Going the Distance………..
By vishwa on Inspiration
September 16, 2013
It is almost a week since Rafael Nadal won the US Open Grand Slam of this year. After introspecting, this is what I have to state about the match.
Firstly, the adage that rings bell in my mind—“When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.” I remember me saying these words to Novak Djokovic when I saw the 2012 Australian Open Grand Slam. It was a bitter pill to swallow. I am a big fan of Rafael Nadal and when he loses in the final it is sad. As far I understand Nadal always plays his game tough. He has a never say die attitude. When he lost the finals against Novak I felt that during the end of the match Nadal had, surprisingly, lost that killer instinct.
I remember the match going all the distance—5 sets and 5 hours and 53 minutes. In the 5th set though Nadal had broken Novak’s serve, Djokovic bounced back with all guns blazing. After that what transpired is history–Novak won the match.
Now, in the 3rd set of the US Open though Novak had broken Nadal’s serve Rafa came back to win the set and the 4th set, and thereby winning the match. The match could have been easily a replica of the Australian Open final of 2012. It could have easily gone all the distance to 5 sets. However, Novak, visibly, wasn’t prepared for the continued slugfest. The match had many long rallies; one consumed 54 shots. Novak, presumably, didn’t seem to have the interest to again go all the distance. However, Nadal didn’t show any sign of respite. He was ready to play another 5 sets—it looked so. That eagerness by Nadal probably played on Novak’s mind.
The moral of the story is the same. ‘When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.” Yes, this time the tough was Nadal. I hope there will many more such battle that comes by. Moreover, we may find Nadal at the receiving end. Both are champions and have a champion mindset. A combat between these warriors brings the best out of them, and we as spectators relish such matches.
At the end what matters is who is ready to go all the distance…..