For the fortunate tennis fans who watched the Australian Open men’s final between those supreme modern gladiators Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal, who could not have been awestruck by that epic event?

It was sport at its magnificent finest. The marathon five-set slug-out, the longest singles Grand Slam final in history, lasted nearly six hours, and Djokovic emerged the winner, after drawing on all his superhuman energy reserves and skill, only at 2.30am Australian time.

One wonders what other sport demands such stamina from its leading participants.

To have one’s body at full physical exertion for six hours while also having to be at maximum levels of concentration, so as not to give away the slightest advantage to an opponent, must put these magnificent tennis stars right at the top of the totem pole.

Both entered the fray after a fortnight of group stage competition and having competed in energy-sapping semi-finals against top four opponents only a couple of days earlier.

Our millionaire Springbok rugby prima donnas should take a leaf out of the book of tennis professionals.

Rugby matches last 80 minutes and the players are not continually in motion. They also have the luxury of a generous substitution system.

But if the Springboks play more than two international Tests a month, there are bleats from the Bok management that the players are jaded and exhausted, and need to be rested, necessitating fielding sub-standard “C” teams in Tests, thus short-changing the fans who have to watch inferior contests.

Tennis is one sport where the superstars deserve every cent of the megamillions they earn.

Will Carbis

Malvern