Thank God that we live in a day where the mental acumen and physical prowess of the Jousters is expressed in less fatal sports than at earlier times. Should one of those two Djok or Fed had to lose his life to prove his betterment of the other, what a loss that would be! Now it is not to the death, although sudden death is the tie breaker name. It is to the extent of your strength. Not until you have spent 3 or 4 hours with another in a match of whits and physics one on one do you appreciate the knowledge of yourself you gain and the knowledge of the other. You hate yourself at times, you hate your limitations, you hate your misteps to get to that point and you admire someone sometimes, that should be your enemy. How did he get that back? I thought I had him there? What will he think of next? Admiring thoughts, among the commitment to vanquish him, at last. What a dilemma of soul and mind?
It is as though someone gives you both a big ball of knotted wool and tells you to make a ball out of it, together. Where is the end of the string? How can we do this without cutting?
To think that in nearly 4 hours, 6 points and 2 double faults would stand between a Federer and his tremendous goal. That is a sharpening. 5 double faults in 4 hours and 3 double faults in 4 hours, in front of millions of people? What a concentration of mind to accomplish? Sometimes you toss the ball and someone coughs or something and you can’t get back into the game for 10 or 15 minutes. The wind or the look on the other person’s face could catch your attention, maybe. Not those men. They are focused beyond belief. 6 points meant they each had intention to win. 180-186 at the right moments the points were exacted out to Djokovic’s favor. Not an accident. Certainly, not luck. Perhaps there was a lucky looking shot here and there. Superior target practice against an equal opponent sharpening the minds of all who watched and certainly of the participants.I would wish that each of them could take pen and paper and write what they learned from that sort of emotional entanglement with oneanother and how they would never want to do that again and yet they would never forget the respect that they gained for eachother in the battle and that secretly in their heart of hearts they are hoping the Open will have the same final in it so that they can perfect their craft and prove their greater superiority to the other than they were able to in that match.
I am so glad that it wasn’t about Andy this year. I loved the historic aspect of last year’s match, but I love the vicious human cycle that was in this year’s.