Super Rafael!

On 6th July 2008, Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in 5 sets in Wimbledon final which lasted 4 hours, 48 mins. The quality of tennis in the match left the tennis lovers in a state of awe. And for us, the fans of Rafael, he had made a huge statement by defeating Roger on grass surface. ATP deservedly crowned him the new World no. 1. And Vijay Amritraj, the commentator of the match posted one question : When does Rafa get tired?

Fast forward to another year and we arrive at Australian open 2009 , the first grand slam of the year. Rafa breezed to the semifinals, while Federer had a great escape in fourth round before reaching the semis. Federer rushed past Roddick in the semifinal match on Thursday. And Rafa played an epic 5 set match against Verdasco which lasted 5 hours, 14 mins on Friday. So with the Sunday final set up as a fresh Roger (who had a extra day to rest) vs. a tired Rafa, the world anticipated for the answer to the question of Vijay Amritraj. Roger was tipped as the favorite, but Rafa had another ideas. Rafa entered the court as a fighter and roared his way to victory in another 5 set match. For 4 hours 22 mins, Rafa did what he does best, chasing each and every shot of the opponent throught the court, returning shots which end up as winners against other opponents and producing the trademark stunning winners from seemingly impossible situations. Rafa was crowned the Champion and in the world of tennis, a super-hero was born! Well, considering he played for close to 10 hours within 3 days, that's not an over-statement :-).

After the gruelling semifinal match, Verdasco said To win a point against Nadal, you need to win it 3 times! And after the finals, Federer said.....well he just cried. And we still don't know the answer to the question: "When does Rafa get tired?"

Go Rafa! Bite each and every grand slam trophy ;).