“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
Confucius
It hasn’t even been a topic of debate for a long time. Rafael Nadal is, without question, the best athlete in the history of Spain, and the most beloved. Even more extraordinary, his glory surpasses the sport. Will he be the undisputed national hero not only today but for all time?
Of the living Spaniards it is difficult to think of another, or another, who competes with him in terms of the admiration, affection and pride that he arouses. When one thinks of Spain, “consensus” is not the first word that comes to mind. Uniquely, Nadal does generate consensus, a consensus similar to that of Queen Elizabeth in the United Kingdom, revered by 90 percent of her subjects.
No other Spanish citizen reaches the level of popularity of the Mallorcan. Football players? None, because the tribalism inherent in football prevents it. Perhaps Andrés Iniesta approached him after scoring the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup, but once the euphoria wore off, half the country remembered that he was playing for Barça. artists? Almodóvar, Bardem, Cruz, Plácido Domingo, Rosalía? No. Each responds to tastes that are, in their own way, elitist.
And as for politicians, no way.
The King of Spain, neither. To see him in the box celebrating Nadal’s victory in Paris on Sunday was to understand that as a unifying figure, precisely what he most aspires to, Felipe does not reach Rafa or the scaphoids of his feet. He is very tall the king, but small in national stature compared to the winner of 22 Grand Slam tournaments. There are too many anti-monarchists in Spain, quite a few who regard the Crown with disdain.
Here in Catalonia we have our dissidents from Nadalism. Normal, if you are independent. The Spanish national idol is going to displease you, by definition. But the little that the independent politicians show their heads, the caution with which they speak of Nadal – or, rather, they do not speak of him – testify to their popularity among ordinary citizens. Only the most fundamentalists, those who put ideological purity before electoral pragmatism, dare to criticize him. Getting involved with Nadal risks losing votes, not winning them.
Nadal has almost everything going for him. As an athlete, he is a brave bull, a tireless stallion who, at 36 years old, is playing better than ever. As an international idol he helps turn off complexes. As a person he is friendly, noble and tenacious, virtues that all Spaniards would like to consider theirs. And as a political figure, he is nothing.
Like the Queen of England, she is quiet about the big issues of national debate. It is assumed that she is more Spanish than separatist, more from the PP than from the PSOE. As it is assumed that, in private, the queen is going to be more conservative than progressive, more against Scottish nationalism than she is for it. But in both cases she is repressed. They do not express their political prejudices in public. They are presented as a blank piece of paper on which everyone can write whatever they want.
There is no doubt: as a contemporary national hero, Nadal stands alone, at the top. As a historical hero there are not many competitors in sight either. Frank? We would say no. Velazquez Goya, Picasso or Dali? Painting is a minority sport compared to the world spectacle of tennis. Literature too, so Cervantes: out. Cuts? He huge figure, but generates colonial guilt. Philip II or the Catholic Monarchs? Great in their day, but also victims of historical revisionism. Perhaps the only deceased who comes close to Nadal is the Cid Campeador, although he is somewhat forgotten, like the Emperor Hadrian.
We are talking here, remember, of consensus, of mass, of numbers, of the percentage of Spaniards who identify positively with the person. Not of intrinsic merit or world influence. It could be argued that conquering Mexico with 200 soldiers not only required more audacity than winning three sets, it changed the lives of more people than 14 wins at Roland Garros, but this is not the discussion here.
It is curious, it is perverse, it is perhaps insane, but Rafa Nadal –whose virtue consists in how well he hits balls on a track, on a net– is today the most admired Spaniard of all time by more than his compatriots. Or not?
