The Terminator

I’m watching the fourth round match at the U.S. Open between Gael Monfils and Rafael Nadal. Monfils has already won the first set. They are in the middle of the second set. As John McEnroe said at the end of the first, “The good news is Monfils won the first set. The bad news is he has to win two more sets.”

Who has the better serve? Monfils. The better forehand? Monfils. Backhand? Monfils. Volley, drop shot, backhand slice? Monfils. Who covers the court better? It’s a wash. They are both incredible movers. Who is gonna win this match and advance to the quarterfinals? Nadal. That is a foregone conclusion. I am perfectly willing to post this before the match is over. It’s not a prediction. It’s a sure thing.

Why? Because Rafael Nadal plays every single point, no, every single stroke, as if it is match point of the most important match of his life. As Jimmy Connors says of Nadal, “He plays like he is broke.” Nobody else in professional tennis is able to do that.

Correction. They are all able to do it. Nobody else is willing to do it. This is a slight exaggeration. Nadal is human after all. He has lapses, he loses concentration, occasionally. But compared to everyone else, including Roger Federer, he is the most relentless, never give an inch player ever. He is the terminator. He never stops. He never gives up. And so, he wins. As long as his body holds out.