Sorry about the lack of updates As you know I am recovering form my illness..so I am hoping this will smooth things over.. I am a huge fan of writing, I myself do not have the talent to write a very inspiring piece on Rafa or anything I think ..my thing is mostly poetry..so when I come across pieces like :

•  That’s so Roger: Evaluating Federer’s cocky comments
• Rafael Nadal Confident Novak Djokovic Can Be Beaten 
• Rafael Nadal under investigation by tax office 

It surprises me how the only inspirational pieces come from Steve Tignor who actually writes like his life depends on it.. makes the kids wanna grab racquets & kick some clay dirt around Central Park.. and then you come across some international writers who blow you away..
I came across this wonderful piece by Feliciano Lopez twitter he commented on the article where he was in agreement with it towards the recent accusations towards RAFA & the majority of Spain's athletes. I am no expert in translations.. It's difficult enough for me to speak Spanish since it's not my native language.. but I have crossed referenced the translations between Google & Microsoft Translator to which I find way better than Google btw. So here it is & I would love to hear your thoughts on the piece.


Enough
By Rafael Plaza


I worry about our capacity to transform a drop into the ocean. The ease with which we blame, excuse, dogmatizing or pontificate as the wind blow from East or West. I worry that problems are valued more than merits, despite the differences between the two. It’s happening with a universal figure these days. A face filled with success; Rafael Nadal. To define his contribution to the sport is difficult. To define his showcase of human values, impossible. During these past weeks of break from competition, indictments against him have been carried to extreme by press and fans. I didn't plan on putting in any effort writing about it, but the situation requires it.

Is anyone capable of associating the words doping and Nadal without any remorse of conscience? Does anyone really think that tennis is not a clean sport? Are we aware of all the doping controls that players submit to during the year?

The answer must be negative, although hard to believe. The situation is this: Not only Spain, the planet, has a first class sports figure. A player truly unique, apart of an irreplaceable generation. Sports history. Each question about doping is a missed opportunity to learn more about Nadal. To learn a little more about the hidden details of a phenomenon that none of us will ever see again. It will be years. Many years will go by until someone similar like the Spaniard appears. And, instead of devoting ourselves into analyzing each account of his professional life, we waste efforts on a topic of no significance: doping and France.

It is not the opinion of a country, it is the opinion of a writing team fueled by the directors of a French program. A tasteless joke turned into a crusade between regions without sense or sanity. Three poorly characterized dolls that at times have represented the most infamous villain that Spain has had in its history . It's the perfect excuse. It has served as target for journalists and citizens engaged in an intangible battle leading nowhere.

Nadal is loved in Paris. He has claimed those streets as elsewhere in the world. People stop him, ask him for autograph; they ask to take pictures and to wish him luck. To say otherwise is to assess the situation without knowing it. It is a lie to tell a that is not true. The tendency to generalize leads us to believe that the Roland Garros center represents an entire population. 14,000 people against 66 million. An absurd notion if we devote a moment to ponder about it.

Obviously, the situation is different in the temple of clay. Let us reflect on the causes. Before Rafael won the second Grand Slam of the season six consecutive times, the Parisian crowds watched players of our country win their tournament eleven years running. We are not counting finalists, doubles teams, or champions at lower levels of competition. This fact is not a good reason not to support Nadal, but it is the cause. It hurts. It hurts a lot. Just as it would hurt us if the Grand Slam were disputed in Spain and it were they who reached glory over and over again. The same thing occurs in Madrid. Let's not deceive ourselves. The audience of the [Caja Mágica] Magic Box came to boo Federer in a match against Nadal. And the difference between the tournaments is significant. It is a law of life and of sports.

Nadal may be liked more or less. We speak, of course, in a tennis court. His style may be loved or hated. As can happen with Djokovic or Federer. No one, however, can argue that he is an example as a person. An example who no one can emulate. We live in a time which standing out for succeeding in a sport bequests invulnerability. It seems that being a football, basketball, or tennis star, merits you looking over your shoulder. To respond to the media whenever called upon. To stop for fans depending on your mood that day. To be an  immoral uneducated person. Without respect. It costs nothing and yet seems to be impossible. We are accustomed to press conferences in which the news is if the person speaking or not is in a bad mood. Already tiresome. Really, it's become a boring story.

This is the situation of a large part of the cast of athletes. Not so with Nadal. Nadal comes out and clarifies an issue as sensitive of his financial integrity. And does not just do so in any old way. He admits his errors for having corporate residences in San Sebastián. Why? The easy thing would be to keep silent. No one forces him to explain anything. Nobody requires him to recognize that he did not do things well. He is a person who is easy to admire. Not as a tennis player but just as a person. An example that a good education remains the strongest base to maintain sanity, whatever happens.

Was it necessary to spread the issue of doping to that extent? Was it necessary to do the same with the subject of a tax haven? Isn't all the moments that Nadal has gifted to us sufficient with valid credibility? Isn't a continued triumph in Paris the best answer to the allegations from France? Isn’t ignorance more painful than legal disputes initiated from the various sectors of our country? The question is whether this is only a new invisible curtain to fill empty pages and hide major problems that runs through our society or whether webcasting granted corresponds to a real concern.

Both are are alarming. Both denote a lack of rigor towards reality. Both, therefore, are reasons enough to reflect and ask ourselves to where we are walking. One thing is clear: it can’t be healthy that Nadal is showcased for these two issues, and yet his win at a minor tournament is covered by a fleeting report. We don't know what we have. And we will miss it. I assure you.

Written by February 27th, 2012 Rafael Plaza for TENISWORLD.es
Translations by Microsoft & Google with minor interjections by Rafaholics.com