By Muyiwa Adetiba
I want to apologise for my column this week to those who missed the classic US open last Monday night out of choice; especially those who don’tknow  the difference between a serve and a volley.

The last thing they would want is for somebody to waste ‘valuable’ space when there are more serious issues in Nigeria to talk about.

I also want to apologise to those who badly wanted Djokovic to win because they would not want any post-mortem which would remind them of the loss. But there is always something to learn. And in any case, there will be a next time to avenge the loss the way those two guys are playing.

Apologies out of the way, let me relive the moments with those who kept vigil for two nights in a row – first with the Williams/Azarenka match, and then the Nadal/Djokovic duel.

The former was so turpsy-turvy that some fans switched off their TV sets or changed channels for fear their hearts would explode.

Many of these people supported Serena Williams and for different reasons. Some, because she is a fantastic player who has achieved so much and would not want her to lose in front of a home crowd. Some, because she is a black person in a white dominated sport. Some — mainly men— because she has such a beautiful, some would say sumptuous, body.

One would confess after the match that he wanted the gusty wind to continue even when it was affecting her game, because of what it was exposing. Whatever; fans would be fans and the evening was worth waiting on. At the end of the day, the fighter in Serena overwhelmed the spirit of Victoria.

Azarenka is a mentally tough girl but it would take something special to beat Williams twice in a row on hard court. There will however be many more opportunities for Victoria to clinch the coveted trophy in future. After all, she is 24 to Serena’s 31.

The fan base for Djokovic/Nadal encounter was more divided. Again, reasons other than tennis skills were adduced for pitching tents. One fan described Novak Djokovic as likeable; another described him as an entertainer while describing Rafael Nadal as too serious. One said Novak is elegant while Rafa is an animal on court. One finds the way Rafa fidgets on court distasteful. One lady said on air that Djokovic has a lovely body and wondered why a lady should not be allowed to drool over a man’s body.

However, more serious tennis fans refer to Nadal’s gentle mien off court (never mind his fierce look on it) his respect for all opponents irrespective of their rankings, his diligence and mental toughness (on court) as reasons for supporting him.

The contest itself was much anticipated for many different reasons. It was never going to be a contest between two contrasting styles like Agassi and Sampras or McEnroe and Borg. It was not going to be a contest between the best server versus the best returner- although Djokovic is regarded by many to be the best returner in the world at the moment.

These two players have more similarities than differences. They are both hustlers who can turn defence into attack in the twinkle of an eye. They are both baseliners who only come to the net for the ‘kill’. They are both age mates (Nadal;27 and Djokovic;26) with very little difference in their skill level. All these mean that any one could beat the other on a good day.

This unpredictability is one reason the match-up was anticipated, plus the fact that it was also their 37th meeting—no two players had played each other more often in the open era. It was also to be a contest between world’s numbers one and two.

When Novak was soaring in 2011, it was Rafa that shot him down during the clay season. Now it is Rafa’s turn to soar. Who should be expected to shoot him down if not Novak?

So we went into the night knowing it could go either way. At the end of the day, what made the difference was in their personalities. Novak loves the stage. You could see that when he struts around the court like a thespian waiting to feed off his audience. You could see that when he roars like a lion after an inspired rally like the 54 shot rally which he won. The ensuing ovation, and the energy derived from it, propelled him into winning the set. In fact, he won six points in a row after that.

He draws energy from inspired moments and when the oxygen is cut off like Nadal did in the seventh game of the third set, he started gasping for air.

The death knell came when he could not convert a 0-40 advantage on Nadal’s serve. Nadal, on the other hand, was steady and took care of the little things even when it seemed the big picture was being framed by his worthy opponent.

Last Monday’s three hour plus encounter was not only a contest of skill. It was also a contest of temperament. The steadier, more focused gladiator won.

P.S. It was this listless performance which lacked inspired energy that made people say Djokovic threw the Wimbledon final against Andy Murray in July. Incidentally, he had come out of an energy sapping four hour semi just as he did last Saturday against Stan Warrinka.

He needed, the roar of the crowd to energise him. The partisan Wimbledon crowd did not oblige. No top tennis player, least of all the world number one, who has his eyes firmly on history, will throw a match. I mentioned this to Chuka Momah, Nigeria’s esteemed tennis chronicler and he laughed it off. Credit, according to him must go to Ivan Lendl, Murray’s coach who put some steel into his ward’s mind.