History beckons unstoppable Nadal By Caroline Cheese http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4528579.stm Rafael Nadal Born: 3 June 1986, Mallorca Turned pro: 2001 Titles: 6 (inc. 2 Masters) World ranking: 5 As if making your debut at Roland Garros was not nerve-wracking enough, Rafael Nadal will do so as the favourite to go on and win the French Open title. In the space of four months, Nadal has turned promise into reality, winning five titles and putting his rivals, even the all-conquering Roger Federer, in the shade. The 'man-boy' from Mallorca, a left-hander who relies on a fierce forehand and remarkable athleticism, takes a tour-best 31-2 win-loss record for the clay-court season into the French Open. At 18, 'Rafa' is already a sporting hero in Spain, joining forces with Formula One star Fernando Alonso in squeezing on to the newspaper back pages alongside the ubiquitous football. And in a country where winning the French Open, rather than Wimbledon, is considered tennis' ultimate achievement, Nadal's popularity would reach stratospheric levels should he collect the trophy on 5 June. Understandably, Nadal has sought to play down his status as favourite and the facts support his caution. In the three Grand Slam tournaments he has entered, he has never progressed beyond the fourth round - but that has not stopped pundits and former players queuing up to back Nadal. "There will come a time when he wins it - maybe this year," said 1995 French Open champion Thomas Muster, who practiced with Nadal at the Rome Masters. "At the moment he is a big favourite of mine for the French Open," added Boris Becker, who won his first Wimbledon title at 17. And John McEnroe, once a teenage prodigy himself when he won five titles as a 19-year-old in 1978, is another member of the bulging Nadal fan club. "He's going to be one of the great players," said the American. "He loves to play. You can see it, he's so fired up and that's what our sport needs - a guy that loves to be out there. He plays to the crowd and I love seeing that." And Nadal's contemporaries have been heaping on the praise - possibly in the hope of burdening him with added expectation. "Every once in a while people come along who are big match players," said Andy Roddick. "He is a big match player." Federer said: "Because he's a lefty, it changes so many things. His forehand is huge - he can hit winners off every forehand. "He hits his backhand very close to his body but still gets it back well and hard when he's under pressure. And he's a good defensive player as well. "He moves totally different from most players. He's an outstanding athlete." And Andre Agassi has noted the youngster's remarkable physical conditioning. "Me at 18, looking at Nadal at 18, from the neck down you would think one person was 26 and the other was 12," said the American. Nowhere were Nadal's many attributes more obvious than in his epic encounter with Guillermo Coria in the Rome Masters final. Nadal looked a spent force when he went 0-3 down in the fifth set and with four titles already under his belt and his French Open prospects to consider, the teenager might have been expected to accept defeat. But the teenager is unwilling to wait for success to come to him and, ignoring the pain from the blisters on his racquet hand, he fought back to triumph after more than five hours on court. Coria and Federer are expected to be Nadal's main rivals in Paris but even they may struggle to halt the so-far unstoppable rise of the teenager. And should he emerge victorious, Nadal would match French Open great Gustavo Kuerten's achievement in conqueriing Roland Garros at the first attempt. 就是之前的一些大師們的讚美的總匯啦 開賽之前來回味一下:p -- Political,opinionated,energetic and determined. You've triumphed over tragedy and proved that nothing can stop you. Stay beautiful,darling! --

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