Yesterday's ATP Madrid 1000 final between Stanislas Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal was fast.
Both players were in a hurry.
Rafa asserted his authority from the first point maintaining the pressure till the winning ball. Wawrinka never settled down. His normally strong backhand deserted him. He looked nervous and very tired. It's not surprising. His last 2 weeks have been tough. After winning the final in Portugal last week, he took 3 sets to beat Berdych,Tsonga and the upcoming youngster Dimitrov in this tournament.
It all ended when he ran into a "hungry" Nadal, wanting to remind everyone why he is the king of clay. He did this with a fast, straight sets, ruthless, tight and calculated win. A very strong message he is hungry to win the French Open again!
How hungry are you to improve? How much of a rush are you in to play your best game?
We can all learn lots by taking a page out of Rafas' book and continue working steadily towards improving with each and every match. Is that how you view your training and matchplay? Try it and enjoy.
Dedicated To Your World Of Improving Tennis
Coach Rajesh