Nadal's Run at History Going Unnoticed

During the next week, sports fans around the world may get a chance to witness history in front of their own eyes. And this historical run is not being made on the frozen (and torn up) tundra of Soldier Field, nor on the wind swept ground at the head of the Ohio River.

Instead, it is being made in the middle of the night in Melbourne, Australia by a true superstar who, no joke, still flies coach around Europe.

In a world of athletic superstars flying around the world in their own jets, doing more talk than training, and associating themselves much more with the world of celebrity than the world of sport, Rafael Nadal has built himself a resume that rivals the dominant likes of Tiger, Brady, Kobe, Jeter, and perhaps even more surprisingly, Roger Federer, his preeminent rival in the professional tennis ranks.

At just 23 years of age, the left-handed Spaniard has already captured 43 professional singles titles, 9 grand slams, and an Olympic gold, all while spending nearly all of 2009 battling knee injuries that forced him to skip his Wimbledon title defense and led many to wonder if his short career was already past its peak.

A little more than a year later, Nadal is looking to become the first man to win four consecutive grand slam titles since Rod Laver accomplished the feat (for the 2nd time) in 1969.

Though many are quick to note that the “Rafa slam”, much like the oft-discussed “Tiger slam” of 2000-01, isn’t a “true” grand slam because it comes over the span of two calendar years, the fact remains that Nadal has the chance to accomplish a feat that no doubt would rank among the most difficult in all of sport.

Yet in the United States, Nadal will be forever confined to ESPN2. With the NFL playoffs reaching a peak and college basketball sweeping the nation, tennis’s first major is just a blip on the radar.

The international nature of tennis probably doesn’t help. As Americans, we have this unwillingness to accept those sports that we don’t dominate as somehow not worthy of our attention. Tennis was popular when Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi were racking up grand slams; it is not nearly as much so when Federer and Nadal battle for supremacy.

The time difference probably doesn’t help. Unlike the often-compared world of golf, tennis holds 3 of its 4 grand slam events outside of the US (the British Open is the sole foreign “major” in golf). Thus, 3 of the 4 marquee events in tennis have to deal with significant time differences that inevitably force coverage to second-tier status, at best.

Even so, there is no reason why a run not just at tennis, but at sports history should play second fiddle to re-runs of NFL Live. I understand the US will forever favor the NFL, let alone the playoffs, over tennis but the degree to which Nadal’s accomplishments are being ignored is truly appalling. As much as I hate to admit it, I have to believe that the Australian Open would be getting far more coverage in the States had this been Andy Roddick looking to make history rather than some Spaniard with a heavy accent. Remember that when Tiger Woods dominated the golf ranks in the early part of the past decade, there was no story in sports that could compete.

While it is acceptable for our nation to pay particular attention to the exploits of our own, we should take interest in history regardless of who is making it. Lets not forget that sports fans around the world watch the Super Bowl, many of which won’t watch another game of American football the entire year. They watch because they are fans of sport and as a consequence take interest in prominent sporting events around the world.

Unfortunately, Americans don’t have as enlightened a view on sports fandom. Much like the stances our nation has on issues such as free trade, immigration, etc. we have this unfortunate tendency to overestimate our role in the world at large.

So while I know all of you will have your eyes on downtown Chicago this weekend, I plead with you to avoid the temptation to tune into a 3rd re-run of highlights after the game on Sunday Night and instead flip your television just a single notch to see what the rest of the sporting world cant get enough of, greatness.