Rafa and Serena: The tale of true grit

Rafael Nadal poses with ‘Sulley’ of Monsters Inc. and the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy as he celebrates his eighth French Open title at Disneyland Resort Paris on June 10, 2013 in Paris, France. (Getty Images)

28^th June 2012 was not an ordinary day for the tennis world. On that day, an un-seeded player, Lukas Rosol, rocked Wimbledon by ousting world number 2 and defending champion Rafael Nadal. The upset definitely went on to become the talking point of tennis discussions world over, not only because of the unprecedented second round defeat for Rafa in a Grand Slam, but also for one more factor. This match virtually put a lid onto Nadal’s playing career for eight long months, extinguishing the chances of him defending the Olympic Gold medal and competing in two Grand Slams.

The condition of his knees was a big problem, even from the time of his junior years on tour. He has suffered many injuries throughout his career, including the ankle fracture in 2004 (kept him away from French Open), foot injury in 2006 (didn’t participate in Australian Open 2006) and knee tendonitis (withdrew from Wimbledon 2009). The grinding defensive playing style of Rafa also made matters worse. With the recurring knee injury (tendonitis) threatening to spell doom on his scintillating career, a comeback at that point just seemed impossible.

But this was Rafael Nadal - a man who is known for his grit and determination on court, who has conquered many hurdles to achieve innumerable laurels. Those who had written him off due to injuries were in for a surprise. He bounced back strongly from the adversities and that too, in style. He reached the finals of all the nine tournaments on his comeback trail in 2013, losing only two. If that wasn’t good enough, he grabbed the record for most Masters Titles by winning Indian Wells and has already qualified for ATP World Tour finals in London.

The crowning glory of his comeback saga was scripted at Roland Garros, where the King of Clay took a bite off the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy for a record eighth time. His path to the title was not an easy one, as he had to withstand rain delays, some tough first week encounters and an epic semi-final clash with nemesis Novak Djokovic. He went past all the hurdles, without looking back at the career threatening injuries, to lift his most precious title, the French Open.

Serena Williams poses with the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen trophy in front of the Eiffel Tower as she celebrates her second French Open title on June 8, 2013 in Paris, France. (Getty Images)

If Wimbledon 2012 was the starting point of Nadal’s miseries, then for Serena Williams it was the resurrection period. Just like Nadal, she had suffered many injuries throughout her career, including a scary foot injury and a blood clot in her lungs, that kept her away from competitive tennis in 2011. After the shocking first round exit in French Open 2012, she went on to win Wimbledon, Gold at the Olympics – singles and doubles (with Venus) – and the US Open. Her journey was not over yet and she recaptured the world number 1 ranking, thereby becoming the oldest ever (at the age of 31) women’s player in Open Era to do so.

Then came that moment; one she will cherish for a long time – French Open 2013. Williams was the clear favourite to win the title. But the way in which she adjusted her serve and game to suit the slow clay courts was really admirable, as she defeated Maria Sharapova in the finals. For a player who had gone through many injuries and suffered a first round loss in the previous year, it was pure redemption.

The similarities between Rafa and Serena doesn’t entirely limit to the endless injuries they both have gone through. What makes them stand apart from the rest is the manner in which they have overcome the adversities to achieve greatness. The pursuit of excellence always has a tale of true grit behind it, and the fighting spirit of Rafa and Serena embodies that.