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 Women
Controversy can bring a sport or person into disrepute, but it is also what makes sport intriguing and very interesting, because crazy or nasty moments are generally the product of immense pressure which overwhelms a player in the heat of the battle. The mistake Serena made was not to admit immediately after the match that it was an intense moment when she was fighting for her title with everything she had and the foot fault at that moment in time threatened to ruin her chances and she momentarily saw red and lost her s#*
Anyone who has competed fiercely knows this feeling. Claiming no memory or denial was weak. However even this cannot overshadow the enormity of Kim's comeback or detract from the reason this happened. Kim will not be bullied by Serena either mentally or physically. Serena felt this and negated two of her weapons, and this pressure built as she was unable to persuade Kim to mentally bend or buckle. Kim backs her abilities and has come back taking the ball earlier than ever with a joy which infuses her with energy and a maturity that has calmed the sometimes frail nerve in finals. Her perspective is different having had a child and her preparation must have been superb because winning only her 4th tournament back, a Grand Slam at that, is remarkable. It does show that a player who has an ability to take a ball early, with power and a mentality that can take risk, given momentum is always a threat. The Serena and Kim stories somewhat drown out the fantastic Dane, Wozniacki, who by reaching the final at 20 will hopefully kick on to the top 5 or higher. Women's tennis needed a spiritual leader and Kim provides this and by winning her end Open adds credibility to her becoming the focal point for the game.
Men
When I have worked with players and premiership football teams explaining LRP, the main questions are how to develop and deliver this aura. Naturally the best in the world have an aura because they have delivered on the biggest stages, but how does the new kid on the block break these barriers and win a major? He must deal with the natural intimidation of playing the champion, the pre match nervous energy(too hyped and you burn up early, too lethargic and the match is out of reach before you get going) plus the expectation of realising a goal. The formula I coach is desire+weapons+beleif+LRP=successful performance. The key is delivering ones weapons with relentless intent, with a desire and belief in ones game and this creates an aura of invincibility if carried out long and hard enough.
del Potro managed this in NY. He refused to be intimidated, standing tall, walking on court first and although very nervy in the 1st set once he had found some rhythm he set about making statements of pace, intentionally taking calculated risk to hurt the mindset of Federer. Juan-Martin has taken power to a new level to unseat Roger and holding firm with his belief and desire until Roger bowed with the fatigue of defending the onslaught of power fuelled by determination to make it happen. When a player is ready he gets a break and his was when Roger lost a little concentration serving for the 2nd set 5-4 (30-0), perhaps not sensing the size of the danger and let JM into the match. McEnroe said during his 4 set win over Borg at Wimbledon the year after their epic that he felt somewhere in his mind that this time he wanted it more than Borg and that was the edge that fuelled him. I think JM and Roger both felt this in the 5th set. He adapted to counter Federer's tactics of playing down the middle with a mix of pace and shorter slice by running round his backhand at every opportunity and executing a shorter inside out forehand which Roger often took on down the line and it is here del Potro put a sword into Roger's psyche by unleashing a few of the hardest crosscourt forehands I've ever witnessed in a Grand Slam final. This was a statement of intent of such great power that began to take its toll. He also remained calm with his aggression so as not to burn out. Roger defended his title majestically and it can be said let it slip but more than anything JM wrestled it from his grasp.
A great match and the birth of a new force in tennis and very possibly a new number one player. JM del Potro seems to have the desire to repeat this victory and push on for further goals.
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