Put simply: this was the greatest tennis match I have ever watched. The sheer closeness; the tough competitive streak of the two; the feeling that you never knew who was going to win it... this was a five-hour, five-set, five-star epic for the tennis world.
But you've got to love Rafael Nadal. Whether it's the 'forever-intense' look; the seeming never-dying energy & enthusiasm he brings to the table; or the superb all-round skills whether from baseline or at the net. But to me: the biggest ability he has is the ability to 'compartmentalise'; to put aside whatever has happened in the previous point to focus on the now and present; so essential in an ever-fluid game like tennis. There he was after being pegged back from two-sets up to two-all; and he was bounding, sprightly & ready for the fifth set... u could tell he lives for these fifth sets and so it proved.
This was not easy at all. There were times in the third & fourth when our friend Medvedev was 'in the zone'; hitting winners from all over and dominating a succession of points. Even at the start of the fifth, he looked the more energetic (very rare for Nadal's case) and if there was gonna be a winner, it looked like it was him.
But the beauty of Nadal is in his never-dying perseverance and will to win; he just hits you one shot further and forces you to collapse. The game was a beauty; end-to-end rallies going on deep into the night sky; unbelievable shots conjured from both magician and genius; both forcing each other to the max; looking destined for glory.
It was indeed The Greatest Match.
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