Rafael Nadal has been labeled as 'maybe the most important tennis player of all time' by former world number one Mats Wilander.
Nadal is undeniably one of the greatest tennis players of all time, and there is no question about that. That part is certainly not debatable. All members of the Big Three contributed to tennis legacy for obvious reasons, but they all matter a bit differently.
Roger Federer made it look so easy that millions fell in love with the sport. He is by far the most deserving for drawing millions of people back to tennis. Rafael Nadal inspired dozens of players we see competing today, all citing his fighting spirit.
The never-give-up attitude is at the core of his tennis philosophy. Proof that hard work and dedication pay off. Novak Djokovic matters similarly because he is the quintessential underdog.
He came up when two legends dominated and carved out a spot for himself, even overtaking both of them. Self-belief is the lesson to draw from here because when nobody did, Djokovic kept believing in himself and proved everybody wrong.
Regarding Nadal specifically, Mats Wilander recently talked about him with Eurosport. The sentiments are familiar, he'd like to see him healthy as soon as possible while lamenting the fact that he won't be in Melbourne.
"I think it would be nice to see him healthy, maybe come to the French Open, play one more time, maybe win a couple of matches and lose to somebody that he deserves to. Lose to a younger player, or maybe a colossus, maybe Novak Djokovic. But we're hoping for miracles, and the miracles might not happen."
It's certainly something we would all like to see. He deserves one last go on Chatrier, the court that will forever be tied to his name. We don't know whether it will happen, but if it doesn't, seeing him compete in Brisbane was brilliant for Wilander.
"To see him play one more time in Brisbane was brilliant, to see the passion, to see him sweating like nobody else. I think that's the memory that I will have with Rafa, not the press message which says that, ‘Unfortunately, I have to pull out of the Australian Open’. I'm not looking at that."
"I'm looking at the last image of Nadal with him sweating, missing match points in Brisbane against Jordan Thompson. That's my memory."
It's quite a memory to have, indeed. That fire and passion are what sets players like him, Djokovic, and Federer apart. That maniacal obsession with going above and beyond for what they want.
It's why so many players cite Nadal as their idol; it's that never-give-up attitude. Bad knees, numb foot, tons of pain, none matter. When he's on the court, he's El Matador.
"He's one of the greatest players of all time, and maybe the most important professional tennis player of all time."
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