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.