Hit the Road, Rafa McFly!

I’m not fond of Rafael Nadal. It’s not personal; I don’t think he’s a bad chap or anything. There are just a couple things about him that really grate at my nerves.

The first problem is his style of play. I like the power game. I like big serves. I like classic, hard-hitting strokes and rallies that end with winners or spectacular shots. I grew up on Becker and Sampras and stay entertained with Federer and Roddick. I’m an aggressive girl who likes aggressive displays in all sports and when it comes to tennis, those styled in the clay court mold don’t fit into my entertainment plans.

And that’s where Rafael Nadal comes in (or maybe, goes out). The King of Clay, though charismatic and emotional, is more like multi-directional Pong, forcing opponents to self-destruct while he runs from here to there to everywhere, returning missiles with huge, looping strokes, never quite allowing you to put him away – no matter what you do with the ball. If you want to get it past Nadal, you’d better hit an overhead that bounces into the stands right around row Z. Otherwise, he’ll magically reach it and loop a return right back to you.

Granted, there’s certainly a place in tennis for the motion machine that lunges, slashes, and employs any other action verb to keep a rally going and then rubs it in your face after you tire out. There’s a place for the crafty player, the gutsy one, the one that does whatever he can to survive. And I respect that player. I respect Nadal. I just don’t like watching it. 

His style aside, there’s nothing of substance to dislike about the Mallorcan, but that’s where my shallow, superficial nature enters the picture… The flowing, Vidal Sassoon locks that wave effortlessly in the breeze, the "look at my pulse" shirts, the Rebel at a Clambake getup… I can’t hardly look at the bloke without shaking my head and wondering what boob told him all of that was a good idea. But I suppose you can’t mock him for his appearance anymore than we did Agassi with his neon spandex and highlighted mullet back in the day. But ya know something, at least Agassi never pulled some shite like this:

THAT is an egregious crossing of the line. It’s not enough that his shoes look like something Marty McFly, Jr wore in Back to the Future, Part II.
Now he’s being rooted on by his own freaking shoes. I’m sorry but no! No more!

Now, I know Nike is running a "Vamos Rafa" campaign but you don’t put the slogan ON the apparel that the person wears in competition! Can you imagine if Michael Jordan had carried around a Gatorade water bottle that said "Be Like Mike" or if he put the phrase on his shoes? That’s simply unacceptable. Save it for the commercials, posters, and print ads. Rafael Nadal is enough of a tool already… there’s no reason for Nike to add insult to injury!

Luckily, it’s all over, for this tournament, at least, as not even Winged Victory herself could see Nadal through last night. He went down in 4 sets to unseeded Russian, Mikhail Youzhny.

After winning the first set, Youzhny lost his grip on the match as Nadal evened matters and threatened to take the third set. There were fist pumps and emotional displays for all. The Spaniard held a 5-4, 40-love lead but squandered three set points, eventually losing a tiebreaker. Youzhny raced to a 5-0 lead before Nadal held serve in the fourth set. The Spaniard even had a break point in the next game, but Youzhny was not to be derailed and served out for the win.

**UPDATE! It seems Rafa and his hideous, vinyl shoes may be apart of a Nike McFly campaign, the only shoe on the market with power laces!

If you’d like Nike to produce these beauts, sign the petition. After all, it is we, the movie loving public, that’s getting the short end on this one… Think about all the silver screen shoes that you can walk in any store and buy — Eddie Murphy’s Adidas from Beverly Hills Cop. The Nike Cortez worn by Forrest Gump. Uma Thurman’s Kill Bill Tigers. Rocky’s Chuck Taylors. The list goes on and on. And when you’re looking at movie sneakers, the Air McFlys are the only ones that were created for film and never worn beyond the silver screen.

That, boys and girls, is a shame.

**Update thanks to Al Cabino, founder of the Nike McFly effort.