Australian Open 2012: Rafael Nadal Starting to Feel Like a Villain

Is Rafael Nadal the villain of tennis?

There hasn’t been one on the men’s side of the ATP tour in seemingly forever, but I think we have a new candidate.

Nadal’s comments regarding Roger Federer, the king of tennis for the last 10 years, were both outlandish and uncalled for.

He essentially called the face of tennis a phony for not publicly complaining about an issue Nadal felt strongly about.

Is this the ATP or the WWE?

Rafa quickly apologized for his statements, but didn’t back down from them. At the age of 25 he is acting more like a grumpy old man than anything else.

He is angry that the ATP schedule is too physically demanding and the main cause for all of his various ailments that have plagued him the past two years.

This just in: Every player is dealing with it, Rafa.

Federer, the ultimate professional, was quick to dismiss the comments and showed why he is the most well respected men’s tennis player. I’m sure he secretly agrees that the lack of rest is a reason injuries are up across the board in both the men’s and women’s field, but it’s an issue that should be kept behind closed doors.

By airing it out publicly, Rafa is trying to stir up the controversy.

In his straight set second-round victory on Thursday over Tommy Haas, he was visibly fired up with plenty of fist pumps and shouts to go around. Some may call that over the top considering he was favored so heavily.

I think it’s a sign Nadal is extremely frustrated with the way things are going in his career after such an incredible start. It’s allowed him to peel back the calm and cool layer tennis players have always been told to have in exchange for a fiery, more violate, more real way of being.

Make no mistake about it, in a field full of gentlemen acting proper, Nadal is the enemy at the 2012 Australian Open and it looks as if he’s beginning to embrace it.