The Spirit of the Game

Personally, I loved this editorial. I, thanks to my mother, am a huge professional tennis fan. I watch all of the grand slam tournaments with my mom, so I found this article very interesting. I completely agree with what the author is trying to get across. I think that Rafael Nadal, this year's US Open runner-up, was very graceful after he lost the 4-set upsetting battle to Novak Djokovic. He was definitely "a reminder of what good sportsmanship really means." As you've probably seen before, a lot of professional athletes make up excuses or blame someone for their loss when they lose a big game or match. Rafael Nadal did the opposite of that. He had nothing but good things to say about his opponent, and has lots of respect for him. I think because of this Rafael Nadal is a great role-model for young athletes. 


I believe that the author of this editorial, Andrew Rosenthal, knew his audience very well. Rosenthal knew his subject and exactly who was going to read this article: tennis fans. I know this because Rosenthal did not do a lot of explaining about the two athletes or even the game of tennis, he dove right into the good stuff. Rosenthal's purpose of this article was very clear to see. He wanted to explain the sportsmanship and work ethic of professional tennis player, Rafael Nadal. Rosenthal's diction shows that he is a fan of Rafael Nadal. He uses words like "graciousness," "polite," "soft-spoken," and "generous." Rosenthal says that, "It was moving to watch a man who had played with so much heart also speak with so much heart." All in all, Rosenthal understands his audience very well and thoroughly states his purpose. 


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