Rafael Nadal - Child Prodigy. Review on Rafael Nadal

He was not even 19 years of age when he made his Grand Slam Debut. He had already established himself as one of the best players in the clay circuit. He had won three tournaments prior to the Grand Slam. He was unbeatable at Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome, all clay court tournaments prior to the French Open. He had also taken the game's most stylish and elegant player at the moment, Roger Federer to gruelling five sets in the hard court final. He had a 23 match winning streak on clay. Yes, it is all about Rafael Nadal

The best part is he had just arrived and was already getting noticed by the big guns of tennis. John Mcenroe said that he had not seen a more exciting player in the last few years after another tennis great Boris Becker'sdebut. Rafael Nadal had all the pre-tournament hype to carry to the French Open. French Open, considered as one of the toughest grand slams due to the tough conditions, is definitely not a cakewalk for a guy who is in his teens. He was to celebrate his nineteenth birthday on the day of the semi-finals. If he could reach there, it would be a potential clash with the game's biggest name, Roger Federer, the undisputed numero uno in current tennis.

So, here was a guy who was not even nineteen years of age and people were already considering him to be the future French Open at the Roland Garros. If he could win the French title, he would be among the elites like Boris Becker, Ivan Lendl and Mats Wilander to win a Grand slam title on debut. The road to semi-finals was relatively easy for both Nadal as well as Roger Federer. In fact, Federer had not even lost a set enroute to the semi-finals. Then came the day where the battle of the titans was set. Roger Federer v/s Rafael Nadal, the so called match of the tournament. It was also considered as the finals of the tournament. The winner of this match was the undisputed favourite to claim the throne. Federer was passionate to win the match, as he would be adding the elusing throne to his kitty of grand slam wins at Wimbledon, New York and Melbourne. Nadal was equally passionate as it would mean a dream grand slam debut.

It would mean two things - The ability to beat the best man in tennis to reach the final and of course, the dream throne. Could Nadal match the pre-match hype thrust on him? The match started in dramatic style as Federer lost his serve in the very first game of the match. Not only that, he went on to lose his serve again, and Nadal happily pocketed his first set against the Number 1. The second set saw Federer playing the best set of the match. He was brilliantly attacking, broke Nadal and claimed the second set in style. A real match was on the cards. The third set went to Nadal quite easily. The fourth set saw the real strenght of character in Nadal as he was a service break down to Federer, but had the calmness and composure to break him back twice to serve out the set and the match(or the championship!!!). The finals had to be played with a lesser known guy, Puerta. It was a brilliant match and both the players played using all their reserves. It was the fourth set, and Nadal was a break down, while Puerta was serving for the set.

Nadal saved three set points and got back into the match at 5-5. Nadal held his serve and broke back Puerta again to win the championship in style. A fantastic final and a fantastic player had won it. An emotional moment indeed for the youngster. He was in tears and in a minute he was in the stands hugging his parents, his coach and family. The King of Spain was there to provide him encouragement. The championship throne was to be provided by the biggest sporting icon of France Zinedin Zidane. It was a nice photographic moment indeed. Nadal has all the ingredients to dominate Men's tennis. He has that uncanny ability to come up with the big shots under pressure. He showed that in the semi-finals as well as the finals. His cool aggression on court is a treat to watch.

He carries his passion on his sleeve. His excitement on court after winning the big points easily sends the crowd into a frenzy. He gets that sharpness in the game with a touch of class. His ability to run from one corner to another on the court reminds us of Boris Becker on his Wimbledon debut. All in all, Nadal is certainly game for a bright future.

Let's see what the future beholds for this stylish young man!!