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Valentino Rossi can't afford to take his eye off the ball tomorrow
Published in The Telegraph - 12/07/08 Whether it's a bike race, a Formula One round or a tennis match... all it takes is one momentary lapse of focus. Last Sunday, like most of the nation, I was mesmerised by super-humans Rog and Rafa on Centre Court. Their steely concentration wore me out just watching, but with everything at stake even the smallest chink in the mental armour was punished in this epic gladiatorial face-off. Lewis Hamilton had to keep all his wits honed in the atrocious conditions at Silverstone, proof again that mental strength and stamina are just as important as natural talent. Clearly, at the top level of any sport all the challengers have the required skills, but it's using that talent consistently, without a stutter, which surely is the attribute of a champion. |