I watched nearly all of Federer v Nadal on Sunday. In the last game I had the impression that Federer was at the end of his strength, but was still playing amazingly purely because he'd forgotten how to stop. As though the training had taken over, in the same sort of cognitive meltdown as gets people the Victoria Cross. And that Nadal, correspondingly, was playing amazingly purely because he was too young to know any better.
I was more tired than both of them together. Tennis was my greatest passion until tango took over. And from the top of my 1000s of matches watched, I only have to say one thing. "Wow, what a match!"
ReplyDeleteOne or two commentators tried to make the point that Nadal simply out muscled Federer. He did and he didn't, it was his mental muscle that got him through. Anyone who missed two championship points would normally go home and curl up but Nadal just wouldn't be beaten.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately it wasn't broadcast in Germany this year. I gather it was rather spectacular.
ReplyDelete@Limerick, you're right. He wasn't outmuscled physically. There was a moment (and it wasn't at all close to the end) when I felt that both of them believed Nadal was going to win. Federer didn't stop fighting, or anything like it, but something had changed. It felt just like the moment when Gary Pratt got Ricky Ponting out in the 2005 Ashes, and Ponting just lost it. That was the moment when everyone saw that what happened, could happen.
ReplyDelete