In 2002, at just 15 years and 330 days old, Rafa Nadal made his ATP debut in the International Series in Mallorca, where he also won in the first round and became the youngest tennis player to achieve it. There begins an upward journey, with a first stage of training and experiences in his backpack that allowed him, among other things, to become the Spanish hero in the 2004 Davis Cup against the United States with their victory against Andy Roddick. Barely 18 years old and he was already prepared to compete head-to-head with anyone on the circuit, because his energy could propel him to unknown limits. As one of his inseperables at that time, Tommy Robredo, his partner four years later in the doubles at the Beijing Games, remembers.
“With that Davis it is easy to explain the dimension that he was beginning to reach: we had Ferrero, who was the Spanish tennis player of the moment and who had been number one, and Nadal took his place in the singles. At 18 years old and all the pressure, the 25,000 people in the stands, and on top of that he beats Roddick. It’s spectacular. Doing that at that moment, with that tranquility, was already what catapulted“explains a retired tennis player, who occasionally plays his matches at the Real Club Tenis de Barcelona, where he met a Nadal who before all that was already known. They talked about him without anyone having seen him, like the legend that comes from a faraway place and that his videos are to rub your eyes.
“I knew that there was a boy from Mallorca who played well, and I remember seeing videos on the RCTB. But in the Davis of 2003 and 2004 you realize that it makes everyday life something simple, and that is the key“explains the tennis player, who has experienced a thousand and one battles with Nadal and has suffered him as a rival, in fact he has not been able to beat him on any occasion although he remembers a tournament in which he forced a tie-break in the third set. The image that Robredo conveys is the mantra that began to travel around the circuit when Nadal grew and grew.and not only became the king of clay but a tennis player who could lift any trophy on any surface.
“In the Davis of 2003 and 2004 you realized that it makes everyday life something simple, and that is key”
Former tennis player and former teammate of Nadal
“He started winning and quickly started adding titles, he was number one, he was a machine, it was impossible to win. At the beginning, you didn’t beat him on land and two years later you didn’t beat him at anything. It was surprising. It’s hard to describe“, Robredo now recalls. In fact, Nadal’s titles attest to that ability to adapt, like a chameleon, although on land is where he has marked an era. If in 2005 he won 11 titles (three on hard courts and eight on dirt) , in 2007 he already added two titles on grass to his record, including Wimbledon. Nadal is one of eight male tennis players who have lifted the four major trophies on the circuit.
The trauma of being hit by a tennis player with “attitude, passion, character…”
Touching Nadal in a draw for any tournament and on any surface has already become a gesture of helplessness, because for Robredo, The one from Manacor has something unique: “Nadal has attitude, concentration, passion, character and dedication. Federer had more quality and talent, but Nadal was strong until the end. Djokovic sometimes got distracted. With Nadal it was impossible, he was 6-0 and 5-0 and I believed he would win,” he added.
From November 19 to 24, in Malagathe most legendary Spanish tennis player retires after a career that has spanned 22 years since that first meeting in Mallorca. He already started making history, and his growth was rapid, like no one else, so much so that, as Robredo says, in just two years he went from being the king of the Earth to being the king of the circuit. Unfortunately for the rivals.
