The Championships.....THIS Year

When I blogged about the Championships last year, it had never ever crossed my mind that whole year later, I would not only be visiting the Wimbledon grounds on the 2nd day, but gracing the reknown Centre Court with my presence a week later.

Unfortunate as it was that the Federer Express faltered before my very eyes by the supposed NOOB Berdych who went on to trash my Djoker (not so Noob after all I guess), it was as amazing an experience as any. The shouts of "Let's Go, Roger!!" echoing around Centre Court and the surreal reality of watching the Hero himself in action, despite the steep price I had to pay, was definitely worth it. Alongside the fact that I can now check off 'Attending the Wimbledon Men's Quarter Finals' in my To-Do Book.

Perhaps next year Djoker will not disappoint as much. And perhaps next year, I will get to see him in full form.

For the moment, I am in awe of THIS spaniard.

Not because I think he is cute because he is NOT (and since when was I soooo shallow like that?! -flips hair- Lol) but because this guy is a fighter like no other.

When Berdych towed down the great Federer and then my Djoker like a lawnmower, he was on a roll, and yet at the end of the day he was no match for Rafa. As the commentator said, it was a pretty straightforward final - quite unlike the epic 5 hour match between Federer and Roddick that I watched at home last year, which was oh-so-frustrating, but it was a brilliant show of tennis nonetheless.

Someone once mentioned that the English football team (sorry to sidetrack a little) had a terrible weakness in terms of mental strength - that they played according to the scores and once they were down there was no way they could actually claw their way back on top in retaliation. Much like Liverpool, perhaps *cough cough*.

I saw that again in Djoker - this lack of determination and mental strength. So easy for us to say, yet when you are there on the spot and 2 sets down, it is so easy to just give in to defeat. I remember my squash tournament two years ago, when I was 2 sets up, and somehow managed to lose that lead, finding myself fighting for the final, determining set - how nerve-wracking that was, how easy it was to just slump into defeat because of the overbearing pressure.

I may not be a professional tennis player. But Rafa Nadal definitely is MY source of inspiration to fight through to the end. When the difficult bits of sitting for exams and slaving through mounds of material to mug for are over, the light and the reward will come.

Focus. Determination. Strength.

VAMOS RAFA!

VAMOS, SHING!!