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GEN-X RISING: Wimbledon final teaches a bit about discipleship Andrew C. Thompson, Jul 21, 2010
Andrew C. Thompson
By Andrew C. Thompson UMR Columnist
Rafael Nadal was crowned Wimbledon champion for the second time when he defeated Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic this month in straight sets.
It was also Mr. Nadal’s second straight Grand Slam tournament win—he captured his fifth French Open championship earlier this summer—and it solidified his claim as the No. 1 male tennis player in the world.
I watched a good bit of the final. The Spaniard was not at his absolute best, but he still made Mr. Berdych look out of his depth.
Watching Mr. Nadal victorious on the grass of the All-England Club, I was reminded of a match two years ago when he really was at his best. That was the Wimbledon final in 2008, when Mr. Nadal squared off against Roger Federer in what many now call the greatest tennis match ever played.
It went five sets, with Mr. Nadal eventually prevailing to win his first Wimbledon at 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7.
The Nadal-Federer final in 2008 was nothing short of sublime. Seeing two champions with two such contrasting styles pour out their all was awe-inspiring. I think it can also give us insight into what it means to live our lives as followers of Jesus.
Understanding the beauty of the rivalry between Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer requires a close look at the differences between their playing styles.
Mr. Federer is lithe and lean, with movements so graceful he looks like he was born on a tennis court. He seems to glide from one side of the court to the other, reaching shots and hitting returns that most other players could only dream about.
Mr. Nadal, however, looks as much like an NFL cornerback as a tennis player, with heavily muscled arms and legs. He wears an expression on his face so intense he literally sneers when he hits the ball. And he’s not graceful at all; he looks like he’s trying to break the laws of physics on every point, pushing his body relentlessly against the forces of gravity.
Both players hit with great power. But Mr. Federer’s is masked behind the fluidity of his overall game. Mr. Nadal’s power is nakedly apparent with every grunting groundstroke. All those differences point to how differently they were gifted in their natural athletic endowments.
And yet there the two of them were in the summer of ’08. Playing the greatest match ever, on Centre Court of the final of the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. Through discipline, they had honed their different gifts into championship tennis of the highest caliber.
I find myself drawn to the athletic images the New Testament uses to describe the life of faith: The book of Hebrews tells us to “run with perseverance the race that is set before us” (Heb 12:1).
The Apostle Paul elaborates on that image. He tells the church in Corinth: “Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things. . . . So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified” (1 Cor 9:24-27).
Later, sensing his own impending death, Paul counsels Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7).
We are sure to face many trials and difficulties in life as in sports. And we need to be properly trained to persevere. This isn’t a form of works righteousness; it is the necessary process of responding to the gifts we’ve been given. And it takes time, commitment and submission to a disciplined life.
Just like the process of becoming a great athlete.
Only Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer have been able to lay claim recently to the title of world’s greatest tennis player. They got there by different paths, gifted with different physical attributes.
But they share one thing in common: a willingness to respond to those gifts with every ounce of their hearts, souls, minds and strength.
The Rev. Thompson maintains a blog at genxrising.com. E-mail: andrew@mandatum.org.
Andrew C. Thompson
