Nadal’s only human: Albert Costa
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Sarah sent in this article from the Roland Garros site.
2002 French Open champion Albert Costa spoke to us exclusively about Rafael Nadal’s shock defeat, evoked memories of his sweet victory on the famous red clay and tipped Roger Federer for the title.
How did you feel after Nadal’s defeat? Did you see it coming?
I think it was an enormous surprise. Rafa really wanted to win the tournament, but you can’t win every match. The match unbalanced him for several reasons. First and foremost there was Soderling’s incredible performance. But from the moment he arrived in Paris Rafa had not been feeling right. A combination of the two led to him being knocked out so early on.You say that he had not been feeling right. What do you mean exactly?
I think he wasn’t feeling 100%. In practice he wasn’t managing to fine-tune his shots, he wasn’t feeling the ball. Normally he has no such problems, even if he has a few hiccups in the first rounds. This time it wasn’t the case. But Rafa’s only human, and needs to feel good on the court in order to win.
Thanks, Sarah!
Loading ...
Rafa is quoted as saying throughout this year that he hasn’t been feeling “good” or something to that effect, since Australia I think. I wonder if he might have some low grade condition. Has he really had the time to recover from the physical stress of Oz? He was put through quite a lot in the SF and F matches. Not much of a real break since January. I just wonder.
I think he’s healthy – the kneetapes have stayed off. Maybe it’s a combination of various different little pressures and whatnot, but I’m sure if you asked Rafa himself, he wouldn’t be able to tell you one specific thing that made him lose. He just lost to someone playing better, as people do. I don’t think there’s a causal chain of events.
The only thing I wonder is if Madrid was indeed bad preparation for him. I wonder if he’ll go to that tournament next year?
I don’t think “feeling” here is referring to physical issues. I think Rafa hasn’t been “feeling the ball” and/or “feeling his rhythm” well. I think this is what Costa is referring to. Now, whether that’s due to physical or mental issues, I have no idea.
There is a proposal to switch Madrid and Rome. No idea if that will happen, though. It’s such a huge penalty to skip a Masters…I dunno.
Yeah I read that Miri, the switch of the Masters Rome and Madrid, they spoke on Sky sports like it might just happen, well I hope it does for Rafa’s sake. With reference to his health I really think taking to the fast hard courts of Rotterdam post Australia was a bad move and his team should have advised against this. too much too soon after 2 really tough matches, the whole idea was insane. This is Rafa’s best part of the season and I really feel his schedule wasn’t thought out smart enough, its one to commit because he feels that its the right thing to do bla bla, but as an athelete at the top of his game they should consider Rafa’s fitness and health first, whats the point of turning up to play and causing himself an injury thus spoiling his chances for the bigger events!
Rafa has been playing some pretty amazing tennis to already win 5 titles this year but there has always been something in the back of my mind, since Australia, which makes me stupidly nervous about matches and that he might actually lose. He seems to be struggling more than before to get good form.
I think surpassing Federer and realising, by beating him in Australia, that he is at current the better player has really affected Rafa and he feels that in every match he needs to be his best and if not he feels like he is a bad player.
I am going to put a statement out there and some of you may disagree with me but this is what I think actually Rafa needs. I think Rafa needs to be World Number 2 again. I mean I was so happy and relieved when he got Number 1 it was like a godsend and it showed how hard he had to work for it. However, since them to me Rafa hasn’t been the same player.
I think that Rafa’s mentallity isn’t that of a King but almost a Knight (if you get my metaphors).
What I am saying is that the way Rafa’s head works, he isn’t meant to be the guy that everybody aspires to be and beat, he isn’t destined to be the leader in the Castle that people are trying to idolise.
In my eyes Rafa is more the Knight, he is the one who goes out and fights week in week out to prove how good he is and enjoys the battle. He isn’t content with being the one sat lonely at the top, he likes being part of the pack and chasing the goal.
I dunno, it just seems to me that the way Rafa’s head works he needs someone above him, who is not neccesarily better, but someone who he can see ahead and that he has to work for to catch up with. To me that is Rafa’s bread and butter, that is his head but also his game and I think thats why he has struggled. Now he is the leader of the pack he has nooone to aspire to be like and that has bothered him because he can’t see a current goal to fight for.
Agree with me or not…but discuss :)
(Sorry for the long-windedness and the silly Medieval Metaphors)
I get your logic, Josh – that Rafa needs a fight and thrives on the chase – and I think that’s very true. (Sir Rafa the Knight!)
Plus, ranking is much less important than titles won, and that nobody can take those away from Rafa. Since the start of 2008, he’s won 11 titles – three of them Slams, and five of them Masters. If Fed doesn’t mess up at RG and Rafa doesn’t win Wimbledon, yes, officially he’ll be #2 at the end of summer, but that’s because Olympic points drop off. And the two at the top will be mighty, mighty close.
What I mean is, the rankings system has its contingencies, and last year’s Olympics was one of them. Winning lots of titles automatically means that your ranking is under tons of pressure. So if Rafa keeps his head down and keeps working hard, he’ll win more titles, and the rankings will do as they please according to what time of year it is, etc. He’s got no reason to be nervous about rankings, and I hope he and his team stress that over and over again to each other as the “Fed getting back his #1!” hype gears up. Some of the greatest players in the history of the sport weren’t at #1 for hugely sustained periods of time (Borg, for example), but it doesn’t reflect on their greatness.
One more thoughts on ranking: Rafa’s already assured of a year at #1, which (discounting Fed’s exceptional run) is very, very good. Casting our minds back pre-AO, it’s way more optimistic than some people would’ve predicted. I mean, if Fed had won both USO and AO, it would’ve been a whole other story. Right now, I care more that Rafa’s happy and playing well and keeps on keepin’ on, no matter what the number by his name.
(And you thought you were long-winded! :))
Sorry, that should be 13 titles. I can’t count!
That’s a catch 20. If Rafa gets back to playing well at his level now he will win titles and remain as no.1. If it’s better for him to be no.2 he’d have to play badly like what he did in Roland Garros. I think it is an adjustment phase that Rafa will come out. He will learn to accept his role as no.1 and the way to defend it. I hope this defeat will help to give him this perspective. He has been no.2 for so many years he kind of refuse to accept the difference between no.1 and no.2. by saying there is no difference to him. But I think there is. Many newly crowned number did not win their next grand slam, I read somewhere about it. Rafa already did very well.
Other than this issue, I agree with Tiemyshoe that Madrid was a handicap for Rafa too. That altitude playing didn’t help. It is the first time Madrid tournament is moved to be just before French. And Rafa and Djok both happened to play a grueling longest ever match in master history just 2 weeks before he lost. Apparently altitude mucks up the way you play topspin which is one of Rafa’s biggest weapon.
sorry.. catch “22″ and newly crowned number “1″
Absolutely agree! He feeds on being the hunter and not the hunted! He needed his loss at RG to stregthen him.
I do agree with you, Josh. My feelings when Rafa reached the # 1 spot were mixed. I was thrilled that he passed Federer in the rankings, but somehow I always felt that the # 2 position suited him better. So he had something to keep fighting for. And apparently, fighting for your 5th RG title isn’t the same.
But I have to say, it’s more difficult now, because it would somehow feel he got ‘worse’ if he’s back at # 2 again. Then again, if that would mean he’d be playing his best tennis again, with more joy than lately, hey, why not?
And it’s true what tiemyshoe says below: nobody remembers Borgs ranking history, only his greatness.
Josh – I have heard that notion be asserted. I read somewhere (can’t recall where, been reading so much on him) that he’s the guy that wants to storm the castle, not defend. I don’t really get the feeling that Rafa feels that way. He has always said that he doesn’t feel different being #1 or #2, his goals are the same. To improve his tennis and win titles. Plus, with the top 4 guys, there is pretty stong competition in the chase week in and week out. To me his struggles began in Miami (I got to go and see him there…twas awesome, glad I left before he lost tho). He did well to win so much on clay this year. I’m sure he’ll right the ship, 5 titles this season is amazing. VAMOS!
I expressed the same opinion as Josh as a comment for a different article. There was a Spanish article/interview a little while back (I wish I could find the link) but Rafa was talking as if he felt empty after getting to the #1 slot. If I can find the link I will post.
But in any case, I am with Josh — there is a different mindset to climbing to the top and staying at the top — I think Rafa needs time to adjust to his current throne.
I don’t know. I think that might be the case, but I think there’s something else there. I keep thinking back to the “it’s personal” comment he made in Miami. I think there’s something to that. What that issue is/if there is an issue, we’ll likely never know. But that’s my hunch.
Sorry natylite, what was that “it’s personal” comment about?
I like Josh’s comments about the thrill of the chase. Rafa likes competition and now he is #1 – he is proud. Yet is it satisfying and does it affect his ability to create the same kind of energy each match. I know some matches have been fabulous, but he has struggled to win more often. Some interesting thoughts. Also with defending points this may be interesting. I too would hope that he would maintain #1 at least until August to have 52 weeks or more as #1. In the past he has stated that having a particular ranking is less important than playing well and improving his game. The ranking points would take care of themselves.
“Rafa has been playing some pretty amazing tennis to already win 5 titles this year but there has always been something in the back of my mind, since Australia, which makes me stupidly nervous about matches and that he might actually lose. He seems to be struggling more than before to get good form.” (Josh)
I agree with this, Josh.
Reading your comments, I think there might be a little bit of truth in everything, especially the fact that Rafa has gone from being the “hunter” for #1 to being “hunted”.
However, it could also be something as simple as growing up and developing as a human being.
I know that you can never compare and that you shouldn’t generalise, but looking back ten years to when I was Rafa’s age, SO much happened “in my head” from being 18 to being say, 25. I went through some great times, but also had some really rough patches. It’s love, relationships with friends, parents, breaking loose from things and bonding with other things, finding what’s right for you etc., etc… Simply growing up and maturing.
I just remember it being emotionally and mentally a bit of a roller coaster and with Rafa being just a normal guy with a life outside of tennis, I can’t see one not affecting the other sometimes.
Then again, I’m not a professional tennis player, so what do I know? (:
As long as Rafa keeps fighting and playing his tennis, he’ll always be one of the best sports men I’ve ever seen! So “vamos” to that!
I do see where you’re all coming from, but it’s hard to really know if anything is wrong per se, or if it’s just as simple as hey, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Learn from it, and move on. But that’s easier said than done when you’re Rafa – a player people now expect to win EVERY tournament he enters. He’s not supposed to have bad days. He’s not supposed to lose. And when he does, people freak the fuck out (myself included!). But I’m working on that.
Personally, I think everything changed when Rafa won Wimbledon. That’s when I noticed this shift in the “tennisworld air”, if you will. Rafa has always been a big name, but when he won Wimbledon, his fame absolutely SKYROCKETED, in my opinion. SKYROCKETED, I tell you! All the sudden, he was a bonefide rock star. He dethroned Federer, he won a Grand Slam on a surface other than clay, and he did it in THE MOST dramatic way possible. Then he follows up that epic performance by winning in Toronto, snagging the No. 1 spot from Federer by making the semifinals of Cincy, and topping it all off by winning the friggin’ gold medal at the Olympics! It was madness. I remember being absolutely blown away that he won 5 consecutive tourneys (Hamburg, RG, Queens, Wimby, Toronto). I mean those tournaments are all really respected, high quality tournaments. It was incredible. Why would anyone bet against him?
Then we all know the story of how he eventually burned out for the remainder of the year (although he still posted very respectable results at the US Open (first time in the semis, yeah!), Madrid and Paris, plus he played a big role in helping his Davis Cup teammates reach the finals by winning both his singles matches). He ended the year as No. 1, a fantastic reward for a fantastic year, even if it ended with him nursing a knee injury.
So then when 2009 started and people weren’t sure what kind of shape he was in or how he would be able to follow up such a phenonmenal year…. for him to win the AO under such dramatic circumstances (again!), playing Fed in the final after playing Becky (tee hee) for over 5 hours, nobody really expected him to win after that (or at the very least would have understood if he lost) because of how tired people thought he would be, and you know what? Nobody really expecting him to win from the get-go (remember all the Murray hooplah? Rafa was like 4th on everyone’s list!). Anyways, for him to win the AO, to hold 3 of the 4 Grand Slams at once, on THREE different surfaces, well, there you go. The guy was just proving his worth at the top. I think that’s when the chatter just got out of control. They were already talking about RG after he won in Oz, talking about the calendar year grand slam. It was crazy. I think it’s just a matter of time when that kind of pressure and expectation can catch up to you, I don’t care who you are. Perhaps it’s caught up to him a bit. And that’s fine. I think it will be good for him in the long run. And he’s got a great support system and a great head on his shoulders. I think this will only make him stronger. Sorry for novel, I guess I just needed to share my thoughts with you guys! I really think Rafa will continue to be the fighter we all know him to be. And if he doesn’t win a tourney for a while, fine, it’ll just make it all the more sweeter when he does. :)
Yeah, Johanne, winning that AO was for me the most amazing thing after the run he had in 2008. So when he fell to the floor after defeating Fed in Melbourne he MUST have finally been able to breathe out and think “I’ve done it, I’ve won majors on ALL sufraces, I’ve really proved that I’m not just a clay-courter and now…what?”. I dunno…?
Exactly. That’s why I’m even more impressed with him that he’s gone on to win 4 more titles since. He’s amazing. I think he’ll be fine, no matter what happens in the coming months.
Yeah. And on a more shallow note, he is and will always be the sexiest, best looking, sweetest, cutest, hottest man in the world! Nobody can take THAT away from him. Heh… ;)
Hell yeah!
Yes definately the sexiest guy in the world, and the most exciting and passionate! I’ll never get tired watching Rafa, last year he was unbelieveable and yes alot of pressure to repeat that again this year, I mean no-one including myself (shame on me I know, ye of little faith lol..),was tipping him to win Australia until they saw his performances per match through the draw then there was alot of talk about his devastating form etc.. I think his mind set there was new season and the need to keep his no.1 ranking safe, he probably didn’t expect to win the whole thing either so the pressure was definately less, of course Rafa likes to have someone or a goal to chase but he said himself that he had fought soo hard to get the no.1 ranking and wasn’t intending to let go of it now etc.. so I guess Rafa himself put alot of pressure on himself to stay at the top, I know Roger did it quite successfully may be because he didn’t have quite the competition that Rafa has in Djokovic, Murray, Del potro and of course Roger too. I think Rogers motivation came from chasing the record books rather than just thinking of the rankings after all if you perform well and focus on your game thus winning trophies the rankings take care of themselves. Its all a matter of mindset and getting used to the feeling of being the hunted one rather than being the hunter, but like Josh has pointed out here, Rafa’s competitive nature fits better with the latter one..
Truer words have never been spoken…he just oozes sex appeal and is a damn good tennis player.
i totally get what you mean johanne, bout rafa’s star being on the up and up since he won wimbledon. you’re right, he totally became a rockstar. it’s amazing how much weight that grand slam carries that once he won it, it was like he was validated as being a top class player. especially in such a fantastic final with fed. and the rate he kept winning and winning, and getting the olympics gold. i mean c’mon, getting wimbledon and the gold in the same year!! that’s just beyond comprehension. 2008 was really spectacular for him, and just one written in the stars, because for the olympics to also fall in that year, his year of such great achievements, was just phenomenal. he was something like the first reigning no. 1 in a long time to win the olympics gold.
and you’re so right, ever since then, he’s just seemed absolutely unbeatable when he was in good health. when he pulled out of davis cup and shanghai at year end, it was accepted by everyone as pretty much the price he paid for the fantastic run. but without injury, it’s like he just HAS to win every bloody match. i too have become too accustomed to him winning so much after his strong form at AO. guess no matter how much rafa says he has no pressure to perform, but it really has to be there even if subliminal. especially cos he reads the media coverage too, so he knows what everyone is saying and expecting of him. he probably more than anyone else knows how to take it in his stride and not let it bother him too much, but he’s only human. so i think i have to try and accept that rafa is not a machine and i can’t expect him to just win everything in his path, even if it is RG.
as for him having to chase someone in front of him…i know he said that in his interview a few months ago, but i don’t know that we take that too much into consideration for his form. i think it’s just a feeling, rather than really affecting his game. and if anyone can step up to the plate and take the lead, it’s got to be rafa! his method is to just focus on each match, and let the rankings happen.
i could go on and on about this, sorry! but what do i know, i could be way off base here.
Great writing johanne, I couldn’t agree with you more. And we mustn’t forget that even while Rafa hasn’t been playing his best tennis since AO, he still had these great results in winning all these titles. It’s like a rubber band: at one time it has to snap when it’s being stretched out all the time.
Not so dramatically for Rafa as a snapping rubber band (that would mean he’s broken), and I expect him to take something out of all this and surprise everybode once more!
dutchgirl I certainly hope so, I just love Rafa’s surprise wins.
There was question over doing Madrid because French Open was straight after, both very different conditions to work with so must have been tricky to adjust no? But all the players were in the same situation pretty much sooo… But yeah, can’t win all the time and I’m glad Albert had said all this, hopefully it will shut some people up with their bad mouthing and what not ^^
Hei, whatever happens from now on, it is what it is.
Nadalek is already written on Tennis history books.
who was chasing Roger before Rafael??? nadie.
Once there was this normal guy “Federer“ who matured to a great champ to little competition,he has done great for himself and i have been a federer follower and of Sampras and Agassi noone, Not even Rodick has been as effective as Nadal on opposing the GOAT.
nobody´s body is the same, some need more rest than others, and hei, again by 23 Roger did nt have even half the success Rafita has now!!!!