Dear Rafa, Thank You

I've stayed away from my blog away for awhile, and that's due to school, being an editor at VAVEL, and a plethora of other things. After reading pieces from The Player's Tribune, I feel I need a place to get in touch with more personal things in my writing. Well, here's the first of many.

Ever since I was about four or five years-old, I've always been an avid fan of tennis. Whether it was the thought of being able to whack a ball and have someone hit it back or the thought that it was different compared to other sports, it was an individual sport, not a team sport like all the others I've played. I grew up watching the near-end of the Andre Agassi and the Pete Sampras era. At a young age, I was never able to fully grasp their dominance in that era.

Fast forward a few years, Sampras had retired and Agassi was on the cusp of retirement. Some young kid named Roger Federer began to take over the game, winning title after title. His dominance gave tennis a new face of the game for years to come, and no one was ready to challenge him. Andy Roddick, the "next great American" player had stepped up to win one major, the 2003 US Open title, and even reached world number one, but could not stop the machine that was the "Fed Express". Cue Rafa.

Early 2004, a kid named Rafael Nadal took the stage at the now called Miami Open to face Federer in the round of 32. Though the now 17-time major champion did not play his best, the Spaniard stepped up to the plate to take the match in straight sets. After that moment, I felt a sense of a new wave in the tennis world, a sense of that maybe Federer wasn't unstoppable... And Nadal was that driving force.

Nadal and Federer after their first ever meeting in Miami back in 2004/Tennis World USA

The Fed Express and his dominance nearly made me lose my love for the sport since all he did was defeat favorites of mine, ranging from Roddick to James Blake to even good ole Lleyton Hewitt. Once Nadal came into the fray, my love for the game reignited. People always ask why is Nadal your favorite, here's why.

He's the man who could keep Federer in check throughout all these years, and even the man who inspired me to play tennis as my main sport, now my favorite sport throughout the seven years I've been playing it. The 2008 Wimbledon final was a massive turning point, as it gave me belief that if Rafa could do anything, so could I. So to the Spanish Bull, the King of Clay, the Prince of Paris, and to some, the GOAT, thank you Rafa for keeping me inspired to play and love tennis the way I do now.