The talk of the sports world over the past few days has been a first-round match at Wimbledon, neither of whose participants even made it past the second round. What they did both accomplish, however, was providing nothing less than a jaw-dropping spectacle, breaking all kinds of records, enduring both physically and mentally almost beyond many people's comprehension.
But what impresses me the most is the manner in which they did so. In a match that ridiculous, grueling and emotional, it would have been easy for some to allow their frustration to boil over or to try to use under-handed tactics to gain an advantage. However, neither did. They played by the rules, slugging it out fair and square for over 11 hours until finally John Isner was able to put it away - after which they did not shake hands, as is customary after a match, but rather embraced each other after sharing such a momentous occasion with each other over the course of 3 consecutive days.
And afterward, it was clear to see the deep disappointment in Nicolas Mahut's demeanor (certainly understandable), holding his towel over his face for quite a while after he sat down. But amidst all the pomp and circumstance that succeeded the match (the likes of which are usually reserved only for after the finals), he was patient and gracious, never begrudging the media its special requests, and speaking generously about the match and his fellow warrior in the on-court interview.
Both he and Isner were excellent ambassadors of the game, and even more so than the amazing display of tennis and guts, THAT is what impressed me the most about those two, especially in what turned out to be such a high profile match.
So, bravo! Hats off to both John Isner and Nicolas Mahut!
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