his career. Even during the last stage of his career, you can see him
04:35toiling so hard. And that's what made Rafael Nadal such a phenomenon.
04:43Indeed, that's why he's called the king of clay.
04:46Yeah, and 14 Grand Slams, has anyone ever thought of winning at one particular venue?
04:51Let me correct you, 14 French Open and 22 Grand Slams.
04:55Yeah, so 14 Grand Slams at a particular venue is a no mean feat. You cannot be as consistent
05:02as Rafael Nadal. He's played 18 finals. He's won 14 of them, which speak what character he was
05:09made up of, what mud or what soil he was made up of. And that didn't just stop him. He even won
05:16many, many tournaments, ATP tournaments and other competitions, which were played on clay
05:22courts across Europe, especially in Spain and the surrounding Parisian courts.
05:30Right. But we are forgetting about one very important tournament, which we just saw very
05:35recently, Paris Olympics and the Olympics. Nadal even has singles and double Olympic gold medal
05:42in his name, which is something even Roger Federer could not achieve.
05:46Actually, Rhea, the best thing is his medal, the singles medal, which came in the 2008 Beijing
05:54Olympics in China. And at the time of Beijing Olympics, he was just rising through the ranks.
06:03Yes, he was a household name, but yet he had to prove himself because there were the likes of
06:11Roger Federer, Andrea Gassi and the rest. And yet winning a medal in Beijing and then
06:19sort of just the rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, it just kept improving and it just
06:28kept reaching to another level. And then in the later part of his career, we saw those intense
06:35battles on courts of different variety between Djokovic and Nadal. And the term Joker versus
06:43Gold, it became, I mean, it was most talked about. And whenever you saw Djokovic and Nadal on court,
06:52you were, I mean, it was an enticing contest. Of course, of course, absolutely. But there was this
06:58very interesting tournament, which, you know, lasted for good 40 minutes, four hours, actually,
07:05four hours and 40 minutes, my mistake, four hours and 40 minutes being on the court, playing with
07:11all energy. I mean, how much does it take for a sportsman like him to put in so much effort,
07:18you know, being consistent on the court, running here and there, not missing the shot? How much
07:23does it take for a sportsman to deliver that? And that's why tennis becomes one of the most
07:28grueling sports. It takes a lot of energy and effort. And when you are playing for more than
07:34four hours or almost five hours, it means the wear and tear is massive. And yet, there's a
07:44hunger to prove yourself. Every time you're trying to look to outplay your opponent
07:52with the shots, the variety of shots that you have in your arsenal. And one of the best matches
07:59the game has ever seen is that 2008 Wimbledon final between Federer and Nadal. And it definitely
08:06goes as one of the greatest ever matches. And there's a documentary as well. And if our viewers
08:14want to watch and relive that great match, it's available on YouTube, on Wimbledon's YouTube page
08:20as well. You can watch it there. And that's where the rivalry, the seeds of rivalry, I can say so,
08:28this was sown. Because back in 2008, they both were young bloods, almost identical age groups,
08:37they were both. But Nadal had created this aura around him because he's done tremendously well at
08:44the junior level as well. So when he progressed, when he graduated to the senior level, the pro
08:51senior levels, he was already a force to reckon with. And from there on, because we've seen
08:59Federer do something magical on Wimbledon. He's won it more than six times. So that also makes
09:08the battle between these two greats so intense and interesting at the same time. But Nadal,
09:17if you just look at his career, take a seat and observe, he has always been a champion on the
09:22clay court. But that didn't mean that he was restricted to the clay court alone. He's won
09:28Australian Open, he's won US Open, he's won the French Open and the Wimbledon. So he completed
09:34the career slam at a very early age of his career. And add to that the two Olympic medals,
09:42which even as you just mentioned, even the great Roger Federer could not achieve.
09:48One more interesting point that I would want to talk to you about,
09:52that Nadal is the only player who plays with the left hand.
09:55Yeah, he's a southpaw. And that's something you just don't see on a regular basis in tennis. And
10:05if you just look at him play, it looks like a lioness on the hunt. He gives you those vibes.
10:12And that's why we've seen so many brands going after him, splurging millions and millions of
10:20dollars year after year. And that's why he was one of the greatest and one of the most sought
10:26after athletes in the world as well. And the hunger to excel at every instance and every
10:34match that he used to play made him what he is today.
10:38Absolutely. Absolutely correct, Avinash. One last thing to ask, David Cupps is going to be the last
10:44where we are going to see him play on the ground with that same intensity that he always comes with.
10:49November, in the month of November, it's hardly like a month, not even month, I would say just
10:5410-15 more days to go. So as a Nadal fan, how emotional will it be for you?
11:01Actually, the best thing is he's won five Davis Cup titles for Spain as well. So
11:09apart from his personal achievements, because tennis is a very individual sport,
11:14and you don't have to worry a lot about your destination. But winning five Davis Cup titles
11:21means that he always loved to play for his country as well. And the Olympic medals just
11:26add to that tally. So that tells how he loved representing Spain as well. And he's traveled to
11:36India, he's been the official ambassador to India of La Liga, the Spanish league, the football league
11:44that is in Spain. So when it comes to promoting Spain to Indian audience, I mean, something like
11:52a brand like La Liga could not even think of someone better than Rafael Nadal. So that tells
11:59what sort of impact Rafael Nadal has had on the psyche of Indian audience as well. And coming
12:05back to the emotional moment, let's go back to two years back when Rafael Nadal was playing Davis Cup
12:12and Roger Federer was supposed to retire after playing Davis Cup. It was his last appearance
12:19for his country. And professionally as well, there were tears in Rafael Nadal's eyes,
12:26there were tears in Roger Federer's eyes, and there were tears in everybody else who was sitting
12:32with these two living legends of the game. So definitely it is going to be another emotional
12:38moment for all the fans who will be gathering up in that match between Spain and Malaga. And
12:45every eyes will be moist when Rafael Nadal will finally bid adieu.
12:52That's so true. And you know, just talking about you know, that he leaving the game gives me a
12:58goosebumps and because he has given tremendous, you know, good matches. It's pleasure for our
13:06eyes as viewers as you know, spectators to watch them play with so much of fears and action and
13:13energy. I mean, all of us are going to miss him a lot. And definitely even
13:19I think not just fans, the sport is going to miss Rafael Nadal, the character of Rafael Nadal,
13:25the way he carried himself, he is a great athlete, and an even better human being. And that's what
13:32sets athletes from legends. I mean, you can be a good athlete, but you can only be a legend if you
13:38do something equally better or even better when you are off the field. And Rafael Nadal has done
13:48more than what he was supposed to do as an athlete. So he's contributed, he's given back to
13:53the society, he's given back to the sport. And Spain is certainly going to miss him a lot.
14:00Good thing about for Spain is that after king of clay, there's a prince of clay as well. Alcaraz
14:06is Carlos Alcaraz, he's just catching up, he's rising, he's going to be the next best big thing
14:13in tennis. And we've already seen glimpses of his brilliance at the 2024 Paris,
14:21the French Open final against Novak Djokovic, where he defeated Djokovic once again to win
14:28two back to back French Open titles. So Spanish tennis are definitely in good hands. But the
14:37legacy of Rafael Nadal is going to last forever. There's a void which I believe is never going to
14:45be filled. That's so true. The void will not be, you know, it will not be filled. And of course,
14:51not everyone becomes the king of clay. We will definitely miss Rafael, but our eyes will be on
14:59the Davis Cup as it will, you know, will be a very memorial and very sentimental event for all the
15:06tennis fan watching him for one more time. And one last time on ground. And finally, you know,
15:13bidding him adieu that he deserves actually. Thank you so very much, Avinash for talking to us.
15:20And you guys are watching One India. I'm Rhea, signing off.
Comments