One time I watched Rod Laver play a match in New Zealand. Late in the match, Laver broke serve to go up 5–4. The Aussies I was sitting with got up. I asked why they didn’t want to see if Laver was going to finish off the match.
“Laver doesn’t lose when he’s serving for the match,” they responded.
To them, victory was inevitable.
Laver won that day, just as he did on most days. Pretty much everyone who knew the Australian agreed that he was the best closer in tennis. When victory was in sight, he would reach out and grab it. He had an unmatched single-mindedness.
Laver won the calendar-year Grand Slam twice, in 1962 and 1969. It is an amazing feat, all the more so because he played on Jack Kramer’s pro tour, on indoor canvas, before Open-era tennis began on different surfaces in 1968.
Players always wonder how to play big points in tennis. Look closely at the moments when the score is 40–0 and 0–40. Players with a great end game don’t let up when they have a lead, and they don’t give up when they are in a deep hole. Next time you go on court, be like Laver and play every point like it’s your last.