My Tennis fascination started when I was 15. We were asked to pick a sport & make a scrapbook on it for a class project. Cricket got taken instantly, not that I cared much for it then, but I didn't know what else to do. Mom suggested that I look at Tennis as an option. So I browsed through magazine after magazine, article after article, cut out picture after picture & by the time my scrapbook was finished, I was a die-hard Tennis fan.
My initial favourite was Ivan Lendl, the # 1 player at that time. And next to him I liked rising young star Andre Agassi best! When Lendl retired, Agassi took his place as my firm favourite.
It wasn't only Agassi's frosted hair & good looks, pop-idol persona that made one his fan. It was his exciting brand of tennis, and the "appetite he generated for combat" that made fans flock to watch him play!
His initial career was a bit of a disappointment, but by the time his body gave up on him, he had won 8 Grand Slam Titles, a Career Grand Slam, and an Olympic Gold Medal, and earned his place among the Tennis Greats. That he did so in an era dominated by Sampras is commendable. (If it wasn't for Pete Sampras, Andre would've had the Grand Slam record.) That he did so at an age that most players retired was even more amazing! The man ate, breathed & lived Tennis!
He left an indelilable impression not only on fans, but also on the tennis stars of today.
When I watch Tsonga play or Nadal play, I'm reminded of Agassi.
The blistering groundstrokes, the shots that kiss the lines, the angles, the passing shots, the confidence-crushing forehand winners, all remind me of Agassi!
And I'm not the only one who says it. I'm so glad that what I thought is corroborated by Michael Stich.
And this year's Aussie Open semi-finalist knocked out last year's finalist Tsonga (who last year knocked out this year's eventual winner Nadal!), Verdasco, who grew up idolising Andre, sought his advice & reaped the benefits!
Nadal is like a newer, improved, left-handed version of Agassi. A much stronger serve, Agassi's groundstrokes & passing shots, Chang's legs & his very own mental toughness! I'm an out an out Federer fan, but I will grudgingly admit that Rafa has earned the title of the best tennis player in the World at the moment. He dominates Roger's game & he dominates his mind. Roger is at sea against Rafa. Not that King Roger will not find a way to beat Rafa. I believe he soon will, but it is a tribute to Rafael Nadal that he has pushed Roger Federer where no man even thought possible! It is only fitting that Rafa's greatness is acknowledged on account of his domination of Roger.
As Rafa himself said, Roger will get his 14 Grand Slams, possibly more as others say. It may not have happened at the Aussie Open, but there are 3 more Slams to go. Rafael will of course VAMOS for the Grand Slam 2009 & while it is a superhuman task to achieve, if there is one guy in recent Tennis memory who realistically stands a chance of doing it, it is Nadal! And at 22, with 6 Grand Slam titles already, there's no knowing what number he might end up with!!!
That Roger Federer is the Greatest ever will only be in dispute for a few more years at best. He will settle that with his 15th Grand Slam title. Then we'll start looking at Nadal's expanding trophy shelf. Very exciting times for men's Tennis! It could be even more exciting if 2 guys who have the game to dominate these 2 could get their acts together, but it seems unlikely that they will ever have the mental edge that these two possess. I'm talking about the unbeatable brand of Tennis that Marat Safin & Jo-Wilifried Tsonga are capable of playing!
Interesting times for Indian Tennis too! Sania Mirza wins her first Grand Slam title-tte. GREAT show from her & Bhupati! Now to see how she translates the confidence into Singles victories!
And Yuki Bhamri! Yet another Junior Grand Slam win! Boy to watch out for!
Interesting times indeed!
Observation & Question:
When Marcos Baghdatis plays at the Aussie Open, throngs of Australian fans of Greek & Cypriot origin cheer for him, wave flags of his country.
When Nadal plays, Aussies of Spanish origin wave Spanish flags. Ditto for Fedex. Swiss face paint & flags!
Thankfully no ball-tokre types live in Australia!
My Original Tennis Joke:
When Serena Williams plays at the net, her butt is still at the baseline! THAT's called Court Coverage! ;-D
Showing posts with label Sport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sport. Show all posts
Friday, February 13, 2009
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
11 match ban??? Is that all???
Looks like the Pakis have more balls than us!
Shoaib Akhtar is handed a life ban for hitting a colleague.
Shane Warne was out of the game for 2 years(?) in his prime because of a drug-related charge.
And Harbhajan gets a piddly 11 match ban?????????
We're truly a nation of losers!
Ban the offie for a minimum of 1 year from all forms of the game! That's the minimum punishment he deserves! 2 would be really nice!
That's the ONLY thing that will teach him a lesson! That's the only thing that will ensure that when he comes back, his temprament has undergone a change. Let him use the free time to undergo anger management lessons!
He has shamed all of us and totally embarassed us in front of the Aussies!
Shoaib Akhtar is handed a life ban for hitting a colleague.
Shane Warne was out of the game for 2 years(?) in his prime because of a drug-related charge.
And Harbhajan gets a piddly 11 match ban?????????
We're truly a nation of losers!
Ban the offie for a minimum of 1 year from all forms of the game! That's the minimum punishment he deserves! 2 would be really nice!
That's the ONLY thing that will teach him a lesson! That's the only thing that will ensure that when he comes back, his temprament has undergone a change. Let him use the free time to undergo anger management lessons!
He has shamed all of us and totally embarassed us in front of the Aussies!
Friday, April 25, 2008
The men with the silvern touch...
Not Midas obviously, but close. This is a person whose antics I have resented in the past (with valid reasons at that point in time), but with more maturity & a calmer disposition, not anymore.
Shahrukh Khan. Much of what I said about him previously on this blog & in conversations, I still stand by; but one thing I cannot take away from the guy... practically everything he touches turns to silver. Despite limited acting, he still draws in the crowds; despite doing the same type of movies repeatedly, he still manages to set the cash registers ringing (largely). His touch seems to worked with the Calcutta team in the IPL circus, and the KBC debacle (and the DON damp-squib) notwithstanding, by the looks of it, he is set to romp home with his latest quiz show on TV.
Not that others don't outdo him in all these areas. Aamir, Saif, Hrithik etc. are better actors (and with probably better track records); Akshay reportedly is paid more than him these days. Shekhar Suman's rip off of Jay Leno did better than Khan's KBC... Yet Shahrukh makes all the news. And I am past blaming his PR machinery for that. They're only doing a good job of what they're hired to do!
On a separate note, it is sad that Shekhar Suman doesn't get the celebrity he deserves. The man is probably older than Khan, built up a great physique before Khan, recorded an album (in the process adding to his already long list of many many talents!), yet it was Shahrukh's apparent six-pack that made the news! Quite a shame actually.
Yet, it isn't all of that that I admire the man for. I have very little respect for SRK the actor, but I have immense respect for the man.
To the casual observer, he seems blessed, a modern day Midas (that's why I said silvern. I wouldn't wish that on anyone!); but anyone who has delved a little deeper will realise that he has had more than his share of misfortunes. His parents died young, his sister apparently still suffers from the impact of those early blows. He's had a serious spine problem. He has to face critics like me, worse probably, all the time. Yet the man carries on bravely!
It is this trait that I admire most about him. His ability to keep on moving.
He has got to a point where he doesn't let criticism bother him too much, and this is a trait very few men can develop. He is content to be who he is, and make himself successful with his limited means. Very admirable traits!
So, all the best Shahrukh. Keep on moving!
Similarly, Hrithik. Leads an apparently perfect life, looks like God sculpted him with His own hands; but look a little closer and you'll see. Hrithik isn't perfect. For all his God-made looks, he has two thumbs that give the impression of a claw. And the man has developed the guts to flaunt it on screen. His father was shot at by goons. He was unsure of the industry, unsure of whether he'd be able to make it, yet he hung in there, dug deep and gave it his best shot! And look what he came up with! Again & again!
No one is perfect, no one has it easy, everyone has to stand up & be brave, face his fears, & fight to come out a winner. Hrithik has done all of that and handles immense pressure. Till now. And my he continue to do so. All the best dude!
And who knows pressure better than Sachin Tendulkar? Who has people writing him off time & again? And who slams cricket ball after cricket ball deep down the throats of his critics to silence them again & again? Despite 20 years in the game having taken a toll on his body & mind, despite numerous surgeries, despite recent recurrent injury enforced hiatuses from the game, who comes up trumps again & again? Sachin Tendulkar! Absolutely Saluteworthy!
To these men of mettle...
Shahrukh Khan. Much of what I said about him previously on this blog & in conversations, I still stand by; but one thing I cannot take away from the guy... practically everything he touches turns to silver. Despite limited acting, he still draws in the crowds; despite doing the same type of movies repeatedly, he still manages to set the cash registers ringing (largely). His touch seems to worked with the Calcutta team in the IPL circus, and the KBC debacle (and the DON damp-squib) notwithstanding, by the looks of it, he is set to romp home with his latest quiz show on TV.
Not that others don't outdo him in all these areas. Aamir, Saif, Hrithik etc. are better actors (and with probably better track records); Akshay reportedly is paid more than him these days. Shekhar Suman's rip off of Jay Leno did better than Khan's KBC... Yet Shahrukh makes all the news. And I am past blaming his PR machinery for that. They're only doing a good job of what they're hired to do!
On a separate note, it is sad that Shekhar Suman doesn't get the celebrity he deserves. The man is probably older than Khan, built up a great physique before Khan, recorded an album (in the process adding to his already long list of many many talents!), yet it was Shahrukh's apparent six-pack that made the news! Quite a shame actually.
Yet, it isn't all of that that I admire the man for. I have very little respect for SRK the actor, but I have immense respect for the man.
To the casual observer, he seems blessed, a modern day Midas (that's why I said silvern. I wouldn't wish that on anyone!); but anyone who has delved a little deeper will realise that he has had more than his share of misfortunes. His parents died young, his sister apparently still suffers from the impact of those early blows. He's had a serious spine problem. He has to face critics like me, worse probably, all the time. Yet the man carries on bravely!
It is this trait that I admire most about him. His ability to keep on moving.
He has got to a point where he doesn't let criticism bother him too much, and this is a trait very few men can develop. He is content to be who he is, and make himself successful with his limited means. Very admirable traits!
So, all the best Shahrukh. Keep on moving!
Similarly, Hrithik. Leads an apparently perfect life, looks like God sculpted him with His own hands; but look a little closer and you'll see. Hrithik isn't perfect. For all his God-made looks, he has two thumbs that give the impression of a claw. And the man has developed the guts to flaunt it on screen. His father was shot at by goons. He was unsure of the industry, unsure of whether he'd be able to make it, yet he hung in there, dug deep and gave it his best shot! And look what he came up with! Again & again!
No one is perfect, no one has it easy, everyone has to stand up & be brave, face his fears, & fight to come out a winner. Hrithik has done all of that and handles immense pressure. Till now. And my he continue to do so. All the best dude!
And who knows pressure better than Sachin Tendulkar? Who has people writing him off time & again? And who slams cricket ball after cricket ball deep down the throats of his critics to silence them again & again? Despite 20 years in the game having taken a toll on his body & mind, despite numerous surgeries, despite recent recurrent injury enforced hiatuses from the game, who comes up trumps again & again? Sachin Tendulkar! Absolutely Saluteworthy!
To these men of mettle...
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
My quiet half century...
I quietly crossed the 50 mark in posts on this blog some time back.
I doff my hat in respect to the gentle readers of this blog in appreciation of their continued reading.
I doff my hat in respect to the gentle readers of this blog in appreciation of their continued reading.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Sania... and a gloat!
Sania Mirza is probably the most talented player Indian Tennis has seen yet. She has the groundstrokes, she has the power, she has the appetite for competition.
What she lacks is that one factor that separates the champions from the also rans: Consistency!
- She has the ability to hit an excellent groundstroke to set up a point, but lacks the consistency to follow it up with another one to finish off the point.
- She can hit an excellent approach shot, but totally botch up the volley.
- She can break serve, but lacks the consistency to hold her own & wrap up a set.
All of this is on display in her match against an obviously downhill Venus. She had the former Wimbledon champion on the run, but allowed Venus to come back & dominate the match.
Her talent is obvious. What is not so obvious is that she isn't in great hands at the moment!
She needs a Nick Bolletieri to coach her. He's the kind of coach who infuses players with consistent shotmaking & rallying ability. He's the kind that helps players improve their basics. Sania's groundstrokes & volleying, maybe even her serve would definitely benefit from a longish stint with Bolletieri. Not to mention that he would work her to the point that she isn't lugging around any left-over puppy fat!
Indian coaches & managers shouldn't lose heart. They've done their bit by getting her up to this point. Now it's time for them to take a bow & let the other's take Sania to her destination.
One thing to remember is that the people who've coached/guiding Sania uptil now have themselves not achieved much at the international level.
One has to pick coaches accoring to the need of the hour. Even Agassi needed a tour veteran like Brad Gilbert to teach him how to pull off matches despite not playing one's best!
So Sania, please go to Bolletieri for about a year. And that is when you WILL triumph over players of Venus' calibre. Consistently!
Edit: As I was hitting "Publish Post", I heard the crowd applaud Sania's spirited performance. Or was it Venus' victory?
... And I was right!
- Fedex came through in a 5 setter despite playing well below par.
- Team India stopped the Australian cheating machine in it's tracks. India will be remembered for snapping the Aussies match winning streak on the most acrimonious tour in recent history. Somehow the last acrimonious tour I remember was one that involved the Aussies too! Remember the Sri Lankans? That tour came back to bite the Aussies in the backside! Sri Lanka made Oz their # 1 enemy & demolished the myth of Aussie supremacy convincingly in the next World Cup.
Has Australia done India that favour this time? Have they managed to awaken Indian pride? Permanently? Only the 4th Test (& then some more) will tell.
Edit: In a later match Hewitt overcame the immensely talented youngster Baghdatis in a see-saw 5 set battle.
Don't misread me as an Aussie hater here, but I'm not too fond of Hewitt either, specially after his flirt with racism in that infamous match against James Blake.
The Aussies seem like some of the most misbehaved people on the planet. I speak from personal experience. I met a bunch of them at a party & they were making an absolute nuisance of themselves! They of course seemed to believe that they were having fun. Much like the eve-teasers that infest India.
What she lacks is that one factor that separates the champions from the also rans: Consistency!
- She has the ability to hit an excellent groundstroke to set up a point, but lacks the consistency to follow it up with another one to finish off the point.
- She can hit an excellent approach shot, but totally botch up the volley.
- She can break serve, but lacks the consistency to hold her own & wrap up a set.
All of this is on display in her match against an obviously downhill Venus. She had the former Wimbledon champion on the run, but allowed Venus to come back & dominate the match.
Her talent is obvious. What is not so obvious is that she isn't in great hands at the moment!
She needs a Nick Bolletieri to coach her. He's the kind of coach who infuses players with consistent shotmaking & rallying ability. He's the kind that helps players improve their basics. Sania's groundstrokes & volleying, maybe even her serve would definitely benefit from a longish stint with Bolletieri. Not to mention that he would work her to the point that she isn't lugging around any left-over puppy fat!
Indian coaches & managers shouldn't lose heart. They've done their bit by getting her up to this point. Now it's time for them to take a bow & let the other's take Sania to her destination.
One thing to remember is that the people who've coached/guiding Sania uptil now have themselves not achieved much at the international level.
One has to pick coaches accoring to the need of the hour. Even Agassi needed a tour veteran like Brad Gilbert to teach him how to pull off matches despite not playing one's best!
So Sania, please go to Bolletieri for about a year. And that is when you WILL triumph over players of Venus' calibre. Consistently!
Edit: As I was hitting "Publish Post", I heard the crowd applaud Sania's spirited performance. Or was it Venus' victory?
... And I was right!
- Fedex came through in a 5 setter despite playing well below par.
- Team India stopped the Australian cheating machine in it's tracks. India will be remembered for snapping the Aussies match winning streak on the most acrimonious tour in recent history. Somehow the last acrimonious tour I remember was one that involved the Aussies too! Remember the Sri Lankans? That tour came back to bite the Aussies in the backside! Sri Lanka made Oz their # 1 enemy & demolished the myth of Aussie supremacy convincingly in the next World Cup.
Has Australia done India that favour this time? Have they managed to awaken Indian pride? Permanently? Only the 4th Test (& then some more) will tell.
Edit: In a later match Hewitt overcame the immensely talented youngster Baghdatis in a see-saw 5 set battle.
Don't misread me as an Aussie hater here, but I'm not too fond of Hewitt either, specially after his flirt with racism in that infamous match against James Blake.
The Aussies seem like some of the most misbehaved people on the planet. I speak from personal experience. I met a bunch of them at a party & they were making an absolute nuisance of themselves! They of course seemed to believe that they were having fun. Much like the eve-teasers that infest India.
King Roger v/s Pistol Pete
There's been some valid debate about who is the greater champion, Pete Sampras or Roger Federer.
Comparisions are bound to happen as both them of them had a fairly complete, all court game. Great one handed backhands both, very capable volleyers both. Sampras possibly had a slight edge on his serve, but undisputably the factor that sets Federer apart is his unrivalled domination of the sport.
Sampras was the dominating force in his time yes, but against players like Agassi & a few others, he seemed beatable. Federer's domination of men's Tennis is almost complete!
The above may be debatable, but then one has to consider this:
Sampras finished his career with 14 Grand Slam titles.
Federer has another 5 years left and already has 12 Grand Slams in his kitty! Barring a total unforeseen breakdown of the mind & body that make up the winning machine called Roger Federer, he will set records that will not be broken for decades to come!
But the sealing argument comes from Sampras himself. After the 3 exhibition matches they played, and Sampras winning the third, Sampras admitted that Federer was probably exhausted coming off a long season. He also stated that Roger had things to his game that he himself didn't have in his prime!
Read here.
I agree with Sampras.
Comparisions are bound to happen as both them of them had a fairly complete, all court game. Great one handed backhands both, very capable volleyers both. Sampras possibly had a slight edge on his serve, but undisputably the factor that sets Federer apart is his unrivalled domination of the sport.
Sampras was the dominating force in his time yes, but against players like Agassi & a few others, he seemed beatable. Federer's domination of men's Tennis is almost complete!
The above may be debatable, but then one has to consider this:
Sampras finished his career with 14 Grand Slam titles.
Federer has another 5 years left and already has 12 Grand Slams in his kitty! Barring a total unforeseen breakdown of the mind & body that make up the winning machine called Roger Federer, he will set records that will not be broken for decades to come!
But the sealing argument comes from Sampras himself. After the 3 exhibition matches they played, and Sampras winning the third, Sampras admitted that Federer was probably exhausted coming off a long season. He also stated that Roger had things to his game that he himself didn't have in his prime!
Read here.
I agree with Sampras.
Tennis Update
Cilic beat Gonzalez in 4 sets. Just as I predicted.
Tipsarevic is giving Fedex a hard time, but I'm fairly certain that the World No. 1 will wake up soon enough to triumph. The young boy is good though. Stretching Federer is good enough for most people!
Update @ 3:46 PM IST: Federer pulls it off in a 5 setter. The day belonged to young Tipsy though! Federer is expected to come through. He is a champion, he's probably going to set records that'll not be broken for decades, Agassi rates him as the "Best Ever"! But Tipsy made the day his own. He's the only one in recent memory to make Roger Federer scurry all around court like a mere mortal. Agreed that Fedex wan't at his best, but this kind of stretching of King Roger doesn't exist in recent memory!
And if Sania does manage to pull off a miracle upset over Venus Williams, it'll be a huge day for Indian sport! If the Indian cricket team wins as well, double celebrations!
Tipsarevic is giving Fedex a hard time, but I'm fairly certain that the World No. 1 will wake up soon enough to triumph. The young boy is good though. Stretching Federer is good enough for most people!
Update @ 3:46 PM IST: Federer pulls it off in a 5 setter. The day belonged to young Tipsy though! Federer is expected to come through. He is a champion, he's probably going to set records that'll not be broken for decades, Agassi rates him as the "Best Ever"! But Tipsy made the day his own. He's the only one in recent memory to make Roger Federer scurry all around court like a mere mortal. Agreed that Fedex wan't at his best, but this kind of stretching of King Roger doesn't exist in recent memory!
And if Sania does manage to pull off a miracle upset over Venus Williams, it'll be a huge day for Indian sport! If the Indian cricket team wins as well, double celebrations!
Sports snippets
I remember when we were young, we used to wait for a weekly news programme called "The World this Week". It was a finely produced (by NDTV I think) news package & the most interesting part used to be the sports coverage at the end that used to carry a generous dose of Tennis headlines, an absolute treat for a starved Tennis lover like me in cricket obsessed India!
I've managed to catch some sports action over the last month (this new job is really great!) after years! So here's my version of the last 5 minutes of that show:
Tennis, Twilight, Tenacity, Talent & Hope:
Chennai Open: I should really have been in Chennai for the only major ATP event in India; one that attracts the likes of Nadal, Moya, Baghdatis, Youzhny etc!
The highlight of the tournament was the semi-final that Moya & Nadal played. Everyone expected Nadal to come out on top without much difficulty, after all he is the World No. 2 & the only real challenger to Federer!
But Carlos Moya had other plans. For himself & for the fans. Even though the first set went to Rafa, Moya matched him almost stroke for stroke, until the tie-break where Rafa pulled ahead.
The commentators oddly seemed to be echoing everything I was thinking. Sample this: Nadal is playing like the Carlos Moya of 10 years back! Oddly the older Spaniard must have been wishing that he was a couple of years younger because the one fact that separated them last night was the younger legs of Nadal.
It was a HIGH QUALITY match, with breathtaking shotmaking from both players. My wife isn't as tennis crazed as I am, but the boisterous cheering that the shotmaking was eliciting from her, could be heard by our neighbours I'm sure!
Vijay Amritraj's comment on Moya's aggressive strokeplay while down breakpoint, was simply, "NO FEAR!". It was true; Moya felt no fear. Why should he? Not only was he up against an opponent 10 years younger & the World No. 2, but more importantly Chennai had become his backyard over the past few years! He was a regular visitor here, one of the first marquee names to come to Chennai, and a 2 time winner here & as a result of these three reasons, he was immensely popular here. He had the full throated backing of the crowd! He had no reason to feel ANY fear!
Moya's play that day carried a very important life lesson for anyone who cared to learn: IT'S ALL IN THE MIND! There's no other way to explain his performance against Rafael Nadal that day! Despite having done precious little on the tour of late, despite facing a rising star in the twilight of his own career, he made Rafa dig in deeper than he has ever been made to in recent times! His 2 previous wins here make Chennai his home turf, and give him the confidence & pride like nowhere else. That's why he plays here like nowhere else! Like I said before, "It's all in the Mind"!
And like someone else said, "If you can change your thinking, you can change your life"!
This isn't just a quotable quote. This is a remarkable observation from life. It's possible. It has been done before. By the likes of Moya. And you can do it too!
But I digress... Moya came back to win the second set (in another fiercely contested tie-break), and force it into the decider. From there on until almost the very end of the match, he rode a wave of confidence. He played himself into a position where he held a series of matchpoints.
But the match was not only Moya's best twilight performance; it was also a tribute to Rafa's amazing tenacity! He isn't the World No. 2 for nothing. More than his wealth of talents, he is a fighter! Rafa saved 4 matchpoints and went on to finally win a match that will go down in the record books. The match could very easily have gone the other way if it wasn't for Rafa's tenacity! Even Rafa acknowledged after the match that he hadn't seen Moya play like this in ages!
The post match ceremony was brilliant marketing brainwave! What with the Amritraj Award for Sportsmanship going to Carlos Moya, thus ensuring that Moya will visit Chennai even as a 90 year old! Rafael Nadal picking up a cricket bat for the first time in his life to hit balls into the equally cricket crazy Chennai crowd. Vijay Amritraj seems to have contributed quite a bit to the success of this event on the ATP tour. Attracting top level talent, recruiting Moya as brand ambassador for the event, etc. If I get the chance, I am definitely going next year!
Amritraj was sombre while talking to Moya. I guess he realizes what it means to put in a superhuman effort in the twilight of your career & lose. Moya took his disappointment like a man. It's easy to see why this man is so popular in Chennai!
Historic Match said the commentators. We agree. It was a rare 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 win; more importantly it was the longest best of three final on the ATP tour in 15 years! It was a physically & emotionally draining match. It was the Final before the Final. As a matter of fact, the final turned out to be a damp squib! Rafael Nadal had nothing left in him to offer and Youzhny won easily. But with the kind of sportsmanship that Tennis is known for, Youzhny acknowledged that he wasn't playing Rafael Nadal on that day, he was playing someone else.
I wish cricket would be known for this kind of sportsmanship!
Currently in Oz:
I began writing this during the Gonzalez-Cilic match, at the end of the second set. Gonzalez is playing a pretty scratchy match, doesn't look at all like the player from last year. I can guarantee that Cilic will win this match. He seems set for tennis superstardom! Reminds me of an early Marat Safin.
And that brings us to the end of the Tennis section. After Lendl retired, Agassi ruled my Tennis world. While I will acknowledge that Sampras accomplished more, Agassi did more for the sport of Tennis than anyone in his generation. He inspired a whole new generation to take up Tennis (Federer reportedly said that Agassi was the one who inspired him to take up Tennis), he brought in the fans. And yes, he was the one who won a Career Slam: each of the Grand Slam titles during his illustrious career! And an Olympic Gold as well! Add to that his exciting strokeplay & his charisma & good looks & you have a collossus of a sports icon!
Marat Safin with his talent, unpredictability and strapping good looks has the charisma to rule Tennis consciousness. But he is a victim of his own mind. He would do well to hire a Moya or a Nadal as his coach. But the most endearing thing about him is his simplicity. He says of himself: If I play well, no one, I mean no one has a chance.
If he plays badly, he reminds us of the another talented but totally unreliable entity, Team India!
Crick-shit:
India looks set to win the Perth test. Unless they screw it up as only they can, this will be the smearing that Australia deserves and that the World has been waiting for!
The best part of this series has been Ponting being officially labelled Harbhajan's bunny, among other more serious labels!
Sweeter is that Harbhajan got him twice in this series. Harbhajan first got him when he was a 17 year old aggressive sardar. Ponting nudged him on the walk back to the pavilion & has probably held a grudge ever since!
Even sweeter is that 19 year old Ishant Sharma got him twice in this very match, both times rather cheaply!
Never been too fond of Ponting. He's been caught using a graphite composite bat, his team is misbehaved. He frequently crosses the line a la Cronje.
I like it when Ponting fails.
I've managed to catch some sports action over the last month (this new job is really great!) after years! So here's my version of the last 5 minutes of that show:
Tennis, Twilight, Tenacity, Talent & Hope:
Chennai Open: I should really have been in Chennai for the only major ATP event in India; one that attracts the likes of Nadal, Moya, Baghdatis, Youzhny etc!
The highlight of the tournament was the semi-final that Moya & Nadal played. Everyone expected Nadal to come out on top without much difficulty, after all he is the World No. 2 & the only real challenger to Federer!
But Carlos Moya had other plans. For himself & for the fans. Even though the first set went to Rafa, Moya matched him almost stroke for stroke, until the tie-break where Rafa pulled ahead.
The commentators oddly seemed to be echoing everything I was thinking. Sample this: Nadal is playing like the Carlos Moya of 10 years back! Oddly the older Spaniard must have been wishing that he was a couple of years younger because the one fact that separated them last night was the younger legs of Nadal.
It was a HIGH QUALITY match, with breathtaking shotmaking from both players. My wife isn't as tennis crazed as I am, but the boisterous cheering that the shotmaking was eliciting from her, could be heard by our neighbours I'm sure!
Vijay Amritraj's comment on Moya's aggressive strokeplay while down breakpoint, was simply, "NO FEAR!". It was true; Moya felt no fear. Why should he? Not only was he up against an opponent 10 years younger & the World No. 2, but more importantly Chennai had become his backyard over the past few years! He was a regular visitor here, one of the first marquee names to come to Chennai, and a 2 time winner here & as a result of these three reasons, he was immensely popular here. He had the full throated backing of the crowd! He had no reason to feel ANY fear!
Moya's play that day carried a very important life lesson for anyone who cared to learn: IT'S ALL IN THE MIND! There's no other way to explain his performance against Rafael Nadal that day! Despite having done precious little on the tour of late, despite facing a rising star in the twilight of his own career, he made Rafa dig in deeper than he has ever been made to in recent times! His 2 previous wins here make Chennai his home turf, and give him the confidence & pride like nowhere else. That's why he plays here like nowhere else! Like I said before, "It's all in the Mind"!
And like someone else said, "If you can change your thinking, you can change your life"!
This isn't just a quotable quote. This is a remarkable observation from life. It's possible. It has been done before. By the likes of Moya. And you can do it too!
But I digress... Moya came back to win the second set (in another fiercely contested tie-break), and force it into the decider. From there on until almost the very end of the match, he rode a wave of confidence. He played himself into a position where he held a series of matchpoints.
But the match was not only Moya's best twilight performance; it was also a tribute to Rafa's amazing tenacity! He isn't the World No. 2 for nothing. More than his wealth of talents, he is a fighter! Rafa saved 4 matchpoints and went on to finally win a match that will go down in the record books. The match could very easily have gone the other way if it wasn't for Rafa's tenacity! Even Rafa acknowledged after the match that he hadn't seen Moya play like this in ages!
The post match ceremony was brilliant marketing brainwave! What with the Amritraj Award for Sportsmanship going to Carlos Moya, thus ensuring that Moya will visit Chennai even as a 90 year old! Rafael Nadal picking up a cricket bat for the first time in his life to hit balls into the equally cricket crazy Chennai crowd. Vijay Amritraj seems to have contributed quite a bit to the success of this event on the ATP tour. Attracting top level talent, recruiting Moya as brand ambassador for the event, etc. If I get the chance, I am definitely going next year!
Amritraj was sombre while talking to Moya. I guess he realizes what it means to put in a superhuman effort in the twilight of your career & lose. Moya took his disappointment like a man. It's easy to see why this man is so popular in Chennai!
Historic Match said the commentators. We agree. It was a rare 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 win; more importantly it was the longest best of three final on the ATP tour in 15 years! It was a physically & emotionally draining match. It was the Final before the Final. As a matter of fact, the final turned out to be a damp squib! Rafael Nadal had nothing left in him to offer and Youzhny won easily. But with the kind of sportsmanship that Tennis is known for, Youzhny acknowledged that he wasn't playing Rafael Nadal on that day, he was playing someone else.
I wish cricket would be known for this kind of sportsmanship!
Currently in Oz:
I began writing this during the Gonzalez-Cilic match, at the end of the second set. Gonzalez is playing a pretty scratchy match, doesn't look at all like the player from last year. I can guarantee that Cilic will win this match. He seems set for tennis superstardom! Reminds me of an early Marat Safin.
And that brings us to the end of the Tennis section. After Lendl retired, Agassi ruled my Tennis world. While I will acknowledge that Sampras accomplished more, Agassi did more for the sport of Tennis than anyone in his generation. He inspired a whole new generation to take up Tennis (Federer reportedly said that Agassi was the one who inspired him to take up Tennis), he brought in the fans. And yes, he was the one who won a Career Slam: each of the Grand Slam titles during his illustrious career! And an Olympic Gold as well! Add to that his exciting strokeplay & his charisma & good looks & you have a collossus of a sports icon!
Marat Safin with his talent, unpredictability and strapping good looks has the charisma to rule Tennis consciousness. But he is a victim of his own mind. He would do well to hire a Moya or a Nadal as his coach. But the most endearing thing about him is his simplicity. He says of himself: If I play well, no one, I mean no one has a chance.
If he plays badly, he reminds us of the another talented but totally unreliable entity, Team India!
Crick-shit:
India looks set to win the Perth test. Unless they screw it up as only they can, this will be the smearing that Australia deserves and that the World has been waiting for!
The best part of this series has been Ponting being officially labelled Harbhajan's bunny, among other more serious labels!
Sweeter is that Harbhajan got him twice in this series. Harbhajan first got him when he was a 17 year old aggressive sardar. Ponting nudged him on the walk back to the pavilion & has probably held a grudge ever since!
Even sweeter is that 19 year old Ishant Sharma got him twice in this very match, both times rather cheaply!
Never been too fond of Ponting. He's been caught using a graphite composite bat, his team is misbehaved. He frequently crosses the line a la Cronje.
I like it when Ponting fails.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Leave Sania alone!
This one was lying in the drafts folder for some time, but recent events have forced me to complete it.
What is wrong with people around the world? What gives them this bloated sense of self importance? Who are they to demand, ask, criticize another person? Specially one that has so obviously and honestly achieved more than they ever will!
Sania Mirza is a 21 year old girl for God's sake! She is a young girl who is doing more than other girls of her age do. She isn't hanging around college canteens achieving precious little. She's been working harder than most men (and women) who are criticizing her. She is bringing her country (primarily) & community (secondarily) into the limelight. She's making money & spending it all on getting better. Coaches like Tony Roche don't come cheap!
This girl is India's pride. She is representative of young, emerging India. She should be lauded, protected, encouraged, not pulled down the way some jokers are doing! Can we please file a PIL against anyone who tries to pull this kid down? Maybe the AITA & Globosport can do that. After all, they'd only be defending the interests of their player!
Let's count the number of controversies this youngster has pointlessly been dragged into:
A section of radical Muslims targetted Sania for wearing short skirts; exposing clothing which apparently brings disrepute to their version of community. Now I don't understand Islam very well, but Islam was never meant to be hard & fast about anything. Islam is purported to be one of the most practical religions. I have heard that Islam went to the extent of advising it's followers to hide their religion if it meant that their lives were under threat. With that kind of practicality, why can't a tennis player wear clothing that is acceptable in her area of work. This is my viewpoint. I believe that the people targetting her do not have the deep understanding that Islam desired of them.
I have a couple of questions to ask these radicals:
Would you rather have Sania Mirza being known as an Indian Muslim, Modern Muslim, Muslim Achiever or would you rather that people continue to have poor images of Indian Muslims. As ultra-conservative, regressive, underachievers? Don't put so much pressure on her that she cannot achieve more & do her community the service that she is doing.
If these radicals are so concerned about the image of Muslims, why don't they focus on the Muslims who beg. Why don't they teach them & get them jobs? Why don't they get them cleaned up? Get them off drugs?
Why don't they rush to cover up a poor beggar woman who is lying practically naked on the railway platform, who will in all probably be raped every night by people wanting to take advantage of her plight/mental condition? What if she is a poor muslim beggar? Forget muslim, what would these radicals do? Would they try & save her? Probably not. In the interest of practicality maybe? Then they shouldn't hound Sania anymore. Please.
Sania's views on pre-marital sex:
Leave her alone. She's a product of a young India. Also, she's allowed to make as many mistakes as children in any family make. You & I are not perfect. Why should she be expected to be? As long as she turns out OK in the long run, everyone will be happy. Anyway, she's not answerable to you & me. She'll be judged like you & I will be. You keep your hands off her.
Her Dr. getting threats for treating her &
the Mecca Masjid Controversy:
All this is giving muslims all over a bad name. Marat Safin & his sister Darina are Russian Muslim tennis players. They're not pulled up for anything by anyone. Why not? Are Russian muslims more evolved than Indian muslims? Are Indian muslims not concerned with the Safins? Why? Or is just that they don't even know about the existence of the Safins? They're targetting what they know & can see, and can target. The Russians don't give a rat's arse about what they think! So one can safely surmise that Sania too should just not care!!!
National Flag controversy:
Anyone who knows anything about tennis or even sport knows that entering tournaments earns the players money, while entering competitions like the Davis & Hopman Cup, where one plays for one's country & not the money, is done for national pride.
Sania plays the Hopman Cup, plays hard & gets us victories. No one clamours for giving her an award or compensation for the potential financial losses she endured to play for her country. The Bhopali soorma & the liar from Tirupati are both unknowns. They're using Sania to gain a little importance in their respective districts. Maybe it will help their business. Or if there is any truth to the Karma concept, they will lose whatever little business they have anyway. Hey! What an idea! Hit them where it hurts! Their names have been published in the newspapers. Let's all blog about & call for a total boycott of their services for wasting Sania's time, the court's time, newsprint & our time as well! Let's ask the citizens from their hometowns to boycott their services totally until they apologize!!! This should work!
Why did these two jokers not congratulate Sania for her Hopman Cup service? Because they're ignorant. Sania is a potential Olympic medal hope! Can't they see that? This will only distress her & allow her to lose focus. They should apologize & back her unconditionally!
What do these guys want? Do they want her to fail for a more sinister reason?
Do they want her to get frustrated with India & leave her country to live elsewhere like many many other tennis players do?
Can the radical Muslims for a moment not consider this: Sania may have been born into a muslim family, but what if she isn't a muslim by faith. Being muslim is about following the religion. What if she doesn't want to follow the faith she was born into or any religion for that matter? What is she believes that her work is her worship & that she will be judged by her service to her fellow-men, her countrymen? Like I said earlier, who are we do judge? We are mere human beings like her, & definitely not greater than her!
Can the uber-nationalists consider a scenario where Sania gets totally frustrated with us takyanoosi Indians & decides to migrate to Florida, change her nationality & play for the U.S.? Win Olympic medals for the U.S. & not us?
Please leave the girl alone. She has much to give to all of us. Let's sit back & enjoy what she has to offer. And pray for her success!
Note: Ideas that will help us protect this young girl who has made India proud are highlighted in red. Please feel free to use/implement/propogate them.
What is wrong with people around the world? What gives them this bloated sense of self importance? Who are they to demand, ask, criticize another person? Specially one that has so obviously and honestly achieved more than they ever will!
Sania Mirza is a 21 year old girl for God's sake! She is a young girl who is doing more than other girls of her age do. She isn't hanging around college canteens achieving precious little. She's been working harder than most men (and women) who are criticizing her. She is bringing her country (primarily) & community (secondarily) into the limelight. She's making money & spending it all on getting better. Coaches like Tony Roche don't come cheap!
This girl is India's pride. She is representative of young, emerging India. She should be lauded, protected, encouraged, not pulled down the way some jokers are doing! Can we please file a PIL against anyone who tries to pull this kid down? Maybe the AITA & Globosport can do that. After all, they'd only be defending the interests of their player!
Let's count the number of controversies this youngster has pointlessly been dragged into:
A section of radical Muslims targetted Sania for wearing short skirts; exposing clothing which apparently brings disrepute to their version of community. Now I don't understand Islam very well, but Islam was never meant to be hard & fast about anything. Islam is purported to be one of the most practical religions. I have heard that Islam went to the extent of advising it's followers to hide their religion if it meant that their lives were under threat. With that kind of practicality, why can't a tennis player wear clothing that is acceptable in her area of work. This is my viewpoint. I believe that the people targetting her do not have the deep understanding that Islam desired of them.
I have a couple of questions to ask these radicals:
Would you rather have Sania Mirza being known as an Indian Muslim, Modern Muslim, Muslim Achiever or would you rather that people continue to have poor images of Indian Muslims. As ultra-conservative, regressive, underachievers? Don't put so much pressure on her that she cannot achieve more & do her community the service that she is doing.
If these radicals are so concerned about the image of Muslims, why don't they focus on the Muslims who beg. Why don't they teach them & get them jobs? Why don't they get them cleaned up? Get them off drugs?
Why don't they rush to cover up a poor beggar woman who is lying practically naked on the railway platform, who will in all probably be raped every night by people wanting to take advantage of her plight/mental condition? What if she is a poor muslim beggar? Forget muslim, what would these radicals do? Would they try & save her? Probably not. In the interest of practicality maybe? Then they shouldn't hound Sania anymore. Please.
Sania's views on pre-marital sex:
Leave her alone. She's a product of a young India. Also, she's allowed to make as many mistakes as children in any family make. You & I are not perfect. Why should she be expected to be? As long as she turns out OK in the long run, everyone will be happy. Anyway, she's not answerable to you & me. She'll be judged like you & I will be. You keep your hands off her.
Her Dr. getting threats for treating her &
the Mecca Masjid Controversy:
All this is giving muslims all over a bad name. Marat Safin & his sister Darina are Russian Muslim tennis players. They're not pulled up for anything by anyone. Why not? Are Russian muslims more evolved than Indian muslims? Are Indian muslims not concerned with the Safins? Why? Or is just that they don't even know about the existence of the Safins? They're targetting what they know & can see, and can target. The Russians don't give a rat's arse about what they think! So one can safely surmise that Sania too should just not care!!!
National Flag controversy:
Anyone who knows anything about tennis or even sport knows that entering tournaments earns the players money, while entering competitions like the Davis & Hopman Cup, where one plays for one's country & not the money, is done for national pride.
Sania plays the Hopman Cup, plays hard & gets us victories. No one clamours for giving her an award or compensation for the potential financial losses she endured to play for her country. The Bhopali soorma & the liar from Tirupati are both unknowns. They're using Sania to gain a little importance in their respective districts. Maybe it will help their business. Or if there is any truth to the Karma concept, they will lose whatever little business they have anyway. Hey! What an idea! Hit them where it hurts! Their names have been published in the newspapers. Let's all blog about & call for a total boycott of their services for wasting Sania's time, the court's time, newsprint & our time as well! Let's ask the citizens from their hometowns to boycott their services totally until they apologize!!! This should work!
Why did these two jokers not congratulate Sania for her Hopman Cup service? Because they're ignorant. Sania is a potential Olympic medal hope! Can't they see that? This will only distress her & allow her to lose focus. They should apologize & back her unconditionally!
What do these guys want? Do they want her to fail for a more sinister reason?
Do they want her to get frustrated with India & leave her country to live elsewhere like many many other tennis players do?
Can the radical Muslims for a moment not consider this: Sania may have been born into a muslim family, but what if she isn't a muslim by faith. Being muslim is about following the religion. What if she doesn't want to follow the faith she was born into or any religion for that matter? What is she believes that her work is her worship & that she will be judged by her service to her fellow-men, her countrymen? Like I said earlier, who are we do judge? We are mere human beings like her, & definitely not greater than her!
Can the uber-nationalists consider a scenario where Sania gets totally frustrated with us takyanoosi Indians & decides to migrate to Florida, change her nationality & play for the U.S.? Win Olympic medals for the U.S. & not us?
Please leave the girl alone. She has much to give to all of us. Let's sit back & enjoy what she has to offer. And pray for her success!
Note: Ideas that will help us protect this young girl who has made India proud are highlighted in red. Please feel free to use/implement/propogate them.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
What's wrong with the PadmaShri?
While civilian awards are meant to honour citizens with noteworthy achievements, the flawed selection criteria leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the richly deserving kind. How come sportspersons & film-folk are accorded the same honour as literary giants, scholars & explorers???
Sania Mirza is barely twenty & with a fairly limited set of achievements has a PadmaShri to her name. Others such as Leander Paes, Azhar, Shabana Azmi & Sachin Tendulkar too have received Padma Shris. No doubt they've made contributions on the world stage, but these are all transient achievements (with the exception of Sachin Tendulkar). Their work will not live on for years to come and will in all probability have no great social impact.
Compare this to the lifelong work of people like Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Dr. Zahoor Qasim and Ali Jawad Zaidi, giants in their own fields, people who put India on the International map in fields like music, oceanography and literature as opposed to sports!
Others like Kaifi Azmi too received a PadmaShri. As did his daughter Shabana & son-in-law Javed Akhtar. Both of them will willingly acknowledge the superiority of Kaifi's brilliance over their own achievements. Yet the Govt. clubbed Kaifi's literary achievements with their (in comparision) dabbles in art?
I'm not belittling sport or cinema here; I'm just saying that most of civilized society will rate the Sistine Chapel over all of Navratilova's Wimbledon crowns! And over Citizen Kane or any other movie you please! And this comes from a die hard Tennis enthusiast! One who had to confirm the spelling of the aforesaid chapel on the net before hitting publish! Yet I realize that science & art has always held sway over sport for some reason.
So why are our awards lopsided? It's bad enough that we have so-called popular awards. Must our Govt. of India awards pander to popular taste too???
I don't want to make any random allegations, but a close look at the Padma Shri recipients list & Padma Bhushan recipients list does seem to point to the existence of lobbying. The more powerful a recommendation/lobbying, the better your chances of an award. As with everything else in the hands of the Indian Govt, I guess...
There is a story about of Ali Jawad Zaidi being shortchanged because of a recommendation/clerical error. He was supposed to have been awarded the Padma Bhushan but erroneously his name made it to the Padma Shri list. Genuine artists are never bothered by such things & Ali Jawad Zaidi let it go. But shouldn't someone in the department have been bothered enough to correct the error?
Why does everything in India seem so warped to me?
I dunno if ranting bloggers like me will help but I sure hope that leaders like Manmohan Singh, young blood like Rahul, Sachin & Jyoti and initiatives like Lead India bring more fairness & transparency into our system.
Sania Mirza is barely twenty & with a fairly limited set of achievements has a PadmaShri to her name. Others such as Leander Paes, Azhar, Shabana Azmi & Sachin Tendulkar too have received Padma Shris. No doubt they've made contributions on the world stage, but these are all transient achievements (with the exception of Sachin Tendulkar). Their work will not live on for years to come and will in all probability have no great social impact.
Compare this to the lifelong work of people like Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Dr. Zahoor Qasim and Ali Jawad Zaidi, giants in their own fields, people who put India on the International map in fields like music, oceanography and literature as opposed to sports!
Others like Kaifi Azmi too received a PadmaShri. As did his daughter Shabana & son-in-law Javed Akhtar. Both of them will willingly acknowledge the superiority of Kaifi's brilliance over their own achievements. Yet the Govt. clubbed Kaifi's literary achievements with their (in comparision) dabbles in art?
I'm not belittling sport or cinema here; I'm just saying that most of civilized society will rate the Sistine Chapel over all of Navratilova's Wimbledon crowns! And over Citizen Kane or any other movie you please! And this comes from a die hard Tennis enthusiast! One who had to confirm the spelling of the aforesaid chapel on the net before hitting publish! Yet I realize that science & art has always held sway over sport for some reason.
So why are our awards lopsided? It's bad enough that we have so-called popular awards. Must our Govt. of India awards pander to popular taste too???
I don't want to make any random allegations, but a close look at the Padma Shri recipients list & Padma Bhushan recipients list does seem to point to the existence of lobbying. The more powerful a recommendation/lobbying, the better your chances of an award. As with everything else in the hands of the Indian Govt, I guess...
There is a story about of Ali Jawad Zaidi being shortchanged because of a recommendation/clerical error. He was supposed to have been awarded the Padma Bhushan but erroneously his name made it to the Padma Shri list. Genuine artists are never bothered by such things & Ali Jawad Zaidi let it go. But shouldn't someone in the department have been bothered enough to correct the error?
Why does everything in India seem so warped to me?
I dunno if ranting bloggers like me will help but I sure hope that leaders like Manmohan Singh, young blood like Rahul, Sachin & Jyoti and initiatives like Lead India bring more fairness & transparency into our system.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Indian Tennis's contribution to World Peace
My favourite sport is Lawn Tennis. I've followed it eagerly & when I was younger I could rattle off the names of Wimbledon champions for the last 25 years!
Therefore 2 recent developments in Tennis make me extremely happy. They're actually 2 pairings: Sania Mirza-Shahar Peer & Rohan Bopanna-Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi.
The Sania-Shahar is a Muslim-Jew pairing that defies religous intolerance; and the Rohan-Aisam pair is an Indo-Pak pair that should gladden all pro-peace hearts both sides of the "original" border.
These pairings bring to light a couple of important points that we otherwise miss:
India despite it's riots is a more tolerant country than some others.
And people who want to achieve something in life (like these 4 people), do not allow their focus to be diluted by trivial considerations.
Three cheers to these 4 soldiers of peace & humanity. May God bless them & their mission!
Therefore 2 recent developments in Tennis make me extremely happy. They're actually 2 pairings: Sania Mirza-Shahar Peer & Rohan Bopanna-Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi.
The Sania-Shahar is a Muslim-Jew pairing that defies religous intolerance; and the Rohan-Aisam pair is an Indo-Pak pair that should gladden all pro-peace hearts both sides of the "original" border.
These pairings bring to light a couple of important points that we otherwise miss:
India despite it's riots is a more tolerant country than some others.
And people who want to achieve something in life (like these 4 people), do not allow their focus to be diluted by trivial considerations.
Interestingly Sania & Rohan are also partners in doubles & do duty for India in the Hopman Cup.
Three cheers to these 4 soldiers of peace & humanity. May God bless them & their mission!
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