Cash and manners go together

Roger Federer (R) congratulates Rafael Nadal who won the Wimbledon men’s final this year — Photo by AFP

They blew us away. With their grace on the court, their handling of the crowd, the dignified poise with which they rose to this grandest of occasions, these two magnificent players did themselves proud. And the four hours and 48 minutes of tennis they had put in beforehand was not bad either.

We could debate for a long time whether this year’s men’s final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon was the greatest tennis match of the modern era. But our purpose here is, instead, to reflect on the manner in which both men responded when the playing was, at long last, done.

Federer, who must have been more physically and emotionally drained than after any match of his career, paid generous tributes to his opponent. Nadal, bursting with pride at securing his greatest professional dream, made a point of returning the tribute and praising his rival as "the greatest player in history". What a wonderful example to any young person watching. This is how two professional sportsmen,indeed two adults, ought to behave towards each other.

Tennis is a moneyed sport having the sponsors, the lucrative television rights and the multi-millionaires. But the aftermath of this year’s final confirms that cash and manners need not be enemies; that great wealth and sportsmanship can co-exist. The quality of the tennis made it a great match in anyone’s eyes. The impeccable conduct of the two players in that twin-moment of crushing defeat and elated victory made it a morally uplifting one too.

— By arrangement with The Independent