Stan Wawrinka wanted it but not enough. Tommy Haas wanted it but he ran into the superior player.
Federer doesn’t really want it anymore, like he used to, he’s already won enough and he told us last year it’s not so much about breaking records now, it’s about enjoying the process of playing the game he loves.
Andy Murray wants Wimbledon a whole lot more than he wants Roland Garros. Surely he knows where his best chances are.
Gulbis, Ferrer and Dimitrov want it but they don’t have the self belief they can do it yet.
Stan has as much talent as anyone but look at his body language and facial expressions in the heat of battle, he’s almost totally stoic and blank. That ain’t gonna cut it. You have to want it and show you want it more than anything else.
Think of the body language of Rafa and Djokovic in the heat of battle, what do you see? Nadal gritting his teeth and squinting his eyes, fists flying after fantastic shots, a disdainful sneer on his face. Nadal will show you all kinds of expressions of feistiness and tenacity.
Djokovic is similar, he has a death stare of laser focus. Like a man possessed. Like Rafa, Djokvoic uses his emotions as extra fuel and adrenaline. He runs and hustles around the court like his life is on the line. He will roar and scream and show you the supreme fist of tennis. Djokovic wants it more than any human being alive. He has to have it, simple as that, he must win. He’ll even show up in a place like Boise, Idaho on a Monday night to start preparing for a Davis Cup tie, days before any of the Americans even get there.
Some certain players are obsessed with winning, most others just play tennis. It’s a fine line.
Serena Williams wants it more than any female on the planet, maybe in women’s sports history. Maria wants it but her iron will is only second to one, Serena.
Tennis and boxing are a battle of wills, to see who wants it the most of all. When it comes down to the moment of truth on Friday, maybe the fourth or fifth set, someone, Rafa or Djokovic is going to suddenly blink and falter. Someone will be broken psychologically.
I’ll be looking closely for that blink.
A boxing Hall of Famer once said, once the psychological battle is won, the physical part becomes easier.
Steve · June 6, 2013 at 10:06 am
Totally agree Scoop. With players of the same level it does come down to who wants it more. We’ll find out soon enough.
Scoop Malinowski · June 6, 2013 at 10:39 am
Steve; I really think Djokovic has a little more confidence now than Rafa – and it’s rooted in their last meeting at Monte Carlo which Djokovic dominated. Winning Barcelon Madrid and Rome don’t mean as much as losing to Djok in Monte Carlo. Henk surely thinks otherwise, we will soon see )
Scoop Malinowski · June 6, 2013 at 10:41 am
Wish somebody asked Fed after his loss to Tsonga who he will root for to win the title now that he’s out. ) I used to ask this question at the US Open and got some interesting answers )
Steve · June 6, 2013 at 11:09 am
I don’t have too much skin in the game so I would love to see a new champion esp. Tsonga or Ferrer. Rafa has enough FOs and Djoker will probably get one. This is Ferrer’s best chance.
I asked the rhetorical question many posts ago after seeing the draw “Who will beat Ferrer?”
He’s very close yet so far.
BoDu · June 6, 2013 at 1:07 pm
It seems to me that most people have gut feeling Novak will win.
Scoop Malinowski · June 6, 2013 at 1:50 pm
I see Ferrer as Chang, after Chang turned 18. Close but no cigar. How the heck did Chang pull that off as a 17-year-old??? Really might have been divine intervention. In his Biofile Chang actually said he believed God helped him to win, in order to give the Chinese people around the world something to be happy and proud about. At the time of his win in Paris Tianaman Square was going on or had happened. Many Chinese were murdered and suffered because of that.
Scoop Malinowski · June 6, 2013 at 1:53 pm
I think so BoDu, there just is a feeling that Rafa can’t handle Djokovic as we saw in Monte Carlo. There is a sense of destiny with Djokovic, with the passing of his coach and the two narrow defeats the last two years as the world No. 1. Third time is the charm. I wouldn’t be surprised if Djok is the betting favorite too.
Dan markowitz · June 6, 2013 at 3:32 pm
Chang got his comeuppance at the end of his career though when winning a single Challenger match at age 30 was harder than beating Lendl and Edberg in the French at 17.