This is a great new article on Rafa's 2013 in review.
The writer encapsulates all that Rafa is to his fans.
I really enjoyed this article, and hope you all do too.
http://www.tennisnow.com/News/2013-in-Review-Rafael-Nadal.aspx#sthash.9qHuFO7t.dpufExcerpt:
When taken in context, Rafael Nadal's 2013 was really one of the most incredible seasons in recent memory. Nadal's campaign began with whispers of impending doom and, almost miraculously, after the Spaniard made a stunning return from career-threatening knee issues in Chile in February, ended with satisfied screams of ecstasy and whispers of GOATness.
It wasn't just that Nadal gobbled up titles and racked up milestones in 2013, it was the way that he emerged from a giant cluster of depressing black clouds like some magical raptor straight from the sun, all glimmering and glistening, and playing with a renewed vigor that, simply put, was undeniably beautiful.
Nadal's modus operandi as a tennis player is to run hot like a muscle car or a thoroughbred, and because of that fact, many had him pegged as over the hill at the tender age of 26. When he announced his withdrawal from the 2013 Australian Open there were a lot of puzzled scribes in tennisland who couldn't help but prognosticate that the end was near. His game, that combustible concoction of fast-twitch muscles and a high-revving heart, simply was not built to last...
Well, that point was proven to be further and further from the truth as the season wound on and Nadal, playing passionate, shaman-like tennis on hard courts as well as clay courts started racking up improbable victory after improbable victory.