RAFAEL Nadal, the winner, said after Friday's majestic semi-final, that when the match points finally came, more than five hours after the duel began, it was so tense he was crying.

Fernando Verdasco, the loser, who left every bit of himself on the court and yet could not win, came to the press conference later and still had the courage to smile. This was a great match, but as importantly these were good men.

If there is a part of sport I don't like, it is childish behaviour between competitors. Many modern cricketers lack civility, many footballers carry on like boys, and generally a certain unbecoming machismo infects modern sport. No one expects testosterone-fuelled youngsters to be saints, and losers must be allowed to stew a while. But this idea that you have to hate the other team, or sledge them to show your intent and aggressiveness, is nonsense.

Some athletes barely acknowledge each other after a contest, but tennis players always shake hands. They apologise after a net cord point. They tell rivals when they're serving with new balls. They stop, often, and let the other player go through when they are changing ends. This may seem silly to some (i.e. why apologise for a net cord point when you're actually happy), but they are useful courtesies for kids to learn.

Athletes can be both competitive and decent. And we saw that when Nadal played Verdasco. Tennis is not a contact sport and thus it is occasionally said to lack the intensity that arrives when bodies collide. Really?

This match was played at a high emotional pitch, the shot-making was violent, the desperation naked, but it ended in a hug. And this spirit made it even more beautiful, it elevated both the contest and the men in my view. Later, Verdasco hoped Nadal would be 100 per cent for the final. Later, Nadal said Verdasco deserved to win, too.

Both men were proud of each other. And we should be proud of them.