GETTING THE little things right at the big moment makes such a big difference. Ask a champion, like Roger Federer, who won his fourth straight U.S. Open and 12th Grand Slam title on Sunday.
The Swiss star, ranked number one in the world for what seems like ages, is just as mentally strong as he is skilfull. He battled to save seven set points before pulling out a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory over Serbian Novak Djokovic, a player of vast promise who is ranked third in the world.
Djokovic, aged 20, led 6-5 and was 40-love up on his serve before being pegged back five set points in the opening set, then double-faulted his last serves at deuce to make it six-all.
In the second set, Djokovic found himself in almost the same position again at 6-5, only this time he was 15-40 ahead while receiving serve. Again, Federer wouldn't make him do it, digging deep within his skill and will to turn the match decidedly in his favour.
Even Djokovic, the last player to have beaten Federer - himself winning two tiebreakers in a tournament in Montreal a month ago - had to give the man his due.
"In New York I played against mentally the best player in the world," he said.
Besides his obvious class, it is not difficult to figure why Federer has remained ahead of this very competitive pack for so long. Mental toughness.
Takes great deal to achieve
At 26, the man who has won every tennis major bar the French Open for over three years, is a sure bet, barring serious injury, to surpass the all-time best 14 Grand Slams won by American great Pete Sampras. That in itself is no easy record, it takes a great deal to achieve so much because it means being the best day in, day out for years. But he's ready for it.
"New guys challenging me - this is my biggest motivation out there," Federer said. "Seeing them challenging me and then beating them in the finals."
Sunday's final, too, was certainly not one for the purists. Nothing is strange about that though because in every match-up among the best, the class of one is sure to cancel out that of the other. Unless it's track and field, where it's just one man with himself racing for that finish line.
And when he wins it's super, like Sunday, call it Super Sunday for Asafa Powell, who decimated his world record from 9.77 to 9.74 in Rieti. Stupendous. Really mar-vellous, magnificent!
With a 1.7 metres per second wind at his back - inside the legal limit (2.0), he executed almost perfectly. Almost. He believes he can run 9.68.
Powell, who continues to prove his ability as the fastest man in the world, again admitted to his downfall at the World Champion-ships a week earlier when he finished third in a 'pedestrian 9.96', behind American Tyson Gay (9.85) and his Bahamian cousin, Derrick Atkins (9.91).
Besides his admitted choking, the Jamaican speedster was quoted as saying "that's what happens when I start to listen to the coach", which suggests he did not run according to plan.
After Sunday's win, he also said: "Today, I ran like I should have done at the world's. At Osaka, I was too tense. I was thinking about the race and the time I had to set. Instead, here, I was relaxed."
It just goes to show how getting the little things right at the big moment - like coping with mental pressure - can make a big difference.
Feedback: audley.boyd@gleanerjm.com.
