What do you do against a player
who has defeated you 3 times in the GS since last year, who has taken away the
World No.1 ranking from you, more than that who has owned you mentally?
You challenge him on your own
turf daring him to do the unthinkable…You are ready for the challenge, you have
put in hours and hours of work daily to improve your game, you are ready for the moment, you are ready
to reverse the table.. But can you?
Yes, because we are talking about
the Wall here…the player who is mentally the toughest competitor out there…the
player who is the greatest clay court player in the world….
53-1, 5 sets dropped till date, 7 French Open
titles…something not even the greatest players like Bjorg, Laver, Federer has
been able to achieve… Ladies and Gentleman: That’s Rafael Nadal for you!
Rain Delays, heavier balls, nerves,
nothing could stop this warrior who is also one of the nicest guys on the tour,
to claim his 7th French Open title. When he first won his French
Open in 05, no one had thought that this 19 year kid from Majorca would surpass
the record of Bjorn Borg in a matter of just 8 years.
Both Nadal and Djokovic were
running for a place in the history, one
trying to win his 7th French Open title trying to cement his status
as the greatest clay court player, the other trying to be the seventh player to win a career grand slam.
The match was pretty interesting
with Nadal coming out yesterday in ominous form and winning the first two sets
comfortably. But then mother nature interrupted and Djokovic won 8 straight
games (first time someone has ever
been able to do that against Rafa on clay court and the only human element
shown till now by Nadal on this surface).
And then again play was called off to be resumed the next day. And when
it did, Nadal came out playing with the same intensity that he has always been
known for. It was just 10-15 minutes in
the game and the question in everyone’s mind was: will Djokovic even be able to
keep his own serve leave apart the thought of the next set?
The final scoreline was
6-4,6-3,2-6,7-5 with Djokovic committing a double fault on match point. To be fair to Djokovic, he played good tennis but
against Nadal on clay court, good, great are not enough. You have to be at an
exceptionally high level to beat this guy on his own turf (which makes
Soderling victory even more special). In the words of a commentator when Nadal
won his 11th GS equaling Borg and Laver : "This is the best
marriage one will ever see between a player and this court!"
Nadal once again proved to all of
us that it is the human will which defines the realm of our goals. Things thought
impossible are only so because of the limits of our imagination. I have always believed
in this one line: If one man can do it so can you! But Nadal today has
redefined it: If one man has done it, I can do even better!
And with Nadal winning today
after what he went through last year:
Only one quote comes in my mind:
“Character cannot be
developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can
the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."
If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com, http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA or http://on.fb.me/pouTOy
The rain stoppage was definitely a factor. Djokovic is always a slow starter against Nadal and just when he started to turn it around by winning the third set and leading in the fourth, the rain came. Then it was a new beginning and it was predictable. I can understand why he was frustrated but he needs to start stronger against good players.
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ReplyDeleteGreat information you've provided us with here. Thanks so much for sharing. Nice site too...
ReplyDeleteWell. Djokovic being a slow starter, when he started to turn the game by winning the third set and leading in the fourth, the rain came.Bad luck.
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