A generous winner

Original opinion extract, written for practice.

I always congratulate my opponents. Sport teaches generosity, and I dislike people who cannot recognise when someone else has played well. Yesterday’s opponent made that difficult. He kept returning the ball safely instead of attempting the ambitious shots which make table tennis worth watching. I had prepared several attacking combinations and was rarely allowed to complete them. Naturally he won. Anyone can be patient when they have decided not to risk being interesting. I shook his hand and told him I hoped he would develop a more adventurous style. My teammate suggested that keeping the ball in play was rather the point. Perhaps, if the score is all that matters. I would like to think there are standards beyond merely winning, especially on days when I have not done so.

Use your own words to evaluate the writer’s attitude to losing a competitive game. Give details from the extract to justify your answer.