Rafael Nadal: Rafa Must Prove He's Still a Threat off Clay with U.S. Open Win
Rafael Nadal must shed his nickname.
Being The King of Clay is nice, but when you’re talented enough to be The King of Tennis, one can either interpret such a label as an honor or an insult—one that reduces Rafa to a one-surface wonder.
While Nadal boasts four Grand Slam titles off his favorite playing surface, he hasn’t won one since 2010. To prove he’s still a threat to Novak Djokovic’s title of the best tennis player in the world, Nadal must outplay him in the 2012 U.S. Open.
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Rafa was The King of Tennis back in 2010. Not only did he regain his French Open supremacy after falling in the fourth round the year before, but he followed up that triumph with victories at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. That was the last time Nadal would win a Grand Slam away from Roland Garros.
He was defeated by David Ferrer in the 2011 Australian Open quarterfinals. In the next three non-French Open events, Nadal was defeated by Djokovic in the final. This year’s Wimbledon was a totally different story, though.
Instead of being edged out by Djoker or another worthy opponent, Rafa failed advance past 100th-ranked Lukas Rosol in the second round.
Christopher Clarey of the New York Times reported that BBC commentator Tim Henman said of the upset heard round the world: “I think it was a freak performance. I don’t think it mattered in the end who was on the other end of the court.”
Rosol pretty much agreed. He said after his historic W (via New York Times): “I mean maybe it’s once in life you can play like this against Rafael Nadal on Centre Court, and you can win against him. I never expect it can happen like this.”
While the second-round elimination was likely just a freak performance, it’s yet another reminder of Nadal’s Grand Slam drought away from clay.
In Queens, The King of Clay must show the world why he’s still a candidate to be crowned The King of Tennis.
David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.
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