Rafael Nadal: Despite Doubters, the Matador Will Rise Again

If you ever needed proof that we live in a "what have you done for me lately" society that is heavily influenced by an over-sensationalized 24-hour news cycle, look no further than the aftermath of the quarterfinals at the 2015 French Open. 

Losing for only the second time in his eleven-year career on the clay courts of Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal has been subjected in the post-match media universe to more than just a little doubt and criticism regarding the future of his career. 

While an opportunistic headline involving Nadal's supposed "career crisis" serves as wonderful clickbait, the reality of the situation is certainly much less dire. 

It is simply ridiculous to even entertain the notion that the first-ever male player to win a single Slam event on nine different occasions should have his entire future on court cast in doubt because of a single lapse in the last six years (and two in 11 years). 

Apparently though, that is the nature of record-breaking success.

Those that doubt you along the way show up immediately to help usher you quickly down the mountainside. 

Does it seem rational to believe that after winning the French Open nine times in 11 years the ongoing chances for Nadal to win it again shrink to slim to none?

No.

Rafael Nadal's actual opponent in said quarterfinal this year was one voice of reason amongst the post-match negativity that quelled any reason for serious concern in the Spaniard's career going forward.

"At the end of the day, he's human and it's normal to have seasons like this," said world number one Novak Djokovic, according to AFP.com.

Others weren't so sanguine and even suggested that Nadal had entered some sort of career spiral. 

Peter Bodo, a writer for ESPN.com, was one such voice. 

Within hours of Nadal's loss to Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, Bodo had published an article entitled, "He Said What? Rafael Nadal Doesn't See Decline" on ESPN.com. 

In this piece, Bodo characterized Rafa's current situation as some sort of crisis both on and off the court, saying of the nine-time champion, "[...] for Nadal appears to be in a downward spiral, the nature of which he doesn't recognize."

Bodo followed up that psychological analysis by suggesting Nadal might have even passed the finish line of his career, wondering, "Is this the end of Rafael Nadal as we know him?"

Roger Federer has entered the Wimbledon Championships on 16 different occasions and won the championship seven times. At the current age of 33, having won his last title there almost three years ago, most pundits will still include Federer amongst the favorites for this year's edition of the grass Slam. 

Bodo himself had Federer "penciled in" to the final at the French Open in 2015. All of this for an aging player that has appeared in a single Grand Slam final over the course of his last 11 majors.

Doesn't it seem like quite a stark contradiction for Bodo to pencil Federer into the finals of an event he hasn't won in six years, while then casting doubt on Nadal's entire future, given Nadal is only a year removed from winning five in a row?

As if discounting Nadal's future success wasn't enough, Bodo also curiously omits some key components of Nadal's success in the past as well. Prior to the Masters 1000 final in Rome just a couple weeks ago, Bodo essentially writes Nadal out of recent tennis history when he says of Federer and Djokovic, "He [Federer] has been the only thorn in Djokovic's side for about two years now, the single obstacle that stands in the way of Djokovic's designs on world domination."

Given that Federer has on 0-1 record against Djokovic in Grand Slam play over the last two years, while Nadal is 3-1 against Djokovic at the same level over the same period really makes one wonder how Bodo could have arrived at that conclusion. 

Strangely enough, the evidence Bodo provides is Federer's semifinal win over Djokovic in the 2011 French Open. That match was well over two years ago and completely ignores Rafa's three wins at Roland Garros in between as well as his win over Djokovic during the 2013 US Open final. Even more interesting is the fact that Rafa was actually undefeated against Djokovic in Grand Slam play over the last two years at the time Bodo published that article (2015 French Open hadn't started yet).

Thibault Camus/Associated Press

Not surprisingly, other pundits were also willing to cast doubt on Rafa's future after his earlier-than-usual exit in Paris.

Paul Myers of Radio France International (RFI) published a piece entitled "Roland Garros 2015: Djokovic ends Nadal era at Roland Garros," which seems a mischaracterization unless Myers has a crystal ball we aren't aware of. 

Had Nadal suffered his first-ever loss at the French Open in 2015, then it might be fair to suggest the "Rafa era" could be officially over. However, Nadal had already been beaten at Roland Garros by Robin Soderling in 2009. If anything, the scenario of Rafa losing this year actually suggests the "Nadal era" continues, based on a pattern of losing once every four to five years. 

Regardless of what these and other doubters might believe, the fact is the "Matador" now possesses a 70-2 record at the lone clay court Slam—the best record at any single Slam in tennis history. To write a postscript on Rafa's career at this stage is not only premature, but disrespectful to his astounding results at the venue.

Last time I checked, Rafael Nadal is still tied for second place on the all-time Slam list with 14 major titles, he remains first on the Masters 1000 titles list with 27, and he holds a combined record of 18-6 against Federer and Djokovic in Grand Slam competition. Nadal has also taken home the exact same number of Slam titles as Djokovic since the start of 2012: four.

To think that the Spaniard has entered some sort of spiraling decline because he has failed to bounce back from an extended layoff as quickly as usual is laughable. 

The only real takeaway that can be gleaned at this point is that Nadal now has two career losses at Roland Garros.

That's not too shabby!

After the match, Rafa was much more level-headed regarding his own plans going forward. According to Kirsty Jones at AllSportNews.co.uk, Rafa said of the match and his future, "[...] you have to first accept it, second, congratulate the opponent and third, analyse the reasons behind the defeat and then work really hard. That’s what I think I’ll have to do now.”

Throughout his career Rafa has been exceeding the expectations of the media.

Did anyone accurately predict he would win nine titles at the French Open in 10 years? Did anyone ever think he would build an enviable 23-10 lifetime record against Roger Federer? Who ever gave him favorable odds to make five Wimbledon finals, given his propensity to exceed on slower surfaces? 

It seems reasonable at this juncture to suggest the King of Clay has played the sport with more doubt about his game than any other elite player in the history of tennis. 

Luckily, the Man from Mallorca has almost always achieved his best results as an underdog with heavy doubt placed upon his shoulders. 

And with the help of Bodo and others, it looks like Rafa may now be developing a fresh chip on his shoulder, which means the safest bet going forward is that Nadal will do anything but fade away.