'Operation Grand Slam' in the
famous James Bond movie Goldfinger comes to mind when one thinks of Rafael
Nadal's prospects in coming year-2014. His game looks so good now that he could
very well pocket the Grand Slam -the Holy Grail of tennis. Only a handful have completed the Grand Slam in tennis. Clearly he is at the peak of his prowess
despite the terrible injuries. One factor in his favour is that he has won all
the four slams at least once in his career. That includes the French a record 8
times, the US and Wimbledon twice each and the Australian once. He has also pocked the Olympic Gold once in
2008 besides his smashing record in Davis Cup for Spain which however is seldom
mentioned. His indefatigable spirit is probably the biggest factor to be
considered. If he does accomplish this feat he would be on par with Roger
Federer on the number of Grand Slams -17 in all.
Also to his credit his overall
game has improved by leaps and bounds, a vastly improved serve and a far better
net game. By the French Open in 2014 he
would be 28 years, the beginning of the end in men's tennis. However he looks so solid now more than ever
before that to be dismissive of his chances would be rank foolishness. He needs to start with the Australian Open
where he has suffered many a hiccup in the past. His overall record at Wimbledon and the
'Open' are good but he has also suffered bad lows over there. However currently the momentum seems to be
with him and knowing him and his team the preparations will be complete,
leaving no stone unturned.
Also to reckon would be the form
of his adversaries. The only real
challenge will be from the Serb Novak Djokovic.
The Scot Andy Murray seems to be overwhelmed by the events of the past
year or so when he won the Olympics, US Open and Wimbledon , besides of course
the major surgery which will take some recovery of not only fitness but also
importantly form. The great Roger Federer would probably take a set off him, at
best!!! He is clearly playing from
memory and is well past his best. Did he miss a trick in the years 2004-2009?
At the French Open currently no
one else stands a remote chance against a fully fit and motivated Nadal. At the Australian of course there have been
surprises in the past like Jeff Tsonga in 2008. His Achilles heel if at all
any, is playing on fast surfaces and big hitters. A troublesome knee is another. Given that he still has some
time left and is getting better unlike Federer who did not get better post 2008,
to discount his chances of overtaking the Federer count would be unwise. If he
does accomplish the Grand Slam he would be only the third male player after Don
Budge and Rod Laver to have accomplished the same. There are of course 3 ladies to have
accomplished this feat. Maureen Connolly,
Margaret Court Smith and Steffi Graf. Also to be noted was when the last man Laver
did it in 1969 three of the four Slams were played on the same surface unlike
now when each of them is played on a different surface. The last Grand Slam however was in the year
1988 by the great Steffi Graf. It looks
impossible but knowing Nadal one really never knows for sure. He is already one
of the greats of the game. His best chance to attain all time greatness is in
the year 2014.
