The player who stayed

Original non-fiction-style practice text.

After beating my son at table tennis, his opponent asked whether he wanted to practise the serve which had troubled him. There was no trophy left to win. The hall was being cleared, and the boy's father waited with a coat over his arm. They stayed for ten minutes.

I have heard many speeches about sporting values. This small delay explained more than most of them. The winner did not pretend that the score had been close or apologise for playing well. He simply treated a less experienced opponent as someone who might become better, rather than as evidence of his own superiority.

I admired the match. I admired the extra ten minutes more. Competition had produced a result, and then one participant had refused to let the result determine everything that could happen between them.

Assess the writer’s attitude towards the opponent who helps after the match. Use three details from the text to support your answer.