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Matteo Berrettini, was dominating in the first set of the Wimbledon finals. He played for his life, had the nerves to make his opponent swing from one end to the other of the court with unmatched rhythm and he pulled off 16 aces.

On the other hand Novak Djokovic played the man, his unforced errors on the scoreboard read 21, as against 47 of his opponent.

Few years back, we were at the badminton court and I heard someone say,- “Play in a way that you win, instead of focusing on your opponent to lose”.

We are here to win. Happy reading.

Workout of the week - Step Back Lunge / Reverse Lunge

Step Back Lunge or Reverse Lunge is a lower ­body workout that places your legs in asymmetrical position and challenges your pelvic stability, control, and overall balance, which is very important for good running form. It also helps mobilize hip flexors and helps in better hip extension. It is a very effective workout for runners to improve hip mechanics.

How to do it?

1. Stand in a neutral position with feet shoulder width apart.

2. While in this position, step back with the trailing leg landing softly on the toes. Keep the hips level and pelvis directly under the shoulders. Ensure the upper body is erect.

3. Continue to lower the body until the forward leg gets into a 90 degree angle at the knee.

4. Keep the weight over the heel of the leading leg and the knee aligned with the foot.

5. Pull the trail leg and body back up and forward to starting position. Repeat the same with alternate legs.

You can add resistance by holding dumbbells. However, lunges can place a lot of stress on the knees, particularly on the trail leg. So add weights only after building good pelvic stability and leg strength.

It is important to

• Keep the weight on the heel of the lead leg.

• Keep the knee of the lead leg aligned with the foot and behind the toe.

• Keep the upper body erect, head and neck in a neutral position throughout the exercise.

Highlights from the World of Running

Simple, natural, no fuss: The Food that fuels Olympic marathon champions

BBC, in an attempt to understand the science of fueling a marathon, reached out to the current marathon record holders for men and women, Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei, who both hail from Kenya. Kenya, known for tea, turns out to be a popular choice for marathoners as well. Sweet tea is a favorite of many Kenyan runners with some runners from the camp confirming to drink more tea than water in training. For a proper meal, ugali, a staple of East African cuisine made from maize flour and cooked like porridge, is their first choice. Kipchoge is known to be fond of fermented milk, known as "Mursik'' which helps him in speeding up digestion. Elite Kenyan runners also eat plenty of rice, potatoes, and bread. Roughly a quarter of the much-needed calories and nearly a third of carbs come from this mix of basic staple foods. Click here to read in detail to understand on servings and their calories offerings

'It is about making a legacy', says Kipchoge training for the Olympics games

World Marathon record holder and the defending Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge via a social media post announced that his preparations for the Olympics games are going really well. He sent out a post across social media platforms stating, "My preparations for the Olympic Games are going really well. It is only 2 weeks from now before I'll take the plane to Japan. I'm excited to participate in Sapporo for the Olympic marathon." In another interview with his NN Running Team, he stated that he wants to make a legacy by successfully defending the marathon title at the Olympics games, after having claimed the title at the Rio Olympics, 2016. Ethiopian's Abeba Bikila (1960 and 1964) and East German's Waldemar Cierpinski (1976 and 1980) are the only two men to successfully claim their title at the Olympics. Read more here.

Japan bans fans at Tokyo-area Olympics venues due to virus

The City of Tokyo has entered into a state of emergency. The city was in a quasi-state of emergency from June 20th. An increase in new COVID-19 cases and concerns over new variants led to the decision to place the capital back in a state of emergency. The state of emergency led to the Government confirming last week that all spectators would be banned from all stadiums and venues in Tokyo. The Tokyo Olympics is set to be held between 22 July and 8 August and will be a largely TV-only event, while the Paralympics only open on 24 August. The ban covers Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures — Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba. Read more here

Running Tip : Prevent Black Toenails

Many runners treat black toenails as a badge of honour for running a marathon. Black toenails are mostly harmless for the most part, but nevertheless an injury. Taking an injury in stride is good, but preventing it is always better. Black toenails are caused by impact and friction between shoe or sock with toe.

Here are a few tips to prevent black toenails.

• Fitting the shoe right is very important to prevent black toenails. Ensure there is enough room in the forefoot. Ensure a gap of quarter to half-inch between your longest toe and the front of the shoe.

• Ensure your arch, and shape of the shoe arch matches. This will prevent the foot moving within the shoe, which is often the reason for black toenails.

• When running downhills, the foot moves within the shoe excessively. If you have a lot of downhill sections in the race, use heel lock lacing to keep the heel in place.