Posted by tnnsdvd.

Photo by AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus

Inés wanted to share Bee’s translation of this article from 2008. She says it’s one of her favorite Rafa articles eve, and I thought it was a good article to share as Rafa prepares to head back to Wimbledon. The last paragraph of this article didn’t happen as expected, but let’s try to not focus on that. Early exit in 2005; more success than expected in 2006; gut-wrenching defeat in 2007; most glorious victory in 2008; heart-breaking inability to play in 2009 – will the roller-coaster pattern continue in 2010?

Historia de una pasión by Pedro Hernández as translated by Bee (do not reproduce her translation without her permission)

History of a passion

At 18.02 on Tuesday 21st June 2005, Steve Adams, member of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club de Wimbledon, opened the locker room door of Centre Court. With a friendly smile, and the conviction, based on his experience, of being in front of a player marked by destiny, Steve Adams asked: “Are you ready Mr. Nadal?”. For decades, Steve Adams, member of the All England Club responsible for accompanying the players from the locker room to the central garden, has filed in his memory the first reaction of the great champions before stepping out for the first time on this magic court. He has seen some players whose legs trembled, others who urgently needed the bathroom, many turning pale, and some, very few, with the determination in their face that this was to be the start of a long love story. Steve sensed that Rafael was one of those. What Adams had never seen was a young man with absolute concentration, firmly holding the racquet with his well muscled left arm, making kangaroo jumps and warming up his body like a boxer intimidating his opponent before a fight, on that occasion Vincent Spadea was his first stumbling block.

Rafa waited three years to enter the “Cathedral”. He waited since 2002, when he played in the juniors at the age of 16, staying in a student residence and feeding himself on a diet of “olives and crisps”. He had his first contact with the club, with the grass and believed that to win at Wimbledon could end up being just a dream.

At 18.04 on that 21st June 2005, in those almost 100 metres that separate the locker room from the access to Centre Court, Rafa carried on jumping, but lost for a moment his usual concentration. He heard the sound of the public cheering a victory of Tim Henman, climbed some stairs and contemplated the walls adorned with photos of icons of the past, crossed through the luxurious social lounge, protected by members of the British Armed Forces, where tea is served with extreme delicacy to some members who watched in horror a young man jumping around and putting in danger some of the precious treasures that are treasured in their sanctuary with his racquet.

Nadal turned to the left, went down some stairs and observed the gleam of a solid gold sable shining in a showcase together with some trophies and objects, in front was a second showcase where the AELTC Challenge Cup and the Venus Rosewater Dish, the trophies that only the immortals hold were resting. Passing to the left the board of honour on which the names of the champions have been engraved in gold on a green background, and crossed the white door that opened when the most seen clock on the planet marked 18.05 hrs.

At this time, Rafael Nadal received his first grand ovation, because the whole of Wimbledon was waiting for the Spanish boy with the pirate shorts and sleeveless shirt. Nadal put aside those sensations of a young curious boy surprised by his route to a place so special to focus on his work. After defeating Spadea in three quick sets, at 19.45 hrs Rafa again passed through the green doorway, and only then noticed the phrase of Rudyard Kipling, in which he advised that victory and loss should be treated as if they were two impostors, the phrase which isn’t found on the door as many believe, but in the part of the long walkway where the names of the members of the Club who died in the Second World War are displayed, the passageway that leads to the main entrance of the clubhouse between the “cemetery” of Courts 2 and 3. Nadal returned to the locker room following the protocol, and reflected on all that he had seen without taking in too many details, and convinced that on that court only one thing mattered: to win. Two days later he was knocked out on Court 1 by Gilles Muller. But Nadal had marked with a cross the biggest objective of his career.

Since then, Nadal’s relationship with the Wimbledon Club, the locker room and its Centre Court were getting stronger in unforgettable moments. On Saturday 1st July 2006, with Centre Court packed, Rafa closed the door on Andre Agassi’s fantastic era at the All England Club with a hug that particularly moved him. “It has been an honour to play against him and very emotional to live this moment of his farewell, to share with Andre the walk to the court and back seeing the tears in his eyes” he said after adding something as important as “today I played my best match on grass”.

Eight days later, on Sunday 9th July, confirming his desire to win and his adaptation to grass, Nadal participated in his first final. At 13.53 hrs, Steve Adams went to look for Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal in the locker room, whilst Douglas Dixon, in his white overcoat, tried to convince the Spaniard to give him his racquet, in that being the tradition in Wimbledon, Douglas, responsible for the locker room, is the one who carries the players’ bags and racquets to the Court on this solemn moment. At 14.00 hrs, Nadal was the first player in the history of Wimbledon to enter onto Centre Court with his racquet in his hand. At 17.26 hrs he returned to the locker room with a Silver Salver, 10 inches in diameter, engraved with a view of the exterior balconies of the club house, and with the conviction that he would continue to improve after taking a set off the four time champion Federer, and having been close, very close to the Holy Grail of tennis.

The locker room of the All England (club) was like martyrdom for Rafa in 2007. The rain that lengthened his meeting with Soderling to five days converted it into a jail. And that sensation hurt Nadal’s body and winning spirit, when at 18.15 on the 8th July, with another Silver Salver in his hands, he returns inconsolable and with tears in his eyes. He had had Federer on the ropes, but he had lost his second final in a stage that was unrecognisable for the works being carried out on the installation of a sliding roof for the Cathedral that had left the court gutted. More than ever, Nadal learned that you have to lose to learn how to win. He gave it another year to learn how to win, and not against just anyone, but the best.

After a brief rain delay, at 14.25 hrs on Sunday 6th July 2008, Nadal crossed the doorway to the Centre Court after his walk with Steve Adams and Douglas Dixon behind him. At 14.35 hrs the first point of what was to be the greatest battle of all time was played, against, none other than Roger Federer, who was looking for his 6th consecutive crown. The rain, as faithful to Wimbledon as the tea and strawberries, wanted to be immortalised on this afternoon/evening, causing two interruptions. At 21.16 hrs, a Federer forehand crashed into the net and Rafa fell to the ground forced by the weight of history. At 21.17 hrs he broke all traditions and scampered over the boxes to his team and family, walked over the roof of the scoreboard to thank the Prince and Princess of Asturias for their presence, from where he could see the court from a different perspective, and returned to his seat.

At 21.20 hrs Rafael Nadal Parera received from the Duke of Kent the trophy of 18 inches in height, and 7.5 in diameter, that in 1877 cost 100 guineas and has engraved “The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World” alongside the names of the champions. He kissed it, he bit it, he saw it shine more than ever in the reflection of the flashes, he felt it as the biggest recompense, while great heroes like McEnroe, Borg and Santana rubbed their eyes having witnessed the most beautiful match ever seen. In that moment, Roman Zoltowski, the club engraver, approached the plaque of honour next to the entrance of Central court and placed the golden letters of Rafael Nadal below the five lines of Roger Federer.

One thousand, one hundred and eleven days, and 211 minutes from his first entrance onto the Centre Court, Nadal crossed through the door of the Cathedral, and he understood that winning and losing were the impostors that Kipling spoke about, and saw his name engraved on the Plaque of Honour.

On 22nd June 2009 at 13.00 hrs, rain permitting, he will have the honour of being the first player to set foot on the Centre Court of Wimbledon. Steve will accompany him from the locker room, and Rafa will receive a small round violet badge of 8 cms, with his name inscribed in the centre, to accredit him as member of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, the place where he always wanted to belong.

Posted by RTSPORT1.

Cracks me up that he’s holding the racket up high the whole time he’s running into the net. “I need to volley! Racket in position! I need to volley!”

Posted by gandaines.

Posted by sztregozone – check out their channel for the rest of the match.

Posted by RTSPORT1.

Description by the FernadoReyTapias who posted the video:

Fragmentos del documental sobre Rafa Nadal a los 16 años cuando ganó el Torneo Satélite de Vigo.

Photo by Andrew Medichini, AP

…remember when the Master Series finals were best of five sets? Remember when an up-and-coming guy who had just won his first Master Series title in Monte-Carlo played an epic final against a clay-court specialist and won? (Nada/Coria in 2005 – if you haven’t seen that match, I feel sorry for you.) He made the final again in the next year and this time was facing the #1 player in the world. One couldn’t hope for as exciting a match, could one?

Well, Rafa and Roger delivered us a match that was a roller-coaster right up to the end. It’s not the same as the ’08 Wimbledon final – for one thing, the stakes were nowhere near as high – but it’s one for the ages too. Steve Tignor writes up a wonderful salute to the match, the tournament, clay, the best of five format, and a wonderful tennis rivalry – Check it out.

Can we possibly hope for as exciting of a final this year?

And if you are in the US and get The Tennis Channel, they are showing Rome finals all week. Tune in tonight to see baby-faced Rafa win his first Rome title.