As twilight fades, I’m still remembering the previous night when Rafael Nadal won the U.S Open for the first time. It was a sweet victory shared by so many of us who have followed his career and seem to live and die by each match. People tweeted through tears and blogged with huge grins on their faces over the fact that their hero made the final transition from great player to Legend.
It wasn’t easy. There were rain delays and worries about his opponent, Novak Djokovic. There was frustration about the jumping bean television coverage. All that seemed to fade away after match point. What was left was sheer unmitigated joy. A dream fulfilled. Critics silenced. History rewritten. It was Rafa’s party and everyone was invited.
Nadal was asked a question on his blog for the Times of London about what color did he want the star on his tennis bag to be if he won the Open. He said, “I don’t know. The color of happiness?” It leads to the question then, what is the color of happiness? Is it red mixed with white and blue floating above an ebony sky hovering over tanned caramel draped in black, gray, and neon yellow? Could it be gleaming silver?
It could be so much and if asked, anyone who experienced it that night would be hard pressed to describe it. But what we all know is that we saw it.
Congratulations Rafa. May you always see the color of happiness.
