As the French open wore down, my eyes went to the sign which was displayed “ Victory belongs to the most tenacious “ and no single statement has so much depth and it has held so true this year in sports. The quote owes its history to Napolean, but Roland Garros liked it so much he adapted it as his own.
Midway through the 1st set tie breaker it became quite obvious, Novak was going to set a record for the ages. One that may not be broken anytime soon, especially in an environment which is of shorter careers. To having witnessed all 3 Rafa / Roger and Novak achieve such longevity is nothing but a viewer privilege.
Novak was 23 years old when Federer had already won 16 Grand slams and today he is a step ahead in the tally. Goran Invansevic himself a Wimbledone winner as a wild card entry and now coaching Djokovic has attributed Djokovic’s toughness to a Balkan fighting spirit that helps him thrive when the chips are down. His CVAC pressurised pod time or gluten and alcohol free routine is well known, but coming from a war torn country in Serbia brings a certain amount of strength. Tenacity
Manchester City got their first treble, it has been a year of ruthless domination by the, but they got their name carved in football immortality for ever.
As a Red Devil for life it has not been easy to see this rise, but there is no doubt it has been spectacular & this season has been nothing but tenacious. However this has not come suddenly — From an excerpt in “ The Independent “Abu Dhabi’s limitless money allowed the hierarchy to completely rip up the club and start again, to ultimately do something no one had conceived before in City Football Group.
They aren’t so much a football club in form but a cutting-edge multinational, an extension of a state. The sheer scale of it is unprecedented and often underappreciated.
This is what puts City so far in front, where it becomes about so much more than expenditure on players. The club have the financial platform and infrastructure to ensure they get the “best in class” from top to bottom. They are described within the game as “a beast”, “the model”, and “just the best in the business in everything they do”. Tenacity
Finally today morning the Denver Nuggets became NBA world champions, their first ever.
Led by unlikely heroes, their coach Malone was an assistant coach in Golden State just as the Warriors were starting down the path of becoming the NBA’s dynasty. He left before they started winning, had a failed stint with the Kings and had nothing going for him in Denver for the past 3 seasons.
The Nuggets kept him. The debt was repaid in full on Monday night. Patience paid off, and so did institutional belief that Malone was the right guy. The second unlikely hero Jokic the greatest №41 pick in NBA draft history, drafted second round, infact basketball lore goes that the broadcaster went for a commercial during his draft and showed highlights of another player.
From an article in the Republics “ He’s slow, can’t jump and will never wow anyone with athleticism. And none of that matters. He’s smart, he’s selfless and he’s unstoppable. Period. End of story. The best player in the playoffs, the NBA Finals MVP, and now the big man from Sombor, Serbia is a champion. — Tenacity
To quote from the Man in the Arena — The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms and great tenacity