Setbacks can only ignite the fire in Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal looked like a shadow of himself in the quarterfinal against Novak Djokovic

Rafa is my inspiration

Why do we find it hard to accept the inevitable? For weeks I had been mentally preparing myself for a situation as incredulous as this. Rafael Nadal is out of his beloved Roland Garros without getting to bite his favourite trophy.

Yet, in my moments of solitude last night, it finally did hit me hard as I found tears welling up in my eyes. Reality has finally dawned upon me....that I would be deprived from experiencing that one surreal moment of pure joy, maddening frenzy and amazing inspiration this year.

Since I set my eyes upon that energetic and exuberant teenager one fine day at Roland Garros in 2005, I got drawn to him and his journey. For the past one decade, I have found myself emotionally intertwined to the magical labyrinth that Rafa has spread over his fans. For each of my life’s biggest moments, I look up to that one man, his wins, his never-say-die attitude and his comebacks. He has provided me succour when I needed it, he has been my invisible guide, my saviour and even my lucky charm.

For each of his achievements I have had swelling pride and my respect, admiration for my hero and idol started reaching dizzying heights.

El Matador will bounce back

It is where we make the mistake and tend to forget that he is a mortal human being after all. Our idols are made in flesh and blood just like us. They go through the same turmoil and emotional upheavals just like us. We, fans try to live in complete denial. We try to cling on to past success with the faintest hope of a repeat. Our expectations keep on soaring with every triumph and when the rock bottom is hit, we are hit hard like a freight train, leaving ourselves with a bitter emptiness.

All our heroes have their moments of vulnerability and fragility like us. For every high, there has to be a low to evoke the inner strength and courage, for every crushing win there has to be a mind-numbing loss to test one’s passion.

Why do we fall? To realise the only way forward is by going up. Why do we fail? To recognise we need to do more.

The challenge is not to hang up the racquet, rather it is to pick up the tatters after a bloodless battle and prepare for the next one. The jigsaw puzzle after a defeat might not be solved in a day. Sometimes it takes days or even countless months to find the way forward. And that is what champions are for – to not give up and to keep the fire burning.

Rafa is too good a champion to be judged from a single year of unfortunate results. Age might slow him down but cannot rob him of his spirit. The sharpness and the confidence might be lacking but he still has the same willpower. As long as the intent is there, getting the perfect execution is a matter of time and patience. For a player who has learnt to ‘enjoy suffering’ throughout his career, setbacks are only something that can embolden and invigorate him.

His mind right now might be enshrouded in doubts and questions, but his problem-solving skills have been second to none. With repeated failures, he will be bound to search for the right answers.

The road to finding the answers might be a long and winding one this time, but he is sure to find them out eventually.

And the answers definitely lie deep within himself.