quite wordless for a title

When the year long drought finally ended for the champion, in his hands was a glittering trophy, that not only recognises him but whose hands it feels at home in. Suddenly, every wait and defeat looked worth it; to discover that the Maestro can find his rhythm when it matters the most, when the conditions are not in favor, when the cynics are hissing the loudest and when journalists cut their tongues loose.

And now, I am not going to be one of those who just know how to talk, so I would just end here with a smile and satisfaction of witnessing near history today at Flushing Meadows. They say his shot making is like the execution of a painter, his effortless backhands are as graceful as the move of a ballerina, his 'kissing-the-line' serve is the stroke of a genius and when he plays his best, it seems he is flying. They should not say anything from now on, they should just say he is Roger Federer. An athlete. An artist.

(excuse my bad writing, I can barely contain my excitement)


And if you want to see one of the most amazing returns or rather what Fed is capable of, take a look-

handsome curls

img: bbc, cbcnews

'I am the best, no?' - At the moment, yes.

Ouch!

Excerpt from Ford's article at tennis.com

The yes man
New world No. 1 Rafael Nadal has worked nearly as diligently on his English as his grass- and hard-court games, but he retains the charming habit of ending his sentences with a conversational "No?'' It's certainly not indicative of any negativity. The 22-year-old Spaniard has answered in the affirmative to every single competitive question people had about him this season, and he's done it with grace and verve. We might have predicted Nadal would win an Olympic gold medal simply by the undiluted enthusiasm he radiated when he marched in the Opening Ceremony. It was a muscular embrace of the moment that has been characteristic of the way he's approached the challenge of making up the once enormous-looking gap between second and first in the rankings. If it hadn't been for one incandescent, flawless match by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Australian Open semifinals, Nadal would be contemplating the possibility of a Golden Grand Slam. His accomplishments this season aren't without irony. Nadal was the most vehement of the top players in voicing (albeit politely) his displeasure with this year's compressed schedule. In turn, many observers -- including yours truly -- openly doubted whether his body could withstand the pounding. Yet the steady work seems to have agreed with Nadal. Felicitations are in order. Si?

Nadal's "no?" is quite addictive, growing up on me at least. Well if you look at it, seeing him interviewing as a champion after every major victory this year, one is bound to pick it up. Looking at the new order of the ATP ranking and not seeing the favorite name at the top makes me wince but if there is anyone whom I or the TMF fans could bear to see replacing him is undoubtedly Rafa. Interestingly, Rafa has done everything right and earned the crown with every possible conviction unlike Jankovic, who was possibly the shortest-lived leader at the WTA board. A new era dawns upon tennis, lets see how long does this one last.

That said, the real challenge has just started for TMF, can he overcome the adversity in terms of results and show his mettle to claim the highest acknowledgement in tennis from Sampras? Now is the time because he is against the best competitor he ever saw and his usual preys are coming with a mentality that they can defeat him, which is very unlike the times till last year when most of them conceded the match even before it started. And, seeing him so happy after winning doubles Gold was such a refreshing sight.

Olympic snapshots

No time for full-blown articles, few bullets from various sports links-

Federer snaps gold drought, joins Wawrinka in doubles triumph
When Federer closed out the victory with service winner, he threw up his arms and began hopping, then hugged his partner.

Switzerland's Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka celebrate Saturday after beating Sweden's Thomas Johansson and Simon Aspelin in Beijing.
The medal is the first in three Olympics for Federer, who has won 12 Grand Slam singles titles.

He was beaten in the quarterfinals of singles at Beijing by American James Blake, and his 4½-year reign atop the rankings will end Monday when Rafael Nadal becomes No. 1.

But he's now a medalist for the first time in his three Olympics.

"Sort of a dream-come-true moment," Federer said. "Maybe it comes around once in a lifetime. It's almost disbelief, to some degree."

look at that, who says the tennis players don't care about olympics!

It’s 8: Phelps passes Spitz with another gold
BEIJING (AP)—Cheering from the pool deck, Michael Phelps won his record eighth gold medal of the Beijing Games on Sunday to become the grandest of Olympic champions.

Jason Lezak held on to the lead Phelps gave him, anchoring the United States to a world record in the 400-meter medley relay against an Australian team that did its best to spoil history.

But Phelps, with a big hand from three teammates, would not be denied. He eclipsed Mark Spitz’s seven-gold performance at the 1972 Munich Games, an iconic performance that was surpassed by a swimmer fitting of this generation: a 23-year-old from Baltimore who loves hip-hop music, texting with his buddies and wearing his cap backward.

“I don’t even know what to feel right now,” Phelps said. “There’s so much emotion going through my head and so much excitement. I kind of just want to see my mom.”

TMF turns 27

Rattled in Beijing

Federer has them swooning in the village

The top rank might be going away soon for the Swiss Maestro but to have represented his nation on his 27th b'day in the world's biggest sporting stage is a glory that very few lucky ones get to bask in. Happy Birthday!

ek raat, ek khayal

Jo rukay toh koh-e-garan the hum, jo chalay to jaan se guzar gaye
Rah-e-yaar hum ne qadam qadam, tujhe yadgaar bana dia

-Faiz

And the inevitable has happened

Is it a relief or submission that I see in RF. Probably he needs to be unburdened of his No. 1 ranking. Its all up to Rafa now how soon he snatches it away. I think it hurts but Rog and Rafa seem to be above their rankings or points. As RF said-
Well, it is important. But if Rafa were to get it, look what he had to achieve to get it, you know. That's what I like to see. I would have been disappointed if I would have lost first round in Paris and Wimbledon. Then I wouldn't be sitting here being so nonchalant about it. If he gets it he deserves it. He's been No. 2 for a long, long time. Let's not forget about that. He had his chances in the past and now he's closer than ever just because he could really get Wimbledon. I think that was a big one for him, you know, and he's been on an incredible roll. He hasn't made it yet, you know. I'm still hanging in there, and I hope I can now get on a roll after this match today.

I hope it happens coming Monday, Rafa just needs to reach the Finals to take what he has deserved for quite sometime now. May be that would instigate a new drive in the Swiss, a hunger to achieve something. Let your fans not see you struggling like this or not bringing up your best in toughest of the situation.

To elegance, perfection and class with which Federer has carried the No. 1 title for >230 weeks now. And to Rafa, no less.

Peace.

The picture says it all

the nail in the coffin


relive the agony


interview - R.F.


interview - R.N.


thats all I wanted to hear

Nadal thrashes Federer like never before

World No. 1 Roger Federer was beaten down in one of the most humiliating Grand Slam final's defeats ever ever. He won 4 games in total and displayed a terribly languid performance. Probably he made a record of unforced errors today; I did not have the heart of reading anything about the match afterwards, so cant confirm. I have heard of players having an off day but the Swiss was looking far from even making an effort, which is a scarier news.

Anyways, its a well-deserved credit to the 22 yr old Spaniard whose record is stellar on clay. I see him winning 2-3 more French Opens easily. This is his day and lets not take it away from him by blaming Federer for playing bad. It is Nadal who defeats him, sometimes physically and sometimes mentally.

Federer's real struggle starts now

Roger Federer, the most anxious player to claim the French Open title before its too late, has three considerable hurdle en route to victory. Although, the World No 1 is looking in good shape, the real tests begin only now when he plays some big names.

• QF against Fernando Gonzalez : not as simple as one may think. The Chilean is capable of pulling surprises and he got the better of the Swiss in their last meeting in 2007 as well.
  
• SF against Ferrer : The Spaniard (another clay court specialist) has had two 5 setters in last 2 rounds but has survived names like Hewitt and Stepanek. He troubled Nadal in Barcelona finals and may prove a hurdle in Federer's track. This is all meaningless if Ferrer loses to the local favorite Monfils, who eliminated Ljubicic earlier, in the QF. It may be a close call given that Spaniard's exhaustion may play a role.

• F against Rafa/Nole : Well, the SF between the No. 2 Spaniard and No. 3 Serb would be as mouth-watering as any Grand Slam final itself. If their match in Hamburg was any indication, this SF will be nothing less than a treat to watch. This should go to 4 sets in worst case and unless Nole has picked up some new tricks, Rafa will prove to be an unsolvable mystery once again. It will be a matter of who can survive and persist longer in the end.
  If Federer makes it till here, which he should, he will have to display an unparallel determination and confidence if he is dreaming of his career grand slam this time. Saddened to say but he doesnt have much time left to prove himself and as seen in Monte Carlo and Hamburg, he needs extra mental toughness and self belief to defeat Rafael Nadal. Probably, it will be better for him to face Novak Djokovic in the finals just to avoid that mental block against Nadal. In any case, his actual fight begins only now. Lets see if third time is lucky for him.

Federer succumbs, Nadal wins singes and doubles at Monte Carlo 2008

courtesy: tennis.com

The Monte Carlo 2008 final, a re-match of the 2006 and 2007 finalists Nadal and Federer, was the very same when it came to producing the winner too. Nadal, unbeatable on clay with a record 98 victories in 99 matches did not give it away to the Swiss, the only player to have defeated him once on clay sice 2005. Talking of records, Rafa is the only modern era player to hold Monte Carlo Masters trophy for a consecutive fourth time. His consistency needs no references.

Match was a delight (except the outcome of course :-) ) to watch. Federer opened unbelievably superbly in both the sets and had the first chances. Both players beaten with one breaks initially in the first set showed some good play, though not a lot of long rallies. They played almost comparably till Fed's backhand started betraying him and Nadal took the first set 7-5. But that was not the end of story since the Swiss returned phenomenally with intelligent angles in the second set to get a staggering 4-0 lead. It seemed like it was a new Federer that Rafa was witnessing. But Roger's accuracy could not have waxed and then waned at a worse moment. Just when he looked like taking the match to a decider third set, the errors started to bleed off his serves. Nadal's focus, aggression and precision proved too unbeatable for the first seed and he succumbed to a 7-5 7-5 defeat.

I am sure he is utterly disappointed since he was getting the tactics right in patches but the performance was just not consistently up to the mark to trouble the defending Spaniard. Rafael Nadal - what can be said, he is awesome. And who wins 4 matches in 2 days like that?
"I thought lose with 6-2 if I have to lose, at least not with 6-0"
- Rafa on his trailing 0-4 in second set.
How amazing is that attitude! Mark of a champion for sure because many players would think its not worth the effort after having a set lead and that they would fight in the next set.

Monte Carlo action was a double treat for the weekend and a perfect start to the clay season. Lots of action coming up with Masters Series in Rome(5th May), Hamburg(12th May) and then the climax in Roland Garros.

Final highlights

Be Quiet

"Be quiet" - Federer tells Djokovic's parents in Monte Carlo semis as mentioned in the earlier post.

:)

Federer moves past Novak in Monte Carlo 2008

courtesy: Pete Boro, tennis.com

It took a long time to get the chance to write a success story for Swiss against the Serb this year. And a lot to write, I guess, since the climax did not adhere to the norm.

First, a breeze through the game itself. The match started beautifully with both the players stylishly winning their first service games. None was looking weak or willing to relinquish, just yet. The welcome change was to see Federer not too much conscious of his current form and giving his full into the game. Few stupendous passing shots made his new coach give away a smile of satisfaction over the Swiss's progress. Well poised initially, the Serb got the first break point on Fed's 3rd serve. A bit of luck helped Federer save 3 break points that proved too costly for Novak later on. He was seen getting ruffled a bit easily and the inability to encash the breakpoints reflected in his weaker serves and double faults later on. Federer held on and continued to break the opponent at 4-3 to finally wrap the set at 6-3. While both the players displayed some great baseline action with strong forehands and passes, Federer remained calm and the Serb appeared to give up. When Roger again broke the Serb in his 2nd serve in the second set, the red and white flags could be seen gusting all through the beautiful court at Monte Carlo. But Serb came back right on to break Roger equalling the score. This did not give much of an advantage since too many error cost him another service game and he looked flushed. Then, something happened and he gifted the match to the Swiss. Federer was declared the winner as the Serb left the court in a disappointed (and disappointing?) state.

One need not be a sportsman herself to imagine how much would have this match and the consequent victory meant to Federer, whose career had been in the worst of down slide for him since his loss to this very Serb at the start of this year. And the half hearted smile he gave on being announced as the winner revealed that he had been robbed off his victory. But, leaving that apart, he is through to his 3rd consecutive Monte Carlo finals where Rafa is waiting to thrash him.

The Swiss-Serb rivalry is getting dirty just like the surface. One would be wrong to compare it with that of gentlemen like Pete Sampras and Agassi because the business here is not at all sophisticated or sportsmanly. The debate over why Serb decided to retire in a match which possibly had just few more games shall go on for a while. Apparently he had been not feeling well and dizzy since the start, which was surprisingly not visible to many people until he lost the first set. And another spicy stuff from the match - Federer had to ask the Djoko family to keep it down during the first set. Novak's parents have been in news for sometime now for their weird behavior towards their son's competitors. But again, who can define how far should the players go or how should their parents behave. I hope Novak had good reasons to retire and Roger meant no disrespect. Lets leave this at that. I wish both would be more professional.

And now, about amazing Rafa. I saw few points from his semifinal clash against Davydenko and I can say that Federer will not be the favorite in the final. The Spanish bull just moves brilliantly on clay and he is 'everywhere'. He can run from the baseline to retort to a cunning drop shot and angle it so acutely that the opponent(disarmed coz he is so sure of winning this point) at net can only watch the passing shot hitting the ground just before the sideline. He loves the clay and it seems that clay loves him equally. So here is Rafael, as brilliant as ever on dirt and there is Federer, stronger and more aggressive on clay.

Overall, awesome stuff! The finale should be very strong. Predictions? My loyalty forbids me to state practicality and so, I would go with 3 set win for Roger Federer.

Federer wins first title of 2008 - Estorial Open

Estorial Open, 2008

Shadows of an incomplete match and a not-so-recognized lineup of competitors maye scar this victory, yet it is an important one considering the fact that its been 8 years since he passed 4 tournaments without any luck. Ironically, it is the clay that brought the first win for Federer this year. How much that means will be evident when he faces more expert players in the upcoming tournaments.

So far, a good start to my sunday.

Federer's glorious moments

When he won the US Open 2007 and his 12th Grandslam title, if someone said 'I am not sure if he'll be able to break Pete's record', you would think what a lunatic he is. But it is nonetheless happening. Every match of his has now turned into a see saw that might bend any side, really any side irrespective of how heavy the opponent is. And so builds the tension with every match of his, a tension that I never experienced more than 3-4 times a year till 2007. Well, I miss his emotional responses after he wins a major title or a tough match, something that he otherwise keeps reserved from public. It is more of a relief on his face when he now wins in contrast to the emphatic 'I deserve it' expression. And I miss it.

This is how it started - 3rd round scare against Tipsarevic in Aus Open 2008.


And this is the relief I am talking about. Its from today's first round match at Estorial Open, he defeated Olivier Rochus.

This is the phenomenal Roger Federer - when he defeated Nadal in Key Biscayne, 2005 - his first clay victory over the Spaniard.

That was the last time he defeated Djokovic to claim US Open 2007. That may seem long ago but I am sure it will happen again.

Emotional? Hell, why not - that was some match when he defeated Nadal in an epic 5 setter for Wimbledon 2007 title.

That is when he lifted the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award for the fourth straight time in Feb 2008. Did he see the tough time ahead? I wonder.

And finally, I am dying to see an authoritative, royal and aggressive reaction like this one-

Federer winning the Aus Open 2007 defeating Gonzalez.

Roddick finally has it or shall I say, Fed is not there anymore

Of all the saddening defeats that Roger Federer has had this year, this one will probably sting most. Roddick has broken his nemesis and a streak of 11 crushing losses against Fed. Swiss might have lost to players barely visible in the league of top players, yet, this defeat may be devastating for many reasons. One can not call this a chance defeat (such as Sampras once had againt Paes). Roddick, whose career has been literally thumped by the swiss, has got the much needed morale and a self-belief of bettering Fed. And this brings the tally of Fed's defeats this year to near 10 (I guess). Its not like only one player has kept him down, he seems like a faded and aged lion whom even jackals can pick upon. Bad analogy, might be but I am suddenly reminded of one of the Discovery documentaries. And lets not talk about excuses here...no mononucleosis or whatever the f*** that was. Lets not talk about injuries or over confidence either. Who wants to know why is it happening as long as it is happening. What has shaken him so bad is not clearly visible to me and I doubt, if it is even to him. He has not displayed many of the commendable qualities, that he was usually associated with in the past, at all this year. His focus has seem to be blurred, his nerves dont look rock-solid, his temperament has become fragile and his language is not that of a champion who knows why he was winning. He looks frustrated and irritable. I dont want to count these off a normal player who is having a bad season but isnt he supposed to be better than normal?

Well, I guess I can go on and on picking and I dont want to be unfair but the way it is turning out is disturbing. I guess, he is just human after all....

Netjets showdown - a dream watch

Mar 10, 2008
Madison Sq Garden, NYC

The Netjets showdown helped me realize the dream of seeing Sampras play live and they completed the fairy tale by choosing Roger Federer to be the opponent. The players, a decade apart, enchanted the 19000 New Yorkers and made them relive the magical moments of tennis history. 7 years after the Swiss had denied Pete's claim on his fave Wimbledon title, they were amusing themselves and the audience around the world. For me, it was the perfect clash and howsoever artifical the match may had been accused of, the sheer delight of seeing Sampras' serve his legendary aces and serve & volley games was worth every penny and every moment spent. Its cliched to say he has still got it and people love him. He sparked wonders on the audience, something he failed to do during his professional career. He has the ability to defeat many players in top 10 even today, his only ache might lie in 5 setters and busy tours that pofessionals need to do. His age might be failing him but his talent does not. He may not be as fast on court as ever but his magic remains. The Fed showing due respect to the record holder kept the match alive. His body serves and swift moves awed the audience who kept on cheering Sampras with 'Lets go Pete' roars during the match. No one returned blase that night including me. It was a memorable night and once in a life-time experience to be part of the audience who was the ultimate winner in the thumping music and famous faces filled arena. It was a night of ardor for the game, reverance for Pete, love for Federer and being a part of New York.

the clash of the titans

The very proof of a tiring week is that I am 5 days late in posting this blog. Two of my sporting heroes were clashing and given the fact that they belong to two different eras, this could be possible only on a exhibition match 4 years after Pete Sampras bid his adieu to world of professional tennis. I still remember his last defeat at Wimbledon in hands of Roger Federer that brought an end to a streak of seven unbelievable title victories. He had cried, as he often did on court. He could just manage to win one more US Open Title in 2002 and that was it for him. People had already started questioning his consistency, capacity and fitness.


I did not think much of the 3 exhibition matches Fed and Pete were going to play. I will admit that I did not for once think Sampras had a chance and I am pretty sure 99% people did not either. But the legend showed that he can never be written off. He is so truly a champion. Swiss took the first match in 2 sets in an hr. Sampras did play commendably and brought back the memories of his reigning era. In the second match, he carried off winners after winners and left his opponent trying hard to earn every point. Both sets went to tie breaks. Even this would have been enough for the fans like me who had been missing his fierce serve and volleys since 90s. But he had something else in mind, he wouldn't go without a victory. In Macao on Nov 24th, he stunned his 10 years junior, prevailing world no. 1 and the Swiss hero - Roger Federer in a 7-6, 6-4 match. And it was not that Swiss did not put his best, but the champion was bettered by the veteran. This is the most exciting news I have read in past few months. I still find it so bewildering that Sampras can pull such a performance at his age. He is just the BEST!!


I would also admit that I have been one of the believers that Federer might be actually better than Sampras (as people have been arguing over and over again) but hell, no! Sampras is the all time legend and undoubtedly so now. In his era, he had better rivals than what Federer is having. If you read about his life history a bit, you'll be amazed at the kind of victories he has had. I am not at all saying that Roger Federer is not good anymore but lets not really compare. Sampras is Federer's idol - and this says it all. One would never really know who is better because they would never compete at top of their careers. Federer is the emperor and he IS going to break Sampras's record. There is nothing that can be picked on him. He is going to be on all the record books and he deserves it completely.


But, I am just missing the Sampras era...those late night matches on TV that I watched in my student life. His unexampled rivalry with Agassi, that 4 set 7-6, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6 US Open 2001 semi final match, his unnerving determination, his aces on second serves, his piercing forehands, the way he cried on court after winning his 7th Wimbledon and 13th career title, his heart-wrenching defeat in Wimbledon in 2001....his final bye at the US Open...


God just doesn't make them like him anymore...


Damn, only if I could see him play live ever...

some 'random' stuff

The biggest stunner-
Gonzalez stuns Federer in opener
Is the invincible Federer showing more and more fallibility? Whatever....he still retains his 'hard to crack' form in the grand slams!

Saawariya getting awful reviews. Okay, so Bhansali didn't live up to the expectations but dude, that doesn't mean you come so hard on him. And that definitely doesn't mean you give all the kudos to Om Shanti Om. I am very much able to cognize the type of art that Bhansali was trying to create but unfortunately it didn't work out the way he would have wanted it to. Saawariya is more a case of an astray execution than a miscreation. Some sequences just fell out at the wrong places, some songs just made the story longer than it ought to be and some jokes were just badly timed. But the scenes and artwork howsoever blasphemed are still something that only likes of Bhansali can pull off. So chill out people, the maestro has slipped off too high an expectation; if you see Saawariya in a subtle and serene mood, it appeals. Now about OSO, no I do not have a problem with it. It succeeds in making you laugh and wonder at the 'intelligence' and 'shrewdness' of Farah Khan more than an adroit direction. She has cleverly put all the pieces that appeal to the crowd from the past of Bollywood in a SRK studded screen drama. Editing could still have been much better and Mrs Khan, we could have expected a bit more of originality from you. Main Hoon Na was still cute and charming in its own original way but in OSO, every sequence is so so so not original, even the climax! You could very well guess it if you had seen Madhumati. In spite of all this, you got to see OSO for reminiscing our good old weird Bollywood.

Aaargh the dollar!
The sign of John Galt's secret land, the pride of capitalist and the ruler of most of the economies: the DOLLAR has been sliding down and down. Every slight remark and news have been creating ripples in the US economy. Unfortunately, the situation is looking totally out of control. Recession is looking inevitable day by day; the stocks are capsizing for no apparent reason. Dollar is on an all time low against many world currencies. Time will only tell the after-effects of this but as of now, investors need to take every decision very carefully. The big banks are collapsing, the liquidity in the markets is receding and every firm is trying to cover its a**. And implicitly, all the Indians like me who are earning in States are losing the value of their earnings in a significant way. The day might not be too far when the savings are no better than what the NRIs would get in India. Already a slight increase in brain drain reversal can be seen these days.

US Open 07

There are few whims and fancies in everybody's life that make our lives more colorful. As someone has said, "those who danced were thought to be quiet insane by those who could not hear the music.", no one knows why someone is driven crazy by some abstract piece of art, why someone likes Shakira or what makes people drool over Maria Sharapova...why some people are crazy enough to do those risky sky diving stunts or what joy did 'the crocodile hunter' got in those wild creatures....its just that something drives someone. And one such passion you could see at the Arthur Ashe in men's semis when Federer was one step far from reaching his 10th consecutive grand slam finale.One of the 'to dos' in my life is done - I've watched Roger Federer playing live and I am not disappointed to see the legend play. Overall 2 semis was a fair bargain for the high priced tickets that I had got this time but seeing Fed alone is worth every penny I spent. Tennis has been one sports-cum-passion that I've been religiously following since I saw Sampras play. The matches didn't turn out too exciting since few of the favorites were already eliminated.....you know who I am talking about - Nadal. I just wished he hadn't lost to Ferer, who was more bland than Italian food today.....he didn't put up a worthy fight at all. Djokovic thrashed him quite soon. As the shadows lengthened and sun took mercy on us, the second semifinal between Fed and Davydenko proceeded. This match was better and had some great moments. Nikolai came twice close to winning a set but Swiss was obviously too good for him (rather anyone). The finale tommorrow should be a tight one given that Federer's game is showing ageing effects already and Djokovic is the fresh breed. The no. 1 seed has still 3 grand slam titles to win to equal Sampras' highest record and I just hope he does that soon, before its too late. This is not to say that his game is getting bad, its just that he has been in such a superior form continuously that even a slight dip shows up clearly. Since the wimbledon finale, he is not looking his older perfectionist's form and his fallible human side is emerging.The ambience at flushing meadows is quite electrifying and the live matches are altogether a different experiences even though you don't get to see the close TV angles and replays. I hadn't realized how many snaps had I clicked of the Swiss in blue, for once my 12x seemed priceless. And as long as I am in NY, I think I am going back again and again for the last grand slam of the year.