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-

Sad state of affairs for WTA

In absence of Henin, WTA is left head-less; none of the top 5 are ready to take over. Only if any of the ladies can take it seriously. The position at top in the WTA is very much open for bid.

Kuznetsova leaves in tears

a clueless Ivanovic

Jankovic's exit wouldn't be surprising either. She is frickin' full of injuries

Injuries again

handsome curls

img: bbc, cbcnews

the colors at USO

flowery skirt, really?

missing Sharapova, anyone?

who, except the hunk, could carry tht yellow with such flair

all images courtesy: the official usopen website

'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.”

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 world revolves around RF

Its been a week since the historic final at Wimbledon and the dust of ecstasy and euphoria is settling down. I wasn't sure how to put down the feelings about that emotionally-draining match. The news, magazines, articles, forums and blogs have been rife with the analysis, conclusions and tortuous dissection of each and every aspect of the match. Statistics were excavated out of the record books and printed throughout. I would just add a small adjective to describe everything that media did - 'debauch'.

It was a great match. Everyone who watched the finale knows that even if he wasn't a tennis lover. To put it on rankings and argue for days whether it was greatest after Borg-McEnroe or Ivanisevic-Rafter is stupefying. By the time the match entered into a decider fifth set, audience knew they were witnessing something beyond an exceptional display of sport. I do not have an adjective and I dont think anyone needs a 'word' to describe what we saw. Slightly shorter than 5 hrs, this longest final at center court drained out everything from the two warriors battling for a place in history for 2 different records. Only one could be given the trophy and at the end, it was the Spaniard Rafael Nadal. This deserving gentleman can definitely give a lesson on humility and class to tennis fans and in particular, the journalists.

Then started the agonizing after-effects of the match or rather, the defeat of the champion standing on the other side of the net from Rafa. He is the man who has made the game of tennis so monotonous by reaching the semis of last 17 Grand Slams since Wimbledon 2004: unmatched. He is the man who has been the top of ATP rankings for 233 consecutive weeks: unmatched. He is the man who has amassed 12 Grand Slam trophies in 5 years: unmatched. He is the man who had 8370 ATP points at one time: highest ever. There are so many more records that the man holds by such convincing margins that his name has become an adjective for 'exceptional'. Indeed, that is so boring. So, when this man, who was raised to the status of 'infallible', did fail (btw the definition of failing here is being defeated 4-6, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 7-9 in The Final of The Wimbledon), that itself was a big news. It wouldn't be wrong to say that irrespective of who his opponent had been on 6th Of July(or earlier in Wimbledon), 2008 - the news would remain same - 'Roger Federer lost'. If it was Djokovic, the articles would have featured how the Serb got better of the Swiss twice this year. If it was veteran Safin, they would say Safin striked the Swiss again after 2005 Australian Open SF. Finally it was Nadal and the media had enough to link them after the rueful French Open final.

The way how close the Wimbledon finale got in the end, it was a matter of winning 3-4 points at a stretch. With the diminishing lights, it was Rafa who held a bit longer than the Swiss. The defending champion quoted it as his 'hardest loss'. Many from the anti-Roger fraternity found it offensive that the World No. 1 even mentioned the darkness being a diffculty in last few games. After battling for 4 hrs 48 min, coming back from 2 set down gap and 2 match points in 4th set tie-break, the Swiss was accused of 'no sportsmanship' if he let his disappointment show. Indeed. Sorry, he is human.

It is said, "The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority." For me, Nadal and Federer showed what the champions are/should be like. They have more respect for eachother than what the fans and media have shown towards these players. The extent to which Federer has been recently downplayed is enough to drive anyone nuts. If it was the hardest loss for him, media is one of the factor who doesn't fail to add a question mark 'Is Federer done?' after every defeat and 'Is Roger back?' after every victory. Back from where? Open your eyes and look at the Grand Slam statistics this year. See the SF at Aus Open, F at French Open and Wimbledon (thats already 2 finals out of 3 this year) - thats where he is!

If the media claims/verdicts and predictions are to be believed, we shall have a record-book like this-
1. Media: "Nadal has now 5 Grand Slam titles and he is just 22, imagine how many would he have by the time he is 30"
Hmmm, if that is true, Serena Williams had 6 titles at 22 but damn, only 8 as of now(27)!
2. Media: "Federer is having a bad year since he hasn't won any Grand Slam till now. Is his time over?"
Lets see, 1998-2000, Pete Sampras won only the Wimbledon title every year. He was devoid of any trophy in 2001 and yet, came back to win 2002 US Open. Sampras has the highest number of Grand Slam titles - 14.
Jimmy Connors did not win anything in 1979-1981. He later won 3 titles in 1982,83.

If everything was as projectable as media likes to make it, once a player starts winning, he should never lose and if he loses, his career is over. Can we be fair please?

The sight of the media charging upon Federer after every match is as distasteful as a pack of jackals pouncing upon a wounded lion. (Cheesy analogy? - sorry am reading too much of ESPN and CNN these days). In the end, all it boils down to is being pro-Federer or anti-Federer. The subgroups from anti-Federer go on to become pro-Nadal or pro-Djokovic as and when the situation looks suitable. And that is such a terrific achievement on its own. I am sure Federer just needs to get out of the state where these thing affects him. He has been pampered badly by the media till last year, so it might take some tough time to get over it. That happens or not, I dont care but I am fed up of tennis in general right now!

Lets not mar this beautiful finale and top-of-its-generation rivalry by trying to act smart. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer know how to keep their games professional, can the media be professional too? Probably not! B*******

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.

Tennis at its uniquely best - Vamos Rafa!

I did not imagine writing a blog with this title after a match not involving Federer but here it is. Everyone was looking forward to the answer of 'Can Rafa defend his kingdom'. Nadal did answer and what a magnificent reply it was. In a match, that is the best on clay I have EVER seen, one could easily see why the match was so badly awaited. One could see why Djokovic deserves to contend for No. 2 and one could also see why Rafa IS No. 2.

The semi final at Hamburg was a delight to tennis fans, having the strong dose of power play and the right blend of emotions and drama. Some fingers raised, some sulks at error, some smiles at a winner by the opponent, some chest thumping on a motivating shot and some racquet-bashing, the match had it all. For a 3 hour running match, the contenders put in everything they could and in the end, it proved too much for the Serb. But one thing that Novak Djokovic did win, was a reinstated respect as a sincere player and a serious contender for top rankings in the years to come. He had only nerves to lose in this match and he did not lose it exactly. But the way Nadal makes the opponent earn every point, it rattled the momentum for the Serb who just burned out after a few stunning winners from Nadal in the final set. Though Nole made Rafa wait for 6th match point, he could not himself convert 4 break points in the last game. The crowd who gasped, sighed and cheered at the breathtaking winners from both the players had probably not witnessed a more intriguing match.

With 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 victory, Nadal held on to his second ranking and the title of 'King of Clay'. He seemed troubled in the first few games when probably he was still delving upon the possibility of slipping to the third place in ATP charts. But once he regained his composure, he rolled on in the first set wil some amazing rallies and drop shots. Serb struck back impressively in the second set and did what just 2-3 players have done till now, snatch a set from the Spaniard. But final set was a visual fantasy when a sensational passing shot from him broke Djokovic in the very opening game. Novak then tried to come back surviving rallies and carefully selecting the shots but unfortunately broke his racquet string on the break point in second game. After that, he never recovered from the stupendous cross court overhead shot that left him helplessly smiling when Nadal was leading 3-2.

It was very evident how hard Nole tried and one could feel sad by the time he lost it. But I have a feeling that he might figure the inevitable question better than Federer himself - "how to defeat Rafael Nadal on clay!". We will surely see much more of him on clay next year (assuming French Open is too soon to expect a drastic recovery) and may he achieve what no body has. As of now, its once again No 1 Vs No 2 clash at Hamburg Finals tomorrow where Rafa's fatigue from today's marathon may have a role to play.

Justine Henin retires from the world of professional tennis

Justine Henin, a name that ruled the charts in womens tennis for past 5 years, the lady who leads the second ranked player in ATP rankings by around 2000 points, holder of 41 WTA singles titles and seven grand slams is calling it a day in the world of professional tennis.

Shocking might be an understatement for this unexpected bit of news for millions of fans worldwide. Everyone knew she was having a rough time in her career this year but I wonder if any sane person could have seen this coming. But she has been like that, she has lived on her own terms, she has been 'the inevitable' Justine Henin always. And what more, she is leaving it at the peak, very very few champions have the guts to do that. Who wouldn't want to carry on and drag it till they can. I can only imagine the will power it would have taken for her to announce the retirement at a far from old age of 25. Wow, I am 25 and I am just thinking my career is beginning! Of course I dont have millions in prize money and that enviable career record. But wouldn't it be more tough for her when she has all that! The more I think of it, the more unbelievable it seems. She is one amazing player and will always be.

Its just sad that her personal life did not turn up too successful. The news is going to leave a big void in the womens tennis arena, I dont see anyone with that kind of powerful game and consistency. Look at all the other leading ladies out there, all of them having much more powerful build and height than her. But she gave them a hard time because her game, determination and technique was the most superior of them all. She glamorized the non-glamorous aspects of the game like no one did. People would remember her not for her looks, dressing sense or photo shoots. They will remember her for what she brought to the game, that master single handed back hand and the sheer will to win.

Quoting from her official website-
20 years of passion, ten years on tour, ten years of victories, ten years of emotions and even a few defeats. Thousands upon thousands of supporters, hundreds upon hundreds of chills, and countless tears of joy...

Justine world #1, the great champion, is retiring today as Champion - forever at the top of her art. Your fire, your power, this total comittement to your desire, your breathtaking tennis, and all in the name of your supporters.

Thank you Justine, and may the spirited wind of Champion carry you in all of your new adventures!

A good read on her domination in the past decade here.

You rock dude!

bad times of Gasquet just dont end

Talk of a losing streak, Richard Gasquet will tell you what it means. He has won 6/15 matches total in 2008 and just one in last 7. Coming into the most embarassing controversies for declining to face Andy Roddick in Davis Cup, the french is indeed having the worst nightmare in his career.

Caesars stabbed in Rome

The tennis Caesars fell, bled, slipped and bowed away in Rome, clashing on the red clay that is coming in their course too fast as decided by the ATP. The fears that many of the top players had hinted on earlier in the clay season manifested itself in the most unignorable fashion when the major matches in the Rome Masters series ended prematurely with players conceding to injuries. The unthinkable defeat of clay champion Nadal and failure of most of the top 10 players before semis was something not very often seen. The main losers include the likes of Federer, Davydenko, Nalbandian in addition to Nadal and his slayer Ferrero himself. As for Federer, he did not have injury issue and he certainly cant complain since he did not participate in Barcelona either. So, what is the problem with the Swiss? I hope someone can answer it for him. He seems to have forgotten his rhythm and the time is running out. Davydenko had been riding unexpected highs of success recently, so he might not be too ruffled with recent failures but this should have given him an inkling of the level of game he would need to have any hopes of making it farther into remaining of clay tournaments. Nadal is the last one to be blamed for his defeat. He won Monte Carlo and Barcelona back to back and you cant expect a guy to maintain fitness and the standard of game in such a mad schedule. He was straight into his third week of clay action and foot injury was evident as he painfully finished his match with Ferrero. Nalbandian is yet to prove his might this year on red dirt. Ferrero did the unthinkable and right away gave it off too. The guy always had it but he needs to be consistent. Novak must be happy with his latest ATP title but will need to defeat bigger names to make a worthier impact. The same scenario emerges in women's arena where no one is yet fully dominating.

Whether its the busy schedule of ATP this year or the questionable fitness of the players is one question that will be answered in upcoming tournaments but the viewers would obviously not like to see their favorites suffering injuries as they make their bid to the elusive French Open later in the month.

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.

Maria comes of age

Sharapova turned 21

And with this post, I've discovered a great blog and this is so going to my links.
Thanks, whoever you are.

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.

Sharapova's recent form

One look at Sharapova's games this year may tell any tennis-follower what a long way she has come after her disastrous performances in 2007. Since she sprung out to front pages and headlines after capturing most coveted Grandslam, the Wimbledon title, in 2004, she has constantly fluctuated in her accomplishments. The most talked about Russian after Kournikova, she defeated Williams sisters, threatened Henin at few occassions but failed to achieve continuous, impressive and convincing victories. By 2007 end, she was written out by mostly everyone, who felt that Miss Maria is concentrating more on her dressing styles on court rather than the selection of shots. And then, she came back. Oh and I forgot to mention what a way to come back. I was following Aus Open 2008 mostly online. I saw her progressing determinant round after rounds. I read rave reviews of her games...I thought, well, she always gets the attention. The draw revealed she has to face Henin in QF and boy, was I laughing. I was so sure of the outcomes that I did not care to watch the live scores either. And then, read the news. I had never felt so stupid over a game. First, I blamed the Belgian and full-heartedly at that. But 6-4, 6-0 is too emphatic a score to be ignored. I decided to watch her SF encounter with Jankovic and I did. I, then, realised the accuracy and incisiveness of Sharapova's performance and couldn't match it with any performance of any lady I have seen till now and that includes the likes of Graf, Seles, Hingis, Williams, Mauresmo, Capriati and the rest. One can seen few points being played with that precision but to play like that for whole match and then whole tournament is a herculean task.

Its good for the game coz she enrages Williams sisters and Henin. Her first defeat of 2008 came from compatriot Kuznetsova, who is such a under-explored player herself and we would like to see more of her always. There are new and cheery Serbs on the turf now, whose hard work has shown time and time again. No one has dominated the women tennis like Navratilova and Graf did and that was such a long time back. People need a prominent figure who takes her game seriously and does not try to find rhythm while swinging in and out of the courts. We need someone consistent, someone whose play deserves it all. And if there is one contender who comes close, it will have to be Sharapova in her current form.