CAMELOT FANTASIES

Rafa's clay statue by Nike:

http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2014-06-10/16025.php

The Nadal sculpture will appear in the window of the Cinquième Set store in Paris, accompanied by a plaque that reads: “Legends are made from different stuff”.

This is so ironic. I remember when Nadal first came on the scene, they did everything they could to pit Nadal against Federer. They said Federer was graceful and elegant; Nadal was brutish, like a bull in a china shop. They harped on seconds between serves for the first time in history and attributed it to Nadal being a rulebreaker. They made numerous references to his "quirks," but no one else's on tour. Except Djokovic who they also viewed as a "threat" to the legacy they were building. As Andy progressed, he too was maligned, they called him pouty and made a big deal about anything that they could.

I thought, and still think, that this was one of the stupidest ploys in the history of tennis. For one thing, they had what would become the Big Four, and they should have embraced the different styles and the excellence of their play. That would have been a great way to grow the sport that they "claim" to love.

And now, ten years later, the man they maligned is a legend in the game. Novak too is becoming, or is, a great. But the tactic of division does nothing for tennis. Now that Federer is aging and they still need to drum up interest in the sport, they are lucky that Nadal has played so well, for so long, because these acts could have sabotaged tennis by presenting one as a cheat, and the other one as a saint.

Can you imagine if they had operated in the interest of the sport? Tennis wouldn't be lagging so much in the U.S.

They shot themselves in the foot.

But thankfully, people made their own decisions and all the bad press in the world could not keep Nadal down. I doubt they'll learn their lesson. Obstinate, biased, and ridiculous people.