RAFAEL NADAL GOING FOR THE SILVER AT 2017 FRENCH OPEN BY CRAIG CIGNARELLI

Written by: Staff on 8th June 2017

French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros

RAFAEL NADAL GOING FOR THE SILVER AT 2017 FRENCH OPEN BY CRAIG CIGNARELLI

epa06014352 Rafael Nadal of Spain in action against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain during their men?s singles quarter final match during the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 07 June 2017. EPA/CAROLINE BLUMBERG |

First mined in 3000 B.C. in Anatolia (modern day Turkey), silver lodes were a valuable resource for ancient civilizations. Around 100 A.D., Spain became the capital of silver production and Spanish mines supplied the Roman Empire. With the Moorish invasion of Spain, the practice of silver mining migrated to several Central European nations. 1000 to 1500 A.D. represents a period of significant silver growth thanks to improvements in production and technology. However, the Spanish conquest of the New World led to a global boom on silver, allowing the Americas to dominate the global silver market. Today, more than 5000 years after ancient cultures first began to mine this precious metal, yearly global mine production averages 671 million troy ounces.

With the nation’s rich history in Ag, it seems appropriate the Spanish maintain vigilance over its worldwide appeal. To this end, they’ve employed a world-renowned ambassador to France to observe, to fight for, and to collect a silver trophy now residing at 2 Avenue Gordon Bennett, 75016 Paris, France, a small boutique adjacent to Stade Roland Garros. His name, Rafael Nadal. The King of Clay currently sports the number nueve on his Nike shoes and dirties the hell out of them with every wide forehand and drop-shot retrieval. He is in search of numero diez. In men’s tennis, the number 9 represents a record unparalleled in tennis history. As for the women, Margaret Court eclipsed that number by two at the Australian Open, and Martina Navratilova matched it at Wimby – decent company if you are searching for professional colleagues.

If Rafa reaches the big one-zero, he’ll have put a mark in the sand, which likely will never be matched. After all, the tennis world continues to flatten and there are a plethora of competitors now racing to compete upon the terre batue, a coalescing of talent that will make it more difficult for one player to dominate for extended periods. By reaching 10 French Opens, Rafa will surpass Pete Sampras to become the #2 all time Men’s slams winner, a record now held by a guy who defies age and gravity and who, in a few weeks, may appear hovering above the London lawns.

Rafael Nadal of Spain in action against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain during their men’s singles quarter final match during the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 07 June 2017. EPA/ETIENNE LAURENT

As for the aforementioned silver, Rafa may have a problem. With all of the terrorist attacks now spanning the globe, TSA is getting tougher. They’re talking about disallowing laptops, DVD players and, you guessed it, certain metals. This means some uniformed guard may be tugging at the back of his shorts to check for disallowed objects. It means transporting the French Open trophy from France to Spain may require a rental car. Then again, Nadal the Protector has a way of spinning things better than most. Maybe he can toss the Coupe de Mousquetaires into the air and crack it across the Pyrenees with a buggy-whip forehand. Or perhaps he’ll clench those smiling teeth a bit tighter and chew the trophy into pieces so he can get it aboard the plane. Whatever he decides, Spain is going to have more silver soon. The protector will return to his island. And the ghosts of past empires will look down upon the new Emperor whose double digit career plays out in crimson skid marks and silver mantle pieces.

Topics: 10sballs.com, 2017 French Open, French Open Tennis, Nadal News, Paris, Rafa, Rafael Nadal, RG17, Roland Garros 2017, Spain, Sports, Tennis News