It is very rare for athletes to watch their rivals with pure intentions to learn and improve their game. Former tennis player Jill Craybas recounts an incident that increased her respect for the Spanish maestro Rafael Nadal, who showed phenomenal mentalism to improve his game.
In a recent episode on the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast, the American former tennis player recalled an incident involving Nadal keeping his rivalry aside and watching the Swiss pro Roger Federer practice on the courts of Wimbledon.
The 37-year-old Spaniard, who was known as the ‘King of Clay,’ recognized his weakness on other courts, especially grass, and took the opportunity to watch the best player on grass to practice and improve his gameplay.
He just picked up a chair, sat right in front of the practice court watching Federer. And just sat there watching Federer's practice, trying to learn how to play on the grass surface to get better. Said Jill Craybas on the podcast.
This sight left the American with immense respect for Rafa for having the mentality to recognize his game and improve from the best in it. Then Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were big rivals, and their matches would be considered huge just for this.
The players used to give it their all during the games, but the off-court hard work can never be seen but is only heard from other players.
An overview of Rafael Nadal’s run at Wimbledon
Being the best player on the clay court, Rafael Nadal wasn’t able to replicate that same form in other tournaments, especially in Wimbledon.
His maiden run in the courts of London was cut short after a third-round loss, but the Spaniard made a good comeback by ending up as the finalist for the next two years in a row before finally winning his maiden title in 2008 by beating the one and only Roger Federer in almost a 5-hour match.
To date, Rafa has only won two titles on the green courts and has not even made it to the finals of Wimbledon in the last 14 years. Now, after a year, the ‘king of clay’ returns to tennis in hopes of giving his career a proper sendoff.
He will make his comeback at the Brisbane International before trying his luck at the Australian Open and other Slams throughout the year. It is yet to be seen if Nadal will play at Wimbledon, and if he does, can he break his 14-year streak and add another Slam to his name?
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