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Rafael Nadal signs autographs in Shanghai - Source: ONE Sport -
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Rafa Nadal is the story of the 2009 Shanghai Masters and he is
yet to play a match finds tvnz.co.nz's Mike Burgess.
Nadal has always attracted a fanatical following in Asia, and the
absence of arch rival Roger Federer has just served to put more
focus on the Spanish superstar.
He arrived on Sunday into Shanghai and it was something more akin
to a rock star than a tennis player.
I was in the huge cafeteria area (surprise, surprise) mulling over
a myriad of options when the noise started.
"Naaa-dahl! Naa-dahl! Naa-dahl!"
Suddenly a sea of people surged past. I pursued.
Nadal was flanked by a dozen security men, in identical black
suits. Two were American, had necks thicker than the average waist
and forearms that could break concrete.
The rest were Chinese and all of identical height, while for good
measure there was also another ten or so police officers.
An attempt to get at all close was politely brushed away. These
guys were courteous, but meant business.
The Nadal express
The Nadal express made its way through the huge Qizhong arena to
practice court number five. It is one the smaller courts at this
massive complex, but the four grandstands still hold over
1000.
Practice commenced and after about half an hour of getting into the
groove, he then proceeded to wind things up.
It was a sight to see, quite brutal the way he smashes his
forehand, with a vicious snap of the wrist at the end of the
stroke.
He was hitting the ball as hard as anyone I have seen, and that
includes Chilean master blaster Fernando Gonzalez.
Then he seemed to go up another notch. And another. Till his body
just whirred into a blur.
His Chinese practice partner beginning to struggle, dripping with
sweat from every pore. One racquet was broken, and while the coach
fixed that, another one proceeded to go.
Meanwhile Nadal, who is famous for his intensity and quest for
perfection, also managed to have some fun.
Nadal's uncle Miguel Angel played football for Barcelona and Spain,
and some of those genes have obviously filtered through.
Nadal would flick the ball off the ground from one foot to another,
at one point managing an outrageous trick flicking the tennis ball
up from behind his back before kicking it with the other
heel.
It would be difficult with a football, let alone with the yellow
fuzzy.
After one skill duel with coach (and Uncle) Toni he seemed
particularly happy.
"Viste, Soy mas futbolista que tenista. Sabes" (You see, I am more
of a footballer than a tennis player - you know.
Pressing the point
Tennis crowds in China may not be the most knowledgable, but
they are super enthusiastic, cheering every point.
At the press conference the next day I was determined to get
Nadal's perspective on the fanatical Shanghai support
Tvnz.co.nz; "I was watching your practice last night. There was
about one thousand people there at the court watching you..."
Nadal: (Interupting) "Maybe less. Less than one
thousand." This prompted much laughter.
Tvnz.co.nz: "No, I was counting." (More laughter) It was like you
were a rock star. How do you feel when you have such support there
for you just to practice?"
Nadal: "It is very nice, no? Here the fans are very emotional with
me all the time [and] they show their emotions a lot. That makes me
feel very [good] no?"
He went on to talk about his amazing experience at the Olympics
last year (he won gold in Beijing) and the last two years of the
Masters Cup here in Shanghai.
"The people [are] very nice with me all the time, no?"
'[I] just can say thank you very much to everybody [here] in
China."
Gracias Rafa, you can be sure the feeling is mutual.
tvnz.co.nz's Michael Burgess is in China courtesy of the
Asia New Zealand foundation and travelled there with Air New
Zealand. He is aiming to investigate the impact and legacy of the
2008 Beijing Olympic Games and will be writing about the sights and
sounds of China along the way.
