Who’s Willing to Suffer?

Oct. 9, 2020

Poor Sebastian. 

He never had a chance.

Last weekend, up-and-coming American, Sebastian Korda, met up with Rafael Nadal at the French Open. 

It was a blowout. 

As expected. 

Nobody beats Nadal at the French Open.

Rafa Nadal has dominated the French Open for over a decade. But it’s not because he’s better than everyone else. 

It’s that he cares more. 

He’s more interested.

Winning a clay court Major is hard. There’s slipping, sliding, wind, rain, long matches, long rallies, the distractions of Paris.

And when the going gets tough, most players take a pass. 

Nadal doesn’t. 

He’s happy to suffer indefinitely. Winning is that important to him.

Nobody else is like that. 

In the first three games, for example, Sebastian dominated Nadal. Sebastian is taller, stronger, younger, and hits harder. 

Controlling the rallies against Rafa was no problem.

And yet he lost every game. 

3-0 turned into 5-0 which turned into a 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 demolishing. 

Korda is every bit as good as Nadal, better even, when it comes to ball-striking. 

When it comes to caring and trying hard, it’s not even close.

There are dozens of players out there good enough to beat Nadal. 

There are maybe three who are willing to try hard enough to actually do it.

Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.

If we’re not willing to take the punishment, we won’t make it.

If we’re not willing to take the torture of being ahead and possibly winning, we won’t make it. 

The Big Wins are out there.

We just have to be tough enough to get them.

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