Rafael Nadal played again on Saturday in Manacor, on the centre court of his academy, which was celebrating its tenth anniversary. Across the net, or beside him, were Andy Murray, Carlos Moya, Richard Gasquet, Dominic Thiem, Marat Safin, David Ferrer and Fabio Fognini, among others. I read his comments, relayed by L’Equipe, with my stats folder open on my knees, out of reflex.
He says he played four times for 45 minutes in two years. Then five or six times in the last few days. Four times 45 minutes is my January in the bubble (the inflatable indoor court), which we rent by the hour. And five or six sessions just before the deadline is exactly my preparation for club league (interclubs, Belgium’s weekend team league). Same pattern. I’m not saying we’re at the same level. I’m saying the training load looks alike. Two practice sessions away, mind you.
Where I lose the thread is what comes next. “I think there’s zero percent of Rafa Nadal the competitor, to be honest. I’ve moved on,” he said. And again: “I really have no sporting ambition, other than to have a good time and try not to hurt ourselves, because some of us aren’t quite prepared (laughs)…”
Zero percent. The man with 14 Roland-Garros titles walks onto a court with no intentions. Me, I turn up with intentions for a friendly end-of-season mixed doubles where the cake is free. Last Sunday I tried to “have a good time”. I lasted three games. In the fourth, I disputed a ball on the line on court 4, the one the floodlight makes invisible, and I changed towels to refocus.
He also says competition is “the least of our worries” and that the day is a party for the Academy and the people who keep it going day to day. That, I respect. At our club, we have a club party too. There’s an internal tournament. Nobody plays for fun.
Silly question, but if nobody wants to win, who counts the points?
I got my racket out again this morning to test the Nadal approach, zero percent. I restrung it anyway. A bit tighter.
It’s true, we checked: We Love Tennis.
