The Australian Open final this year was breathtakingly exciting and Rafael Nadal did the unthinkable yet again. Down two sets to love and with three break points stacked against him no one except Nadal believed that he can win and then he created magic to demolish Daniel Medvedev in five sets. This is not the first time he has done this and he is not the only magician in the planet.
In 2020 Novak Djokovic painstakingly did a 5 set demolition of his Austrian opponent Dominic Thiem, but at the end of three sets when he was trailing 2-1 and looking tired and exhausted, did anybody think he will make it! But he did.
In the same grand slam event in 2020 we saw another legend Roger Federer carve out a win from thin air in the quarter final in this tournament. Injured, bruised and with a plastered groin he kept on fighting till he won his place in the semifinals. True, an injured Federer was no match to Novak but he played gallantly and won the hearts if not the game. Defeat only happens to those who refuse to try. The desire to succeed for these champions is so intense that quitting is simply not an option for them.
I have lost count of how many five setters these three outstanding trio have won in their career. This is a true test of character. For anyone else it would be time to see the writing on the wall but not for champions. They are the ones who do the wall writing themselves. They bring out that extra ounce of energy to run the last mile of a marathon as a 100 meter dash. They create a winning atmosphere for themselves and they never for once believe that they can't win. They never let their head hang down. They never give up and sit down and grieve. They have this unique quality of finding another way to win.
The key to this last mile spark exhibited by this magic trinity is not to allow your mind to tell your heart what to do. The mind gives up easily but if the fire of winning is burning in the heart, it simply never quits. A champion is ready to suffer then, when it hurts most, to live the rest of his / her life as a champion!
Over the years I have realized that it takes just as much energy to move forward as it does to engage in self-destructive moaning, blaming, searching for excuses and being miserable. The bumps in life are not roadblocks, they are stepping stones to reach higher. They just don't have signs by the road to tell you so. Going through pain is temporary, it will subside; quitting on the other hand will last for ever!!
These three greats are true role models for the younger generation. The vaccine controversy has taken some shine out of Novak but all these three are real heroes who never give up!
Sir your observation is so correct, it is the never give up attitude and belief in their skills which seperates the masters from their opponents. Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams are two names from the women section which come to my mind.I think just like legendary Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni they should also be called 'THE FINISHERS'.
ReplyDeleteI can't forget the classic marathon Wimbledon final match of Bjorn Borg and John Macnroe
ReplyDeleteFor each point they kept on fighting and fighting for almost 6 hrs?