Who wants it the most at Wimbledon 2011?

Tennis is a game which demands equal contribution of physical and mental capabilities from a professional who has utmost desire to excel at it. With players like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic converting themselves into well conditioned machines with all physical traits needed to excel in the sport, it all comes down to who wants it the most and how strong and sturdy their state of mind is.

A 29 year old former World number 3, from Argentina who suffered from an adverse hip injury before coming back on David Nalbandian tour manages to return Roger Federer’s first serve, then slides quickly towards his extreme left corner with his hip and knees bent like an arrow just to craft an acute angled double handed backhand and then follows it with an unplayable drop shot. He manages to do all that on Federer’s match point. Though he lost the match in straight sets, he proved one thing that one can take tennis away from a player, but can never take the player away from tennis.

That same day of play at Wimbledon, a youngster ranked as low as number 158, Bernard Tomic begins to believe in himself and outclasses fifth seeded Robin Soderling in straight sets. Giles Muller, a left-handed professional from Luxembourg takes Rafael Nadal to the brink in tiebreakers of the first 2 sets, but then is unable to earn a single game in the third. An out of form Cypriot, Marcos Baghdatis decides to enjoy himself on centre court and mesmerises World number 2 Novak Djokovic to take the second set in a four set match with a full packed crowd inside and outside centre court watching the whole spectacle and urging Baghdatis to take the sizzling Serbian to a fifth set. All these instances point out that all these determined professionals tend to share a similar kind of knowledge with the conversion of knowledge to practical performances making all the difference.

Serena Williams gets emotional after her first round win at Wimbledon as the whole world witnesses her improvement with the matches passing by. Her appetite to win enhances after each victory as she tends to put forth her best to excel at the sport inspite of the injuries she has suffered in the past. It is amazing how Federer keeps his calm and his urge to win repeatedly even after clinching 16 Grand Slam titles in his decorated career. Nadal coming out of his comfort zone and emerging victorious on grass with a win over Federer himself was a site to watch last year.

The amount of practice and rigorous workout sessions have been put in by most of the players on the circuit today. With expert guidance and a carefully calculated regime, every professional tennis player has earned a specific place for himself. But at the end of day, all it takes is one perfectly crafted stroke, serve or a volley filled with precision at the right time of one single match which sparks the soul and keeps the adrenalin pumping till the end of the tournament.

The way the best keep the hunger and their willingness alive at every tournament they play forconsecutive years seems like strength from out of this world. Every ‘Vamos’ from Nadal, every ‘Yeah’ from Federer, every fist pump of Djokovic and every scream of aggression from Serena just portrays the fire they possess within and the extent to which they can go to prove themselves to be better than the person standing opposite to them. Continuity of such sustainable improvement and the determination of getting near to perfection is all what counts in this prestigious event where rankings, history, wins and seedings have no part to play. It can be easily said that this will be another year for the Wimbledon Championships where the best would prevail.

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