In the second straight tie-breaker in the fourth set during Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer's classic final we may have been shown how even the mind of a great athlete can go to the future.
The tie-breaker begins with a pair of crowd-pleasing rallies and the players are tied 1-1. Then Federer misses a forehand and gives Nadal a mini-break at 2-1. Nadal kicks an ace wide for a 3-1 lead, then gets another winner on the serve for a 4-1 lead. Federer whips a forehand winner to cut it to 4-2.
An errant Federer backhand gives a Nadal a 5-2 lead and two serves for the championship. Did Nadal see himself holding the Wimbledon trophy even though he had not yet closed the deal? Nadal has two serves to win and he double faults! Was it pressure or the mind not in the "Now" but in the future? With another serve to win, Nadal hits a backhand into the net to make it 5-4. Uh-oh, the "dream" of the trophy in his hand is now slipping away. Federer roars on with two big serves and goes up 6-5 for set point. A long rally ends with Federer missing a forehand wide, and we're even at 6. I believe the definition of a champion's mind is not that their minds go into the past and the future but how quick they bring their mind into the "Now". Both Federer and Nadal stayed in the Now and took the match to a fifth set.
Federer sends a shot long and Nadal has a championship point. Federer gets it to 7-7, but Nadal hits the shot of the tournament — a running forehand winner to give him another crack at it. Nadal comes to the net after the serve, but Federer rips a backhand winner down the line. More solid hitting from Federer, and he's got a 9-8 lead. Nadal rips a return long and Federer has won a thrilling fourth set.
When you watch sports, try watching your breath and staying in the Now. What you may witness is great athletes in one of the three places: the past, the future, or The Now.
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