Yesterday was an epic day in sports history.

@RafaelNadal won his 21st Grand Slam.

Midway through the match, he had a 4% chance to win.

It was one of the greatest comebacks I've ever seen.

Here are 10 observations I had while watching the most tenacious player on the tour:

For context - this match was crazy.

Even if you’re not a tennis fan, I highly recommend you check out the highlights.

He put on a 5 hour, 24 minute performance exuding grit, resilience, tenacity and above all world class mental fitness.

Alright onto the observations…

Observation 1: Champions have irrational conviction

David Hume has this great quote: “Rational men proportion belief to evidence.”

Most of us do just that - we match our conviction with data.

Nadal did the opposite. There's a lesson there for anybody chasing greatness.

Observation 2: Iterate in Real Time

This is the mark of a true master.

Most of us go through a situation, experience an outcome and then try to learn from it.

A true expert adjusts in the moment.

Nadal did that and more reacting to Medvedev's consistent iteration.

Observation 3: Radical Accountability

Tennis is a uniquely single player sport.

- You are responsible for showing up
- You are responsible for effort
- You are responsible for the outcome

Nadal was accountable in this match to the most important person: himself.

Observation 4: Harness Positive Self Talk

A bunch of the pros lash out when they're frustrated: throw rackets, complain to the ref, yell at their coach.

Nadal doesn't do any of those. He pumps himself up in up and down moments, often with the same toolkit.

Really powerful.

Observation 5: Enduring Intensity is An Advantage

Nadal's intensity actually picked up as the match went on.

This is similar to the velocity increase we're seeing in Big Tech.

Seeing it in sport and business has flipped a lot of "conventional wisdom" on its head for me.

Observation 6: Take it a step at a time

- 6 Weeks Pre Australian Open: Doubted he’d play tennis again after surgery

- Quarterfinals: Suffered from a heat stroke and lost 9 pounds

- Finals: Down 2 sets and triple breakpoint

Lesson: Cut progress into bits. One step at a time.

Observation 7: Odds are dynamic, not static

Odds are a misunderstood concept.

Most of us think of them as fixed when in reality they are constantly changing.

Nadal believed every action he took had a specific impact on the odds.

Lesson: Just focus on what you can control.

Observation 8: Emotional balance comes from experience

Nadal was serving for the match up 5-4 and Medvedev broke him. Brutal.

The amazing part was his reaction - even keel. And in the next game he broke back.

You could feel his flow state when watching. It was really cool.

Observation 9: Play the best to be the best

This match was 5 hours of being on the brink of mental and physical limits.

But the cage match pulled out the absolute best in both players.

The best way to evolve (in life) is to (a) get in the game +(b) play with quality players.

Observation 10: Bring others along and be gracious

Some might think this is soft, but I love how gracious Nadal is when he wins.

He praised his opponent, his team and the fans.

It’s an admirable act showing intense competitiveness and kindness can co-exist.

True class act.

That’s it!

It was a match for the ages.

I hope these 10 observations help you in whatever pursuit you take on: life, relationships and/or business.

They were striking to me and I’m going to try to apply them in my day to day.