MICHAEL PIRRIE says Rafael Nadal was ‘Simply The Best’ and thanks the tennis legend on behalf of his disabled brother and millions of fans worldwide for the inspiration, celebrations and memories
Rafael Nadal’s recent retirement announcement has brought the curtains down on one of the most glittering and significant careers in modern world sport – possibly the greatest.
Nadal’s exit from the centre courts he so often dominated and defended so absolutely for more than 20 years, was as sudden and dramatic as his initial arrival and the many epic victories that followed.
The retirement declaration caught the sporting world by surprise initially, scrambling in the aftermath to comprehend the meaning of the moment and significance of Nadal’s unprecedented achievements and unique appeal
Nadal has left an indelible impression on sport, on the world’s tennis courts, and on millions of fans for whom sport will never be the same.
These include myself and my disabled brother, James
Rafa was our hero. We loved Rafa. He brought us together and he brought us closer. We shared a brotherly bond around our fondness and regard for Rafa.
Everything changed when Rafa was playing in town or on screens around the world.
We planned our lives as much as we could around Nadal’s progress through tournaments near or far.
I was initially introduced to Nadal by Jamie, who was fascinated by Rafa’s gladiator-like style and appearance.
Jamie would only watch Rafa and only followed the tennis while Nadal was on court or on screen.
While Olympic legends like Bolt, Phelps, Biles and others would come and go every four years, Nadal featured in our lives more regularly, at least four times a year at the slams, and these became milestone occasions for James and I. We could not miss a Rafa match.
We were mesmerised by Rafa. We booked tickets as early as we could, sometimes in advance of the draw, anticipating Rafa’s likely progress through the tournament.
I was advised by a ticket agent that seating sections for the disabled were more full for Rafa’s matches than for any other player.
We shared gossip about Rafa. My disabled brother was transfixed as a local newsagent told him how, while delivering papers in a nearby street, he had passed Rafa on an early morning jog during the Australian Open.
The news agent said many residents in the street were up early the next morning hoping for another Nadal sighting as the super star’s temporary presence in their community became bigger news in their homes than the contents of their home delivered newspapers.
Rafa’s news became part of our family’s news and history.
They were the ‘Big Three’ but our allegiance was totally to Rafa. Jamie and I were in awe of Nadal. Rafa’s self-belief, pursuit of every possible point no matter how impossible, integrity, and humility made us loyal to Rafa
While few of us can accompany a neurosurgeon into theatre or an astronaut into space to witness the human spirit at its best, we can watch other forms of human excellence in action in more visible and accessible ways like elite sport. For us this involved watching Raphael Nadal
While not exactly sure why Jamie became so attached to Raffa you could probably not have a better hero or role model for your brother than Raphael Nadal
His sportsmanship, humility, and respect for the game and his opponents have endeared him to fans, fellow athletes, and the public alike. Even in defeat, Nadal’s grace and perspective under pressure shone through.
Nadal’s quirks, eccentricities and idiosyncrasies have endeared him and tennis to a wider audience and cross section of society and made tennis more relevant.
A few years ago, we took Jamie to China to see an exhibition match involving his football team, another great passion in his life.
It coincided with the French Open, and so instead of enjoying the bright lights and fabulous Cantonese cuisine and culture on the way back from Shanghai, we spent the days scouring Hong Kong for sports bars or hotels broadcasting Rafa’s matches.
One night we shared our table with British Airways flight attendants. One of the crew did fabulous impersonations of Rafa and his famous on court rituals.
These triggered many spontaneous celebrations amongst hotel guests and Rafa fans watching on giant screens queueing into the lobby, and cheering wildly every time Rafa won a shot or serve. Every match point was a talking point
Jamie’s football team may have missed easy goals and lost their match, but Rafa never disappointed. Nadal won another memorable French Open while we delayed our stop over in Hong Kong to watch Rafa
Jamie’s trip was a success thanks to Rafa’s win, which is still a talking point and memory wherever Jamie goes.
Nadal’s success is most often viewed through the numbers amassed in a career that culminated in a staggering 1080 wins and just 227 defeats
The circumstances and character of those performances, often from the ‘last chance salon,’ are central to understanding the Nadal phenomenon
Rafa captivated the tennis world and many outside the sport as well, intrigued by Nadal and what he brought to tennis and the times
Jamie and I had always assumed Bruce Springsteen’s ‘No Surrender’ classic was dedicated to Rafa’s never say die game and attitude; the soundtrack of his life.
Though retirement was inevitably approaching, Nadal’s sign off did not seem so imminent following his appearance at the recent Paris Olympics, despite struggling.
The sporting world had hoped Nadal would somehow find a way back from the crippling injuries that had long threatened a career built, ironically, around miraculous comebacks conjured from some of the most desperate and seemingly hopeless situations in sport.
Those comebacks made Nadal a global household name and hero to so many of us.
The comebacks also punished and pushed Nadal’s body to the extremes of endurance in sport and ultimately to breaking point.
While it is said that talent alone may not always be enough and success can be a mysterious and elusive destination, Nadal’s talent was so prodigious that success seemed inevitable from the outset.
Nadal was both a solo superstar and one side of a human triangle of tennis titans.
The rivalry between Nadal and Roger Federer initially and later with Novak Djokovic shaped Rafa’s career.
This fascinated the world as the trio chased each other around the planet in pursuit of titles, trophies, rankings and acclaim
The search for sporting fame and fortune, with overtones of the Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar struggle for football greatness, also forced the sporting public to take sides.
While Djokovic leads Nadal and Federer in slam titles, Rafa’s fans naturally believe a strong case can be made for Nadal at the peak of the summit.
The Spaniard has a striking winning margin over Federer (24-16) and a near break- even record against Djokovic (29-31).
Federer’s choice of Nadal as his on-court partner at his emotional 2022 farewell in London provides another perspective.
My brother and I, like all Nadal fans, also believe Rafa’s wins have been more epic and consequential.
These include Nadal prevailing over Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final regarded by tennis greats such as John McEnroe as the greatest tennis match ever played.
Meanwhile Nadal’s 14 French Open victories is the most dominant achievement in the history of sport.
Rafa returned faith and trust to sport in an era of doping, scandal and controversy and highlighted the positive influence of sport in society.
The Spaniard played a key role in quelling fears amongst the public and players at major sporting events through his support for vaccinations during the Covid pandemic.
Nadal saved the controversial 2022 Australian Open after Djokovic, his nemesis, was deported for failing to meet Covid vaccination and visa requirements.
Nadal, who had taken steps to be vaccinated prior to arriving, rescued the embattled tournament with one of the greatest performances of modern tennis, stretching over five brutal sets and more than five hours, described by The Times as “an incredible feat of physical and mental endurance.”
Coming back from two sets and a break point down in a Lazarus-like return from sporting oblivion, Nadal took sport into new territory, becoming the first male player to secure an unprecedented 21st grand slam title – the title Djokovic had so desperately coveted.
Nadal’s historic win lifted the mood of gloom across host city of Melbourne, where hospital intensive care units were full of severely ill Covid patients who had declined vaccinations, like Djokovic before he arrived and after he departed.
“The only thing I can say is I believe in what the people who know about medicine say, and if the people say that we need to get vaccinated, we need to get the vaccine. That’s my point of view,” Nadal said.
Nadal’s retirement alters the rivalry dynamic so much that subsequent grand slam victories by Djokovic will be regarded differently because of the absence of the Spanish and Swiss champions.
Nadal’s appeal to fans is vital to understanding his impact and legacies.
Nadal was a sporting rarity, with a rare, almost universal attraction
Understanding Nadal’s appeal is also central to understanding the appeal and spirit of sport
Rafa Nadal embodied hope and inspiration – the key ingredients of sport.
He gave form and shape to hope and inspiration
Jamie and I could see and feel inspiration and hope when Rafa was on court
CONCLUSION
Unlike the legendary Spanish Conquistador from the cautionary Procol Harum classic, Nadal’s armour-plated vest has rarely lost its sheen during the heat of countless sporting battles and skirmishes.
As Nadal takes leave from the circuit, returns his racquets to their covers and lowers his shield, there are few visible scars.
The only surface wounds concern Nadal’s controversial appointment as tennis ambassador for Saudi Arabia as it attempts some reform and reposition itself on the world stage through sport.
The new role, to promote and develop tennis in the hard-line Kingdom, comes amid fears Nadal’s appointment is part of a wider Saudi strategy to use sport and its icons to help soften international opposition to traditional treatment of women and imprisonment and execution of state declared enemies.
Nadal’s involvement in Saudi’s big spending sports development programs, known more widely as ‘sports washing,’ has surprised many given the Spaniard’s vast personal wealth. This includes net career prize money and lucrative sponsor deals and product endorsements, currently estimated at well in excess of $200 million.
While this may have dimmed Nadal’s halo for some, the tennis great is well known for his generous financial support and funding of important programs at his own foundation and academy that help the disadvantaged.
As Nadal hangs up his racquet, his legacy is secure. He has inspired a generation of players and fans with his relentless work ethic, kindness and conduct and served as a outstanding role model for sport.
Nadal was a sporting hero for troubled times. While Abba said ‘Thank You For The Music,’ Jamie and I and Nadal’s fans everywhere say Thank You Rafa for the hope, celebrations and memories. You will be greatly missed.
Michael Pirrie is an international major events consultant and commentator who has worked on some of the world’s biggest events, including the highly regarded Sydney and London Olympic Games
