The recent Australian Open that ended last Sunday left all tennis fans in a state of awe.
Novak Djokovic pulled off an epic, hard-earned, five-set win, 5-7,6-4,6-2,6-7,7-5, in five hours and fifty three minutes over Rafael Nadal.
Brutal is probably the most accurate way to describe it and both protagonists have to be commended for the heart and soul that they put into each shot hit during the match which lasted almost six hours.
It appeared both defied what one is capable of reaching and sustaining on the physical level.
I can only imagine the training, discipline and hard work that were put into the preparation of these two individuals to be able to reach the levels of performance they did that Sunday night.
The mental toughness Nadal displayed when he pushed the match to a fifth and deciding set left me dumbfounded. And the manner by which Novak was able to hang in there and eventually triumph despite appearing to be out of breath in the final set came to me as a complete surprise.
Djokovic’s once questionable health issues are now clearly a thing of the past.
Three years ago, he could barely finish a match. What he has done to himself since then on all levels (physical, emotional and yes, even spiritual) are certainly worth looking into.
He has now won the last three major championships and if one were to base matters on what he showed us last Sunday, we could very well be witnessing the dawning of a new era in tennis. He has enlarged the playing field which has made the game much more interesting. The grand slams are now no longer between two outstanding athletes but perhaps four. How fortunate we all are to be alive at this time and bear witness to this change.
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Watching it was extra special to me because I had my four sons, Borgy, Michael, Matthew and Gabriel, who are all total athletes, beside me, cheering in unison for Nadal.
It’s a rare privilege to have your children share the same passion with you. Among other things, because of this, I consider myself blessed.
Please send comments to tommymanotoc@yahoo.com.ph.