Marvel Nadal

By Monitor I doubt that there are many players in the world, who when trailing two sets down in the fifth game of the third set can come back and actually win especially on a surface which he is not too comfortable with. But this is what happened with Rafael Nadal on Thursday in his second round match at Wimbledon. Apart from being a fantastic player Nadal has also shown that he is mentally strong and never doubts his own abilities. This “never say die” attitude is the mark of a true champion and it is quite incredible that at such a young age he is capable of such great character. Nadal comes from a great sporting family; his uncle was a Real Mallorca and Barcelona great whose only real failure was to miss a penalty for Spain against England in the quarter-finals of the European Championships in 1996. Having such a famous uncle has also made a big difference to Nadal who can handle the big game situations better than anyone. I hope the “Porto Cristo kid” can go on and win Wimbledon. When he retires from tennis, hopefully, with a trophy cabinet which is bulging perhaps he could consider coaching other sportspeople. If Nadal's beloved Spanish national team had shown his courage and dedication on Tuesday night they would be playing Brazil in the quarter-finals. Majorca is extremely lucky to have such a player.