Proud of Nadal- whether he wins or loses tomorrow

Nadal in the 3rd set of his Australian Open 2011 Quarter-final against Ferrer (Getty Images)

Whether Rafael Nadal wins or loses tomorrow, I can safely say that I am immensely proud of the effort and spirit he has shown this year. When he came back in Chile in February, I and many others certainly did not expect him to come back playing the tennis he has and add to his Grand Slam count like he did in the French Open.

No doubt though tomorrow, whatever the result is, people will always overreact. If Nadal wins, some will say 'ah that's it, I expect Nadal to dominate Djokovic now'; meanwhile if Djokovic wins people will say 'this totally waters down all of Nadal's achievements etc.' With Nadal and his injury problems, I don't see him really making a big impact in the next few years (remember he is already 27 and started playing pro really really young- so in 'normal' age he is like 30), so this match is not really as pivotal as many think.

For me though as I said, I am already so proud and satisfied with what he has proven over the season. His comeback against Djokovic from 2-4 down in the 5th set of the French Open Semi was probably one of the best and most positive emotional experiences I have had, and his win in Montreal against Djokovic showed great guts. He's done himself proud.

Another thing I've observed in this forum is that unfair standards are applied to Nadal and Djokovic. Apart from their own match-up, is there really such a massive difference in what they do on court against others. Was Djokovic really playing aggressively and attacking against Wawrinka? But I feel on this forum, if Nadal does something and then Djokovic does exactly the same thing; Nadal will be ripped into while Djokovic will be lauded. Double Standards?
Maybe. I certainly thing so. Perhaps I'm wrong.

That's really about it for the article. Nadal's career has been an exceptional one, especially so on clay, unfortunately many aren't going to be able to face upto that fact.

Yours Sincerely,
Julia Santamaria

P.S. The reason Tenez has not answered my question (as to why Nadal won his first 4 sets against Federer) is simple. It would rip apart basically 60% of his theories. Wise decision to not answer, credit when credit is due.

You're un-jinxing everything you have said about the final, right?
 

But seriously: it's like you feel responsible for his performance..