Rafael Nadal – A Great Champion.

I don’t think we realise how lucky we are. We have Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (pictured right) both playing tennis at the peak of their powers. It is not just that these two men are two of the finest to ever set foot on a court, but that they are great champions and great people (not that I know them personally but I reckon they’re pretty sweet). After Nadal won Wimbledon yesterday, the graciousness he showed was fantastic. It was his eighth major victory, and no offense to Tomas Berdych, but Nadal had the right to gloat. He did not, and he showed the utmost respect to Berdych. If Nadal had lost, he would not have sour grapes – sure he would be upset that he didn’t win, but he would accept it, and congratulate the winner.

We live in a world where sports are idolised, where sports fans are idolised before they go and do something that everyone just goes...what the f*ck?! Tiger Woods for example. Everyone wanted Tiger to win the 2008 US Open on one leg – you think everyone was rooting for Tiger at this year’s US Open after his mishaps, or the underdog from Northern Ireland (Graham McDowell), who just happens to have the best accent in the world! Nadal and Federer are shining lights in a dark world. They uphold the most righteous of values in a game where all eyes on watching. There is no place to hide on a tennis court; there are no players to hide behind, no referees to bail you out. All eyes are on you, and these two men, are the perfect role models for young players.

Nadal who is currently ranked number one in the world, just in front of his fierce rival and good friend, Federer, won his second Wimbledon and eighth major last night. Add to that Federer’s 16 major titles, and they have won 24 majors. If you had those in a row, that would be six straight years where no other player wins a major. That is an incredible stat. You have to feel sorry for the likes of Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, and Andy Murray who have been halted by these two on numerous occasions (Murray is a little bit younger so he should eventually break through, but if it wasn’t for these two, he would most likely have won multiple majors by now). But these guys can’t complain, as Nadal and Federer are impossible to dislike.

As for the US Open coming up, this should be an absolute cracker. If Federer wins, he will regain his number one ranking. If Nadal wins, he will join Federer, Rod Laver, and Andre Agassi as the only players in the Open Era to capture the career grand slam. Pretty big carrot to chase. Of course Federer is trying to regain his number one ranking and add to his 16 major titles, and Roddick is always hard to beat in the US Open, in front of his raucous home fans.

Bring on August/September.