ByWhitaker W H Chambers III

(Correspondent) on September 4, 2010

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 03: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates a point against Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan (not pictured) during day five of the 2010 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 3, 2010 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

John McEnroe called it the one of the best played points in US Open history. Dennis Istomin played an amazing set leading to this point against the No.1 player in the world to go up 5-1 in the tiebreak. It earned him a standing ovation from the 20,000 people at center court.

It lasted a minute or two and Istomin took it in.

Across the net, Rafael Nadal's face had changed. People who have a taste for enjoying tennis, are very familiar with this. His eyes contorted like arrows, his eyebrows became cliff edges on each side and his pupils became shadows. He was already back on the baseline ready to play the next point.

People, who have been watching tennis since 2005, recognized a look on Nadal's face, and anticipated what followed.

Istomin would not win another point.

Mental edge

Think of the greatest competitors from any sport. The sportsmen who could repeatedly summon an extreme focus in big moments that determined whether they win or lose. An extreme focus combined with "fighting to win" mentality that overwhelmed their competitors to the point of exhaustion and then, defeat.

Michael Jordan comes to mind. Tiger Woods, when on the golf course and before the car crashed, comes to mind. Tim Tebow, Ian Thorpe, Andres Iniesta, all of them could achieve a state of extreme focus and come through, repeatedly. It seems their mental edge, rather than skill, is the difference between them and their competitors.

All of them, in big matches, in big moments have the same look. It is a look that combines and screams determination, resolve, immovability, will. They realize it is a competition and are thinking that nothing will stop them from winning. It almost seems like they are willing to put their life on the line to win

This same look can be seen during every big match involving Rafael Nadal.

Roger Federer

Let's make one thing clear. Roger Federer is the best player in tennis history. He is an innovator who has changed tennis in uncountable ways. He made the powerful shots intelligent and the intelligent shots powerful. He broke all the records, and set countless unbreakable ones. He did it with style, grace and with artistic flair.

He, as the leading man, brought tennis from the bland power era in 2002, after things looked bleak to arguably its most golden global era, where tennis leads ESPN Sportscenter and is one of the fastest rising sports in the world.

Federer was the first player in history to have no weaknesses. He mastered every single facet of the game. Sampras wasn't the best base-liner, Agassi didn't have the serve or the volley, most great players had multiple weaknesses. Federer was an evolutionary flash-point in tennis players. The first to stand upright.

The Greatest Match ever

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Federer/Nadal

There is only one thing that Federer's game cannot contend with. Rafael Nadal's competitiveness. His competitive spirit would not allow him to lose, including many times that he should have.

In the 2007 French Open final, Federer had 18 break point chances. In most 3 or 4 set matches, 18 break point chances, signifies a completely dominant match, in which, one player repeatedly created opportunities on the other player's serve. Federer broke only once. Nadal jumped up a level, every time, to save himself and in the end, won the championship.

In the 2008 Wimbledon final, after being taken down the first two sets, Federer jumped a level in the 4th set tiebreak and stayed at it in the 5th. Nadal would not let himself lose and ended up winning in the dark.

Therein lies the difference between two of the greatest players in history. Federer has won 16 grand slams by outclassing the competition. Nadal has won 8, by competing every point and winning every big point.

Does competitive spirit matter?

The 2009 Madrid semifinal is one of the most incredible displays of competitive spirit and willpower in tennis and any sport. Nadal had tendinitis in both knees and was in pain. Novak Djokovic was playing extremely well. It was the final tiebreak and Djokovic was playing the better of the two. Djokovic played great shots to gain match point after match point. Point after point, Nadal played incredible shots to save himself and eventually left Djokovic an exhausted man and in the end won the match.

Novak Djokovic is as talented a tennis player there is. There is a noticeable difference in the way he thinks about tennis and the way Nadal thinks about tennis. Djokovic's main ambitions are to do impersonations and be a tennis star, loved by New York and the world. Nadal's main ambition is to be able to compete point after point in big points and in big tournaments at his full potential. They are the same age. Nadal has eight grand slams and counting and Djokovic has one.

Greatest competitor ever?

Wimbledon 08, the three French Opens against Federer, Rome against Federer, Madrid against Djokovic, Australian Open against Verdasco then Federer. Nadal has been in a hell of a lot of classic 5 set and 3 set matches in his short career. The most amazing thing is that he has won just about all of them

Nadal is the fiercest competitor, in tennis, from the past twenty years. There are two other players that come close to matching his spirit, Jimmy Connors and Guillermo Vilas, but Nadal has a greater skill level. But it seems like a question of semantics.

Your life depends on having one match, set, point. On any surface hard, grass, clay, clouds. You can choose any tennis player ever. Laver, Borg, McEnroe, Connors, Becker, Lendl, Sampras, Agassi, Federer, etc.

I would be happy with Nadal against any of them.