Nadal is not merely a power-baseline, ball-bashing clay courter – he had generational shotmaking talent. (Reuters)
It is frivolous to use imagery of war to describe elite sport. The idea that multi-millionaire athletes who knock around a ball for a few hours have anything to do with the tragedy of the battlefield, especially in today’s times, is a ridiculous stretch.
Yet, over the 20-odd years Rafael Nadal has spent atop the tennis world, that comparison has become so commonplace that while using it today, one risks slipping into cliche.