History beckons unstoppable Nadal
History beckons unstoppable Nadal
By Caroline Cheese
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4528579.stm
Rafael Nadal
Born: 3 June 1986, Mallorca
Turned pro: 2001
Titles: 6 (inc. 2 Masters)
World ranking: 5
As if making your debut at Roland Garros was not nerve-wracking enough,
Rafael Nadal will do so as the favourite to go on and win the French Open
title.
In the space of four months, Nadal has turned promise into reality, winning
five titles and putting his rivals, even the all-conquering Roger Federer,
in the shade.
The 'man-boy' from Mallorca, a left-hander who relies on a fierce forehand
and remarkable athleticism, takes a tour-best 31-2 win-loss record for the
clay-court season into the French Open.
At 18, 'Rafa' is already a sporting hero in Spain, joining forces with
Formula One star Fernando Alonso in squeezing on to the newspaper back pages
alongside the ubiquitous football.
And in a country where winning the French Open, rather than Wimbledon, is
considered tennis' ultimate achievement, Nadal's popularity would reach
stratospheric levels should he collect the trophy on 5 June.
Understandably, Nadal has sought to play down his status as favourite and
the facts support his caution.
In the three Grand Slam tournaments he has entered, he has never progressed
beyond the fourth round - but that has not stopped pundits and former
players queuing up to back Nadal.
"There will come a time when he wins it - maybe this year," said 1995
French Open champion Thomas Muster, who practiced with Nadal at the Rome
Masters.
"At the moment he is a big favourite of mine for the French Open," added
Boris Becker, who won his first Wimbledon title at 17.
And John McEnroe, once a teenage prodigy himself when he won five titles
as a 19-year-old in 1978, is another member of the bulging Nadal fan club.
"He's going to be one of the great players," said the American.
"He loves to play. You can see it, he's so fired up and that's what our
sport needs - a guy that loves to be out there. He plays to the crowd and
I love seeing that."
And Nadal's contemporaries have been heaping on the praise - possibly in
the hope of burdening him with added expectation.
"Every once in a while people come along who are big match players," said
Andy Roddick. "He is a big match player."
Federer said: "Because he's a lefty, it changes so many things. His forehand
is huge - he can hit winners off every forehand.
"He hits his backhand very close to his body but still gets it back well
and hard when he's under pressure. And he's a good defensive player as well.
"He moves totally different from most players. He's an outstanding athlete."
And Andre Agassi has noted the youngster's remarkable physical conditioning.
"Me at 18, looking at Nadal at 18, from the neck down you would think one
person was 26 and the other was 12," said the American.
Nowhere were Nadal's many attributes more obvious than in his epic encounter
with Guillermo Coria in the Rome Masters final.
Nadal looked a spent force when he went 0-3 down in the fifth set and with
four titles already under his belt and his French Open prospects to consider,
the teenager might have been expected to accept defeat.
But the teenager is unwilling to wait for success to come to him and,
ignoring the pain from the blisters on his racquet hand, he fought back to
triumph after more than five hours on court.
Coria and Federer are expected to be Nadal's main rivals in Paris but even
they may struggle to halt the so-far unstoppable rise of the teenager.
And should he emerge victorious, Nadal would match French Open great Gustavo
Kuerten's achievement in conqueriing Roland Garros at the first attempt.
就是之前的一些大師們的讚美的總匯啦
開賽之前來回味一下:p
--
Political,opinionated,energetic and determined.
You've triumphed over tragedy and proved that nothing can stop you.
Stay beautiful,darling!
--
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