By Andrew Eichenholz
The “sport ethic” could be considered the way in which athletes strive for success, never succumbing to any risks or physical obstacles, doing whatever it takes to achieve a goal. Rafael Nadal’s over conformity to this “sports ethic” is slowly taking away any shot that the Spaniard had at going down in the history books as being the greatest of all-time.
Prior to the ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai Rolex Masters event last week, Nadal was diagnosed with appendicitis, which is the swelling of a pouch called the appendix, on the lower right side of the abdomen. If the appendix were to swell to a point where it ruptures, bacteria and infection could spread into the abdomen, possibly leading to life-threatening complications. Most people go straight into surgery.
Yet, Nadal stepped onto Stadium court on Wednesday evening, antibiotics in his system and all, to continue playing. According to reports, Nadal is trying to put off surgery to remove his appendix until after the World Tour Finals in November. Not even taking into consideration his recent wrist ailments, Nadal put his fall tennis above what arguably may be the safest road to recovery from appendicitis, which is surgery right away.
Nadal lost in the second round, his first match, to fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez. So, after playing in the tournament, was it worth it?
Players and fans hold Nadal in the highest regard, especially in terms of fight and toughness. Nobody takes every single point as seriously as the lefty from Mallorca does, wanting to place ball after ball exactly where he desires, even if he is up 6-0 5-0 40-0. At the end of the day, his logo for sponsor Nike does not depict a bull for nothing.
The bottom line is, Nadal did not have to prove anything to anybody by showing up in Shanghai, nor does he have to if he plays in Paris or eventually at the World Tour Finals. Everybody has the utmost respect for him. If he is doing it for his own satisfaction in an attempt to gain the prize of winning matches or even tournaments, that is respectable too, but it is hurting his career.
As shown by his loss to Martin Klizan earlier in the fall, Nadal is not quite back to full health, after he missed the United States Open due to wrist issues. One can only wonder if putting off surgery to remove his appendix will hurt his overall recovery and readiness for the 2015 season.
This year, with his injuries and lack of major noisemaking outside of Roland Garros, people have not claimed Nadal’s superiority to any tennis player in history quite as frequently. With the tough, physical game that he plays, he poses enough of an issue for himself in the wear and tear that he puts on his body. Consistent knee problems throughout his career have kept Nadal out of tournaments that for all intents and purposes, he probably had a good shot at winning.
So, King of Clay, as you look towards the rest of your career in hopes of becoming King of them All, was playing in Shanghai and the rest of the fall tournaments really worth it?
