As Fernando Verdasco battled his way to the final at last week’s Dubai Tennis Championships, he knew what was coming in his post-match press conferences. More questions about Rafael Nadal.
Verdasco knocked out seeds Roberto Bautista Agut and Lucas Pouille to reach his first ATP 500 final since 2012. It was a significant achievement for the 33-year-old tour veteran, but it wasn’t enough to tame questions about Nadal, who was playing more than 9000 miles away in Mexico.
‘They already asked me this question, and, yeah, at the end, they are always asking me about Nadal’, Verdasco replied when questioned about Nadal’s coaching arrangements. ‘And I really love him, but it’s really tiring. I know that it’s Nadal, but whatever decisions they have to make, it’s their decision. Maybe it’s the best for them.’
The perils of Verdasco are something that Spanish tennis professionals have been forced to accept throughout their careers. Unlike many other countries, Spain has the luxury of having 10 players ranked inside the top 100 on the ATP Tour. Last year 10 ATP singles titles was won by Spanish players, but only two of them was by Nadal (Monte Carlo and Barcelona). Despite the success of numerous players, it has had little impact on Spain’s fixation with the nine-time French Open champion.
“I would have more popularity as a tennis player if I was not Spanish.” World No.17 Bautista Agut said during an interview with El Confidencial.
“Here (in Spain) there has been very good players. We are fortunate to have someone like Rafa Nadal and that has largely eclipsed the rest of the Spanish tennis players.”
Nadal has blossomed into a beloved figure in his home country due to his achievements in tennis. So far in his career, the 30-year-old has won 14 grand slam titles, spent 141 weeks as world No.1 and clinched 2 Olympic gold medals.
In August 2016, a study conducted by professor Francesc Pujol from the University of Navarra found Nadal to be the most popular athlete in the entire Spanish Olympic team at the Rio Games. The study measured athlete’s popularity on the internet and their social media accounts.
One player who has been eclipsed by Nadal throughout his career is David Ferrer. The former top-5 player is regarded as one of the most decorated non-grand slam champions in the Open Era. The 34-year-old has participated in 51 ATP finals, clinching 26 titles. Despite the success throughout his career, Ferrer’s popularity is a fraction of his rival Nadal. On social media site Facebook, he has just over 407,000 likes compared to Nadal’s 14.7 million.
Inevitably there is jealously amongst the top male players in Spain, but still they express their admiration towards their top player. Nadal’s journey to the Australian Open final in January, where he lost to Roger Federer, was hailed by Ferrer.
“It makes me so happy seeing Roger and Rafa back at their best level,” he said. “They give a lot to this sport and as a fan of tennis, I like to watch them.
“Besides, Rafa is a great mate and I have played almost all my career alongside him and Roger. So the longer they go, much better.”
The Nadal love-affair is something that makes some Spanish fans sad. Every May the tennis community travel to the Madrid Open, the biggest pro event hosted in Spain. Nadal fever is always in full swing with young children dreaming of one day following in the footsteps of their hero. Working at the event in recent years, I have seen the bigger picture beyond Nadal. I have spoken with fans and Spanish journalists who have candidly admitted that they feel sorry for the likes of players such a Ferrer. A perplexing view, some might say, considering Ferrer’s prize money earnings stand at almost $30 million.
Spanish tennis has the unique ability of producing an array of talented players, in both the men’s and women’s game. Yet, the outstanding achievements of Nadal are ones that have rightfully elevated him above the others. It is a position that Nadal deserves, but you can’t help but feel sympathy towards his team mates. Many of whom would have become stars in their own right if they wasn’t playing during the Nadal era.
Spanish players ranked inside the top 100 on the ATP Tour (as of 6/3/17)
6) Rafael Nadal
17) Roberto Bautista Agut
23) Pablo Carreno Busta
24) Albert Ramos-Vinolas
29) Fernando Verdasco
32) David Ferrer
34) Feliciano Lopez
36) Marcel Granollers
57) Nicolas Almagro
89) Guillermo Garcia-Lopez
