Rafa Slam would be just as grand for Rafael Nada

With
the first Grand Slam of the 2011 tennis season officially underway Down
Under, the big storyline is whether world's No. 1 Rafael Nadal can
capture his 10th major title and, in so doing, hold all four Grand Slam
crowns at the same time.

If, indeed, the 24-year-old Spaniard hoists the Norman Brookes Challenge
Cup in a fortnight, he will be the first man since the legendary Rod
(The Rocket) Laver to do so.

Since the feat would not occur in the same calendar year, technically it
would not be considered an official Grand Slam. Prognosticators are
calling it the "Rafa Slam."

Semantics, I say. If Nadal wins the Australian Open, call it what you want. I call it pure dominance.

I’ve been known to be a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to
preserving statistics and sports historical records. However, not
properly recognizing what would be the most impressive 365-day period in
my generation is just splitting hairs.

While I still believe that Swiss maestro Roger Federer is the greatest
player of all time and that his run over the past decade, including 16
Grand Slam titles, stands atop anything else I've seen in the sport,
having Nadal own each of the Grand Slam crowns simultaneously is
remarkable.

Federer, for longevity in greatness; Nadal, for short-term dominance.
Yet it seems like everyone wants to talk about the Rafa Slam but the
Spaniard himself.

"I think if that does happen, for sure, I am gonna be more happy to win
in Australia because it's the Australian Open more than because it's the
fourth in a row," Nadal said. "That's 100 per cent true."
On the mend

The relatively easy first week is just what the doctor ordered for
Nadal, who is recovering from an apparent virus that obviously slowed
him down during his semifinal finish in Qatar two weeks ago. The
sickness delayed Nadal's arrival at Melbourne. But after a few practices
and participating in the Rally for Relief fundraiser for the
flood-ravaged parts of Australia, he looks to be on the mend.

Nadal is now purely focused on the next two weeks. His ability to not
look past the next match and stay in the moment has made him the
fiercest competitor on court. I've been fortunate to work with Nadal on
various off-court projects, while he played at the Rogers Cup. You will
never meet a kinder, more down-to-earth sports superstar. But get him
between the lines and he's a bull fighter armed with a fatal forehand.

Nadal was backed at the tournament draw by the great Ivan Lendl, who won
eight majors himself. And while it came across like a presidential
campaign, Lendl, who remains the only male to make three consecutive
men's finals since the Australian Open moved to Melbourne Park in 1988,
cited Nadal's ability to constantly improve his game for the reason to
take the championship — and complete the Slam.
Pool of Death

Of the big names in the tournament, Nadal looks to have the most gentle
road through. The 2009 champion has two real challenges in his quarter
of the draw: big-serving American John Isner and 15th-seeded Croatian
Marin Cilic.

If the second quarter of the draw was in soccer, it would be the
considered the Pool of Death. Not only are the fourth and fifth seeds —
Robin Soderling of Sweden and Andy Murray of Great Britain, respectively
— located in this section, but also 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin
del Potro, who is making his Grand Slam comeback after losing a year to
injury and 255 spots in the ATP rankings. If del Potro wins his first
match, the Argentine’s second-round opponent will likely be 2006
Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis from Cyprus, who is also
attempting a personal comeback.

Throw in hard-hitting Jergen Melzer of Austria and you have one of the
toughest quarters of a draw in recent Grand Slam memory. The man who
survives this group could be rewarded with a match against Nadal in the
semifinals.

Lucky him.