 |
| A clash to remember Source: ABC |
A LOOK BACK AT THE
THIRD SET
My moment of the third set was the games leading up to the
tie-breaker and the tie-breaker itself. Two clearly matched opponents - nullifying
each other's strokes of geniuses. Then Novak wins a crucial point, he is
excited and he urges the crowd to cheer him on, loud and more loud. He sensed,
the third set was all his and that it was.
FEDERER GOES WILD
If looked in isolation, having missed the championship
point, Djokovic was never the same player for the next five games. Trailing 2-5
and with opponent having a break point, Federer boxed his way out, cornering
Novak to one corner or the other, exhibiting some of the aggressive tennis seen
in the match. It was counter-attack on a player who started to grunt more,
losing energy with each stroke. He did not have a clue and if the tie break would
have gone Federer's way in the third set, it would have been curtains for
Novak. It was that phase of the match, irrespective of who the opponent was - 'Federer
was in a class of his own'. He won the set 7-5 and the match proceeds to the
fifth set.
NOVAK GETS A BREAK
At the beginning of the final set if one were to have
analysed the fitness levels of these two great athletes - the younger Novak (by
six years) would lose hands down to Federer. It was advantage Federer all-over.
Novak takes a medical time-out to sooth his aching calf and ankle muscles and
to bring his mind in order. In boxer's term, he was just handed a series of
'deadly punches' which he just could not defend, denting his confidence a
little. He was anything but cheerful in the fourth set and that spoke about his
mental health - which was shattered by the assault of Federer. The momentum was
with Federer and now the brakes have been applied by Djokovic.
THE HUSTLER
Federer was calm and went about his tennis in the final set
with a similar approach as he did in the fourth set. Novak ensured he held on
to his serve - which at that point was the only sensible thing to do. He had no
chance whatsoever to score a point of Federer's serve - never mind breaking the
same. Three games in which Federer served - he gave nothing at all to his Serbian
opponent. On the other hand, in contrast Novak struggled and Federer's plan was
to break Novak's serve early. He had his chances but Novak was better to fend
any such threats. 4-3 to Djokovic and Federer to serve.
Up until that game, Novak was playing with minimum effort,
doing just a little to defend and hold on to his serve - as though he knew he
wanted to use his reserve energy some other time. He upped his ante in the
eighth game and took the game to a far amount of distance - an indication that
he was back.
He felt and it was seen, he could now dictate terms. He
almost broke Federer's serve. The next sensible thing Novak did was to go 5-4
and then play his final set of cards. He knew, he can win if he can break
Federer's serve right there in the tenth game. If it were to extend any
further, he would lose it. Physically he looked much more drained than his
Swiss opponent. As he was in the process of winning the ninth game, he urged
the fans to cheer him. A similar trait - which kept him going in the third set.
Now, this sort of mindset is what keeps a champion like
'Novak' advance to his goal. Beyond a limit, exists a zone where his mental
ability counter balances his physical ineptness. He sensed, this was it - Carpe
Diem!! Novak broke the serve and Wimbledon was all his!
THE CHAMPION
Novak Djokovic won his second Wimbledon title and finally
managed to erase his losing streak in the Grand Slam finals. He knew he had
slipped on more than few occasions in the match and that was the beauty of this
finals! His seventh title was something he would cherish a long time to come. He
has won seven trophies out of fourteen finals that he has participated and a
first against Roger Federer. He knew it was special! and he knew he had to
snatch it from Roger - especially if you look how the last hour of this match panned
out. He is courteous enough to say it in public, acknowledging his family,
support staff and specially to Federer for handing over this championship to
him.
THE JUICE
For Federer, he surprised himself to an extent that he could
go this far a distance. Maybe it is to do with Wimbledon or maybe it is to do
about him. Actually it is do with him. He along with three other champions come
to my immediate mind as I write this. Michael Jordan, Sachin Tendulkar and
Michael Schumacher. After all they have achieved in their respective sporting
careers, having stayed on top for so long, the fear of losing the sheen from
their illustrious career never came in their way - as long as they knew they
were giving 100% and enjoyed the process of being a competitive athlete.
In the 1995 action thriller 'Heat' - Robert De Niro summons
his gang of bank robbers (three) before committing one last heist. Though he is
a criminal, he displays his humane touch asking his three buddies if they want
to back out and live the rest of their lives with 'huge sums of money' they
made and start a new life. He would not judge if they backed out. Val Kilmer
says 'The bank is worth the risk, I need it brother'. De Niro turns to Tom
Sizemore, who hesitates to back out - " Elaine takes good care of you. You
got plenty put away. You got T-bonds, real estate. If I were you, I would be
smart. I would cut loose of this." Tom
Sizemore looks in the eyes of De Niro, turns around to look at his other mates
and turns to De Niro and says - "Well, you know. For me, the action is the
juice, I'm in".
No comments:
Post a Comment