Bleacher Report - Articles by Gil

Roger Federer Moments V.006: Brute Courage

Gil — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:45:31 -0500

Idea and Format: Courtesy U.S.

It was a fine Monday afternoon in the world's most romantic city.

There was nothing romantic about today however.

Rather, things were getting silly in France. More precisely, on the red clay in Stade Roland Garros.

The world's Number 1 and 4 players had been knocked out before the second week of the game's most demanding tournament.

And in his Rd of 16 battle, the second best player in the world and now favourite for the title was tantalisingly flirting with defeat.

Against the oldest man left in the draw, German Tommy Haas, he was down two sets to love and facing a break point late in the third.

6-7 5-7 3-4 *30-40

Silly.

The partisan crowd groaned in agony at the sight of Federer's forehand shank at 30 all in the eighth game of the third set.

Break point Haas.

Paris had lost Nadal.

Were they about to lose Federer too?

Not yet...

For the fighting Swiss hung on for his dear life. And how.

One moment of courage...

It had been Federer's forehand that had let him down for the better part of three sets in the match.

That very wing which had helped win him a mind-boggling thirteen grand slam titles was all over the place.

Yet, there is a reason why the Federer forehand is considered one of the greatest weapons in the sport.

Not because of it's speed or strength.

Nor the spin or the sting.

But because of it's sheer reliability. When in danger, the beloved forehand almost always comes to his aid.

Running around a decent Haas return of serve to his backhand side, the Swiss braved an audacious inside-out forehand winner that landed right on a line.

Touch or Go. It was touch.

"I knew I was going to look back on that shot. That saved me."

This shot eventually proved to be the turning point of the tournament.

Federer held serve. Broke the very next game. Bagged the set. The Match. And the title.

With it, the honours for the year.

I am quite honestly fed up of quoting Mr David Foster Wallace. And so are you, I would think.

Thus, I would like to rewind back to a memorable quote I read after Federer's historic Wimbledon triumph later on this year in that draining but memorable encounter against Andy Roddick.

"The muscle on the fitness freaks of the sport serve them well until the pounding of their play breaks down the body. Knees are eroded. Shoulders give way. Muscles tear.

But Federer doesn't snap."

This day, Federer had displayed brute courage at it's very best. Just when he needed it the most.

He had refused to snap.

ALLEZ!

Federer Moments series:

	Federer Moment	Description	Submitter
V. 001	The No Look Flick Lob	Backhand lob over Agassi's head	Gil	Watch
V.002	The Greatest Shot of his life	Between the legs cross court passing winner against Djokovic	U.S	Watch
V.003	"That shot" against Roddick in Basel	Flying overhead passing shot off an overhead from the back court	Rajat Jain	Watch
V.004	The touch of a genius	Leaping overhead smash-lob from the baseline against Djokovic	Gil	Watch
V.005	A little bit of that old magic...	Down-the-line forehand undershot with his back to the net	antiMatter	Watch
V.006	Brute Courage	Inside-out forehand past Haas down break point	U.S	Watch
V.007
V.008
V.009
V.0010

If interested, please submit your "Federer Moments" here .

One Torrid Day in the Office: How Much Will Roger Pay for This?

Gil — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:23:22 -0500

He experienced the greatest moment of his career five months ago in this place. Just a few blocks away.

Well not exactly , but almost...

How much happiness he had felt in that unforgettable summer here.

Alas, there was to be no joy today. Chilly winter had indeed arrived...

The world's best tennis player, Roger Federer, who was looking for a unique "Paris double" in the BNP Paribas Masters 1000, endured perhaps his most embarrassing loss of the year.

Coming into the second round clash as the hands-down favourite to go through, the Swiss suffered a surprise 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 defeat to the unseeded Frenchman and local favourite Julien Benneteau on Wednesday evening, in the final Masters Event of the calender year—the only one where he has failed to reach at least the final.

His exit capped off a dramatic and erratic day of top flight tennis in the event, with World No. 2 Rafael Nadal, saving five match points in the second set and cashing in on his opponents poor 'head' to progress in three exhausting sets in the bottom half of the draw.

It was a patchy showing from Federer—one littered with meek mistakes, shoddy shanks, and appalling judgmental errors.

After rolling through the first set in the typical Federer fashion (read six games to three), he looked set for a comfortable win.

And then, he broke down. Benneteau broke him down. Without facing much resistance.

Finding no rhythm from the baseline and apparently showing no real fight on the outside, Federer simply threw it away.

After failing to covert the break opportunities in the sixth game of the third set, Federer ended the match in fitting fashion. With a wrong challenge (Oh! Not Again Rog) !

In short, a totally torrid day in the office for the Swiss Mister.

Even as he made a (not so unusual anymore) high number of unforced errors to self destruct, his unheralded opponent was cheered on vociferously by the home crowd.

Federer hasn't reason to grudge the Parisian crowd though.

It is hard to think that he will ever forget the adoration they had bestowed on him during the French Open this year, when they had literally carried him through the toughest of moments of the tournament.

They had wanted him to win that fortnight. More than anyone else. More than even one of their own.

Today, they did not.

"He played incredible at the end. Julien went out and got the victory," said Federer after the shock defeat.

"I definitely had chances. I missed them. I feel fine physically, and mentally I was fresh to do really well here."

One cannot help but honestly wonder how fresh and fine he really is.

Nevertheless, it was a resilient performance from the Frenchman, who fell down on his knees in tears as the final service winner gave him the victory of his life.

"It's magic. It’s fabulous. Everything you can imagine. The memories will stay with me forever," Benneteau said.

Savour the moment Julien. Even as this loss had more to do with Federer, you deserved the match yesterday. Far more than your celebrated adversary.

The 15-time Grand Slam Champion says he will not be too down after this loss.

But even he cannot ignore the bigger picture—the fact that he has voluntarily provided that chink in the door for Rafael Nadal to regain the year-end World No. 1 ranking in the Tour Finals a fortnight from now.

Expect Nadal to fight like a manic, folks.

If this form trails him to the O2 Arena come November the 22nd, then maybe Roger will start getting concerned.

A little bit.

Well, at least as much as a man who has the most number of Grand Slams in history, has completed the package and has fathered two beautiful twin kids can, that is.

Come to think of it, what motivates him now?

The Grand Slams, as usual should. But nothing else matters? We cant say for certain...

One thing we know for sure. For this one day of madness from the World No. 1, the tenacious Rafa can make him pay. Dearly.

PS: Lindt may taste good, but the chocolate polo definitely isn't going well with Roger. Bring on the Blue for London.

Sachin Tendulkar's Valiant Effort Aside, Let's Not Forget Australia's Courage

Gil — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:59:02 -0500

Thursday's thriller of a contest in the Hero Honda Cup between the world's two best cricketing nations at the moment—India and Australia—in Hyderabad seems destined to go down as one of those unforgettable and historic clashes of which much will be said for years to come, as long as the rivalry between the two teams remains icily strong as it is today.

It is being described as a massive choke by the hosts which has "let" the Australian team edge ahead 3-2 in the series, with two games left to be played.

They say it was all about one team losing its way. Hardly the other finding a way to somehow win.

Apparently, it was one man's glorious effort which went in vain, due to sheer dumb ill fate (and some dumb teammates!).

It will do us well to remember that Australia had come into this match will the odds stacked against them, for their first choice players had been rendered non-combative because of various injuries.

It was virtually a third-tier Australian team which had wrestled victory out there in the Rajiv Gandhi stadium yesterday, in a gritty display which was a fitting tribute to their unmatched willpower.

With 19 runs to get off 17 balls, with the batting powerplay on and three wickets remaining, almos any team would have given up disheartened at the sight of their mommoth total being chased down due to one's man's brilliance.

Any team other than Australia.

They quite simply refused to stop competing. They wouldnt let themselves be gutted - not till the last ball is bowled.

It is all about pressure, mate.

Pressure, Pressure. A history of pressure.

Some may call them lucky to have scraped through yesterday.

In fact, indeed they may have been so.

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

I am a sucker for cliches. I love them.

Because they are almost always, inspite of being recited over time and again to the point of exhaustion, true.

The above said quote perhaps ideally describes how the Kangaroos had thoroughly deserved any amount of luck they might have had as darkness descended in the City of Pearls.

True, enough cannot be said about Tendulkar's knock, which is sure to go down in history as one of those epic efforts which were cruelly left unrewarded.

It was one of those draining at the same time scintillating innings' which is rarely witnessed, especially in chases.

With some enthralling stroke-play, he had single handedly kept his team in the game. But was let down by ten other men, who had never before looked so dwarfed in a cricket pitch as they did yesterday.

A bitter pill to swallow for the cricket-frenzy nation that is India.

From him was an innings of pure class.

But there is a reason why Cricket was never a one-man show.

One man's classy effort was never going to be enough to combat one hell of a team's inspiringly incredible will to succeed.

At the end of the day, even as the day will perhaps be remembered years down the lane as one in which the little man from Mumbai endured a painful heartbreak—oh, let us just add to that already long list of those—for now let us not fail to appreciate the sheer courage that Ponting and his men showed in snatching victory from the biting jaws of defeat.

From them was a display of unity and character.

For, in a match which had become a battle of wits as night fell in Hyderabad, it was that inexperienced but brave visitng Aussie outfit that had refused to blink first...and thus finished the deserved victors.

Roger Federer Moments V.005: A Little Bit of that Old Magic...

Gil — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:10:42 -0500

Idea and Format: Courtesy U.S.

First things first.

After 50 gloomy days, the sun has peeked out from behind the dark clouds again...

Today is warm, and pleasant.

Roger is back.

Oh that divine creature with the power, speed, and stealth unworldly...(OK don't open a new tab. I stop here)

The wait has been long, but finally, "chocolate" boy is here (Brand "Lindt" , if you please).

Invariably, I am in great spirits today, and I go back to my favourite series in B/R (pun intended, of course).

In recent times, a lot has been said about various kinds of tweeners in Tennis.

Many say that it is the toughest, and the lowest-percentile shot. Sure, it will rank pretty high up there for both...

But take a look at this moment from the magical racket of Roger here.

One perhaps far more difficult than any bloody tweener that has even been hit...

This moment can be traced back to the Roland Garros semi final back in 2006, against David Nalbandian, his worst nemesis before Rafa Nadal came along.

Here Federer produces an incredible down-the-line undershot with his back to the net, and seemingly no angle to work with.

Wrong-footed at the net, the Swiss No. 1 races to the baseline chasing the Nalbandian instinct-lob, somehow skips sideways a couple of steps, swiftly, to hit a forehand off his backhand court scream past the stunned opponent.

All in the matter of seconds...

This is a fast sport. And boy, is the bloke fast!

The late David Foster Wallace in his much-acclaimed piece Roger Federer as Religious Experience said, "The approaching ball hangs, for him, a split-second longer than it ought to. This thing about the ball cooperatively hanging there, slowing down, as if susceptible to the Swiss’s will — there’s real metaphysical truth here..."

While Foster Wallace is very capable of weaving together words and phrases to form such quotable lines, I'm not.

But what I can do, is describe precisely how every single person in the stands, or squatting in front of their television sets, must have reacted to this moment...

Oh la, la!

Federer Moments series:

	Federer Moment	Description	Submitter
V. 001	The No Look Flick Lob	Backhand lob over Agassi's head	Gil	Watch
V.002	The Greatest Shot of his life	Between the legs cross court passing winner against Djokovic	U.S	Watch
V.003	"That shot" against Roddick in Basel	Flying overhead passing shot off an overhead from the back court	Rajat Jain	Watch
V.004	The touch of a genius	Leaping overhead smash-lob from the baseline against Djokovic	Gil	Watch
V.005	A little bit of that old magic...	Down-the-line forehand undershot with his back to the net	antiMatter	Watch
V.006
V.007
V.008
V.009
V.0010

If interested, please submit your "Federer Moments" here .

Roger Federer Moments V.004: The Touch of a Genius

Gil — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:12:18 -0400

Idea and Format: Courtesy U.S.

It is not a game of inches.

It is one of micro-inches...

Even the tiniest of imprecisions in orienting your racket and aiming your shot matters in this game of nets, rackets, and yellow fuzzy balls called Tennis.

Sports' first beautiful game.

In the modern version of the game, where brute force and fitness are supreme weapons, there are players who stretch and lunge to extents not envisionable to the normal spectator.

They trade blows and produce unreachable winners...

But those are the ordinary moments in this context.

For here we recall the most exquisite shot-making moments of perhaps the most beautiful Tennis player of our times...

Shots which aren't usually just unreachable. Shots which are more likely unthinkable.

Shots which are Moments.

We can recall one such magnificent moment back in Federer's tussle with world No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the 2008 US Open semi-final.

The appreciative American crowd sat in stunned silence for a split-second as though disbelieving their eyes before bursting into sustained applause...for it was another of those moments in which he had made an outrageously impossible shot appear nonchalantly easy .

(Funny isnt it? Federer almost always happens to produce some of his best moments against the Serb.)

The man is more than a Tennis Champion.

He is an absolute spectator's delight.

There is a purity in his game which is uniquely appealing. And very rare in modern-day tennis.

The late David Foster Wallace in his much-acclaimed piece 'Roger Federer as Religious Experience ' said "Roger Federer is now dominating the largest, strongest, fittest, best-trained and -coached field of male pros who’ve ever existed, with everyone using a kind of nuclear racket that’s said to have made the finer calibrations of kinesthetic sense irrelevant...like trying to whistle Mozart during a Metallica concert."

And if anyone is capable of having his Mozart heard in this bedlam of hard-rock, it is this ever-smiling magician from Oberwil, Switzerland.

Federer Moments series:

	Federer Moment	Description	Submitter
V. 001	The No Look Flick Lob	Backhand lob over Agassi's head	Gil	Watch
V.002	The Greatest Shot of his life	Between the legs cross court passing winner against Djokovic	U.S	Watch
V.003	"That shot" against Roddick in Basel	Flying overhead passing shot off an overhead from the back court	Rajat Jain	Watch
V.004	The touch of a genius	Leaping overhead smash-lob from the baseline against Djokovic	Gil	Watch
V.005
V.006
V.007
V.008
V.009
V.0010

If interested, please submit your "Federer Moments" here .

Davydenko Masters Shanghai: True Hardwork Finds Its Reward

Gil — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:10:47 -0400

He had come through a three hour marathon the day before.

He had to be tired.

And he had to play the " ultimate competitor" in men's tennis today.

He had no chance, right?

He was just going to be raw meat for the hungry killer whale in Rafael Nadal.

If that is what the so-called experts thought and wrote, he ignored it all.

And just went to work.

As he always has throughout an almost decade long career on the Tennis tour.

The result: He upset top-seeded Nadal 7-6 (3), 6-3 in an exciting final encounter on Sunday to win the Shanghai Masters and thus claim his fourth title of the year.

He was brilliant, he was aggressive in the final.

And he showed us that he is capable of some scintillating ball-striking too.

It has been a highly successful Asian swing for the diminutive Nikolay Davydenko or "Kolya" as he is sometimes called, with tournament victories at Kaula Lampur (d. Fernando Verdasco) and now here in Shanghai - where he bested Novak Djokovic and Nadal back-to-back.

This victory in Shanghai though means much more for the Russian hustler than any of his previous three titles of the year.

His reaction tells us as much:

Throughout his career, he has faced more flak than he has deserved.

The favourite punchbag of Men's Tennis, he has been, many times, accused of lacking competitiveness, fight and in one instance—match-fixing too.

Some say he is no joy to watch. Which may be true.

Some say he doesn't have that cutting edge against the really big players in the biggest events (ie: the Grand Slams). Which may be true too.

Some even say and pray that he "goes away" from Tennis elite (meant top eight) where he doesn't deserve a place.

Which is complete bull-crap.

For few have recognised Davydenko's importance to top flight tennis.

He has been finishing in the top five at the end of each season since 2004.

He is the model of consistency to the normal player on tour. For the reasonably, not incredibly, talented ones who aspire for the heights.

Which I guess means almost everyone but the Federers, Nadals, Delpotros, and the Djokovics (I have purposely avoided Murray—till he masters a slam).

He is the standard you have to equal to break into the elite club of the sport today.

He is not the top-four (rather big five now) class.

He never was and never will be.

But he is exactly that 'filter' you need to pass to make the elite of the sport.

He asks you the one question you need answer in the affirmative to make to the top 10—Can you be consistently good in playing the season out?

"If I win, it's good. If I lose, also it's okay." These are not exactly the kind of statements which are..errmmm...inspirational.

But Davydenko is not an inspiring player. Nor is he an exciting player.

He doesn't give us the kind of "Moments" a Federer or a Nadal will.

What he is, though—a thorough professional who is solid, not spectacular.

He is a ball-striker, not a shot-maker. The gatekeeper, not a great of the finest sport in the world.

Tennis has very much needed him in the last few years.

And it still does.

"Maybe I have more chance coming to London. Maybe everybody will retire in London and I can win London!"

He is a man without illusions. A player who is not flamboyant.

Tennis' low profile man.

But a player who is not unimportant. One who should not be criticized because you have nothing better to do.

He is not my favourite player.

Let me take the liberty to say—he will be the favourite player of perhaps just a handful of tennis lovers in the world...

But today, I find myself in great spirits—for, today it is sheer hard work that has been rewarded.

Finally. And deservedly.

Roger Federer Moments V.003: "That Shot" Against Roddick In Basel

Gil — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:46:09 -0400

Idea and Format: Courtesy U.S.

"Roger Federer is currently "resting and rehabilitating" so as to recover from what has been a physically challenging year" - So says his website.

Even by his standards, 2009 has indeed been a hectic year for the man from Oberwil. Physically, and more so emotionally.

His next tournament is now scheduled to be the Swiss Indoors in his home town of Basel at the start of November.

Yes, I can't hear more than a few sighs. Mine too.

Almost two whole Federer-less months.

Sigh again.

The ATP event in Basel holds some of Federer's fondest memories.

And some of his best moments.

To the common sports enthusiast, Roger Federer is the best tennis player alive. Perhaps ever.

But in reality, as the ardent tennis fan will agree, he is much more than that. To the art of tennis.

He is a shot-making artist, a player who controls the court with seeming effortlessness.

The mind who improvises angles and speeds in milliseconds of decision-making time.

The sculptor who carves out the most beautiful piece of handiwork you may have ever seen.

The late David Foster Wallace in his much-acclaimed piece 'Roger Federer as Religious Experience' said "Roger Federer is one of those rare, preternatural athletes who appear to be exempt, at least in part, from certain physical laws...Federer is of this type—a type that one could call genius, or mutant, or avatar.

He is never hurried or off-balance. The approaching ball hangs, for him, a split-second longer than it ought to. His movements are lithe rather than athletic."

And there is perhaps no better a proof for the Swiss' enviable (and unshared in its full flight) "kinesthetic sense" than the flying overhead passing shot against Andy Roddick way back in 2001 in his native town of Basel...the one famous amongst his legion of fans as "that shot."

Genius is one of the most over-used words in world sport. Yet, there are times when even that term in found wanting.

Feeling sorry for Roddick?

Don't.

He had the best view, after all.

Federer Moments series:

	Federer Moment	Description	Submitter
V. 001	The No Look Flick Lob	Backhand lob over Agassi's head	Gil	Watch
V.002	The Greatest Shot of his life	Between the legs cross court passing winner against Djokovic	U.S	Watch
V.003	"That shot" against Roddick in Basel	Flying overhead passing shot off an overhead from the back court	Rajat Jain	Watch
V.004
V.005
V.006
V.007
V.008
V.009
V.0010

If interested, please submit your "Federer Moments" here.

Roger Federer Moments V.002: The Greatest Shot Of His Life

Gil — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 01:46:25 -0400

Idea and Format: Courtesy U.S.

Hello!

The Feddy's Angel, who is penning this article, has gotten over her man's defeat (after 40 straight victories—in your face!) on the blue squeaky hard courts of Flushing Meadows.

So, she is back with another dose of "Roger Federer Moments", for all those Angels who are not yet over it.

Roger Federer may well have had to settle for the runners-up plate at the Arthur Ashe stadium, but it was his racket that produced, arguably, the most magical moment of the tournament—and perhaps of the year.

The United States Open is quite a "pain in the eye" for fans from many Eastern countries. Due to the differences in the Time Zones, we sit awake (drowsy rather) in the wee hours of the mornings to catch our favourite players in action.

It was one such Monday morning (at my place).

The second Men's singles semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer was underway.

I was content. Roger Federer was two sets up. He was playing well, and the best thing was that so was Djokovic.

Well, pardon, but I was sleepy too. Not for too long though.

For then came...that shot.

The half-dozing me was hit by a true show-stopper from the magical Federer Wilson. A Special one...

Mate, ready yourself for a Sprezzatura, as Uncle Bodo once said. This one is a Hot Dog, right out of the oven!

("Oh, not again...?!" Take that Mac!)

Up 6-5 in the third set, with two sets already in his backpack, at 30-0 on the Djokovic serve, the World Number One was two points away from taking his place in the trophy match for a sixth straight year.

Here on the penultimate point of the match, Federer chips the return of a Djokovic body serve, following which Djokovic produces a big inside out forehand—a shot which would have been a sure winner or at least set up one against almost any other player.

Yet, Federer somehow retrieves the ground stroke with a lunging backhand, and then scrambles to the net to get to a drop shot by his opponent.

He barely got there with a stretched forehand, only to see the Serb execute a delicate backhand lob right over his head.

The Swiss scampers back to the baseline, and then with his back to the net cracks the yellow fuzzy ball between his legs cross court for a jaw-dropping winner.

The shot Federer later admitted to be "the best shot of his life."

An exhibition shot like that in a Grand Slam semifinal to set up match point? That is the Federer-express for you.

As David Foster Wallace in his much acclaimed piece "Roger Federer as Religious Experience" says: "These are times, as you watch the young Swiss play, when the jaw drops and eyes protrude and sounds are made that bring spouses in from other rooms to see if you’re O.K."

"The moments are more intense if you’ve played enough tennis to understand the impossibility of what you just saw him do..."

Federer Moments series:

	Federer Moment	Description	Submitter
V. 001	The No Look Flick Lob	Backhand lob over Agassi's head	Gil	Watch
V.002	The Greatest Shot of his life	Between the legs cross court passing winner against Djokovic	U.S	Watch
V.003
V.004
V.005
V.006
V.007
V.008
V.009
V.0010

If interested, please submit your "Federer Moments" here.

Enjoy!

PS: Don't try this shot if you don't have kids yet but hope to.

Roger Federer Moments V.001: The No Look Flick Lob

Gil — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 07:37:14 -0400

Hola! No, 'Bonjour' rather. I don't like Hola, it is Spanish. So, how are my dear B/R creatures?

My deepest greetings go only to fellow 'Tards' of You know Who. To the others, well it is just a custom, you know. Sorry, no offense.

Well, what is making news these days?

Ah, the US Open is underway isn't it? Nah, the NEO is. Never Ending Open that is (sshhh...this is stolen from Ms. XYZ—But no Copyright, this is my article).

Well, we all know it is raining buckets in New York City right now and as a result, Rafa's grunts wont be heard in town for at least another few hours. And yeah, Gonzo's too.

Sorry for the lack of consideration ladies, but you gals 'screech' don't you?

And so here we are. Bashing the USTA for not catching the falling raindrops with their big-size dustbins and thus dishing out injustice to the victim players (except a certain lucky guy).

Cheers.

The 'sorry-no-tennis' hours are a real yawn for me though. My man is through to the semis, what do I care? (Grins)

So here I was, for a while grinning at the wailing(s) by angry tennis fans about how much "USTA Sucks". But as it so happens, I eventually got bored with the fun.

With a morose face (imagine one please—a beautiful face mind you!), I start wondering how to kill time.

And, then the bulb on top of my head (you know which one!)—uff, it always takes so long to wake from the usually long slumbers—shines!

There simply is no better occupation than witness and bask in the genius of it—a dose of one of those "Roger Federer Moments."

I was so disappointed when Mr Usama Shah (he is U.S. now) shelved his original series of "Federer Moments".

I ask him, why so? Apparently, he is no longer "that into Federer anymore."

(No comments. Just a glare. So unfaithful)

Yet, to be fair to him, he was good enough to enquire whether I would be interested in continuing the series.

And well, you know me.

So here, this is me restarting it. To give all those earnest Tennis (not necessarily Federer) fans another opportunity to pop their eyes at the man whose game, they say is "Absurdly Close to Perfection."

Here is one where TMF pulls off one of those unimaginable shots with...

Just a Flick of the Wrist

As David Foster Wallace in his much acclaimed piece "Roger Federer as Religious Experience" says: "none of it really explains anything or evokes the experience of watching this man play. Of witnessing, firsthand, the beauty and genius of his game. You more have to come at the aesthetic stuff obliquely, to talk around it, or—as Aquinas did with his own ineffable subject—to try to define it in terms of what it is not."

Federer Moments series:

	Federer Moment	Description	Submitter
V. 001	The No Look Flick Lob	Backhand lob over Agassi's head	Gil	Watch
V.002
V.003
V.004
V.005
V.006
V.007
V.008
V.009
V.0010

If interested, plase submit your "Federer Moments" here.

Amuser!

Idea and Format: Courtesy U. S

and

Post Script:

1: Exactly one year ago, Wallace, who gave us what is arguably the greatest piece of sports journalism passed away. I take this opportunity to mention mmy heartfelt prayers for his soul.

2: Usama had previously done six versions before abandoning the series. Those six 'Moments' will not be lost, but added later on to the new one.

Steffi Graf-Monica Seles and Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal: History Repeats Itself?

Gil — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 11:12:09 -0400

Two sublime and graceful tennis champions had become the unquestionable best in their era.

Both were blessed with excellent serves, spectacular forehands, intuitive all-court play, versatility across all playing surfaces, and incredible fanfare, and were practitioners of the artistic single-handed backhand.

They had made tennis their own. First, it is them. Then there is the field.

To topple (and how!) this well-constructed empire arrive two feisty left-handers with double-handed backhands—determined challengers who had conquered the red clay of Roland Garros in their teens.

The challenger with a vice grip on the champion, with the latter almost driven to despair by that destined rival, who literally ground her (him) into submission, time and again.

Steffi Graf vs. Monica Seles. Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal. Think about it.

The two sporting rivalries look remarkably similar. The former may just have been the preamble for chapters to come.

They have comparable playing styles, especially Nadal and Seles. Check.

Hitting winners from anywhere in or around the court.

Creating great angles out of the blue and power uncommon in tennis.

Both are patrons of tremendous courage and willpower, which enabled them to become a fan favorite everywhere they played.

Don't forget their unrivaled ability of grunting their lungs out.

The workman's brute force overpowers the dancer's artistry.

When Graf and Seles were co-ranked and stepped onto the court together, the electricity, the anticipation, the excitement before the match, for watching these two talented superstars was of the highest level—it's fondly recollected by old tennis passionates.

Something tennis fans today will relate to the Roger-Rafa face-offs.

In the 15 matches they played, Monica beat Steffi only five times, clearly different from the dismal record Federer has against Nadal both in Grand Slams and overall.

Yet four of those five victories of the Yugoslavian came in Grand Slams, thrice in finals (with a lone defeat on the Grass of Wimbledon back in the 1992 final).

In the French Open 1990 final, six months shy of her 17th birthday, Seles became the youngest ever Roland Garros Champion when she defeated No. 1 Graf in straight sets, after saving four set points in the first set tiebreak in a show of maturity beyond her age.

Steffi found it hard to defeat Monica in majors on surfaces other than grass (where she, to give due credit, completely owned her main rival).

That may not exactly be the case with Federer and Nadal, but it is quite clear that Nadal is, by leaps and bounds, a better grass court player than Seles ever was and ever could have been, even barring her injury.

Seles robbed Graf of her No. 1 ranking, held it for two years, and had a dream run, winning 22 titles and reaching 33 finals out of the 34 tournaments she played between January '91 and February '93.

Many have expressed the opinion that for Graf, it was more of a mental problem that she had against Seles.

Monica had a couple wins over her already, had taken her No. 1 ranking, and had started to dominate everyone on tour with her power game—this at the time when Graf was going through a difficult time personally with a scandal concerning her father.

Hang the head-to-head, in recent times, Federer seems to have gotten to the point against Nadal where he's just giving it away with too many unforced errors from all wings.

That's something that Steffi had been doing vs. Seles prior to 1995.

Graf and Seles have not met in as many Grand Slam finals as Federer and Nadal have.

It's not even close.

But that's because the rivalry is not a completed chapter.

That's thanks to a freaking Steffi fanatic (lunatic, rather) in Gunter Parche who took it upon himself to stem Steffi's misery.

Stabbed by the above said during a match on the clay of Hamburg in April '93, a career which could have been was tragically derailed.

In a way, the Graf-Seles rivalry got terminated too, just when the Yugoslavian extended her first win over Graf in hard court.

She was just 19 at that time.

Her physical injuries took only a few weeks to heal, but she did not return to competitive tennis for more than two years, leaving the field open for Graf, critics argue.

Seles never quite fully recovered her once dominating form and finally had to concede defeats to her greatest rival and toughest adversary in Graf.

But what is more, Seles won the Australian Open in '96 after her return to the tour in '95. This when she was no longer the player she used to be.

The fact that Seles' game had everything to bruise Steffi causes Seles' faithful to argue—"What if?"

The arguments gain strength because Graf owned all her other rivals.

29-11 against Gabriela Sabatini (only one of Sabatini's wins came in a Grand Slam event), and 28-8 against Spaniard Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, who were her major rivals during her heyday.

Ring a bell?

Federer having a 19-2 record against Andy Roddick and doing a dirty dozen against Lleyton Hewitt?

It's argued that had there been no stabbing, Steffi may not have accumulated as many Slams (22) as she did.

An asterisk, in common terms.

Furthermore, it has made more than a couple of tennis fans hesitate at the German's coronation as the greatest female racquet carrier of modern times (if only, some may argue, second to Martina Navratilova).

The Federer-Nadal rivalry may just be the furtherance of a rivalry that was denied of the great heights it could have attained.

Thankfully for Rafa, there are no nutbag Parches among the army of Federer supporters.

At least, so far.

The Ashes First Test: Australia Wait in Vain for the Golden Ball

Gil — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:30:14 -0400

They had them. And they let them off.

Ahead of the latest edition of The Ashes in England, much had been talked about the famous series back in 2005 when England had cliched a remarkable 2-1 victory to end the Aussie domination in the sport's oldest competition.

And this caused Aussie tennis player Lleyton Hewitt, busy at Wimbledon take time to cheekily quip that, "You just keep going back to '05. Everything on the TV is '05. There was one in between that. Everyone's forgotten."

[For the uninitiated, Australia had whitewashed England 5-0 in the last one]

This seemed very much the case during the first four days of the First Ashes Test at Cardiff, England.

The 2005 series looked an eternity ago as England were outplayed, out thought, outclassed in every facet of the game over the last five days.

Not one English player managed a century.

Four Aussies did—that too in just one innings.

Australian innings had been declared at 674/6, the largest total against England in the Ashes since 1934.

But it is all salt and sawdust now.

England had quite incredibly managed to steal an undeserved draw from the clutches of defeat thanks to a mixture of good fortune and remarkably resilient defence from the tail.

And because the once mighty Aussies failed to find that one Golden Ball....

63 precious balls.

And there wasn't that one moment of inspiration...

Yesterday's suicidal draw—one that can feel as nothing short of a defeat for the Kangaroos—exposed the limitations of this Australian outfit.

The reason why I had unashamedly called this Australian line up a nonsense side— needless to say only in comparison to the side it once was—ahead of the series.

The reason why a sub-par English side have a great opportunity to avenge the humiliating washout they suffered from the last edition down under.

Would an Aussie team with Shane Warne or Glenn McGrath have let England off the hook?

Adam Gilchrist once said that the second Ashes Test in Adelaide back in 2006 is the most memorable Test match he had ever played.

It is not because of a personal milestone that he recalls this one fondly.

Remember Shane Warne's wonder spell which spun a web around a hapless England in the dramatic second innings disaster?

Warne: 4-49.

McGrath: 2-15.

Eng (all out) 129.

Genius as they say, is not replicable.

To be fair, Nathan Hauritz spearheaded the spin attack better than expected.

But he never looked like finding that one wonder ball which would have won the match for his team.

The one we know a Shane Warne would have.

Ponting tried pretty much all his options.

He even tried part time Marcus North for some sort of divine luck but they all had their limitations.

Peter Siddle who has bowled with such intensity throughout the innings was vagrant at the end, when it really mattered.

One body blow on Monty Panesar was followed by two wide deliveries which were easy leaves for the tailender battling for his life.

Can you imagine a Glenn McGrath not punching every bit of Monty's body in such a situation, six times out of six?

I kept jumping up and down, praying for that elusive magic ball but that was all I did till the last ball was defended off. In vain.

The attack did not have Warne's magic, Pidge's accuracy and Lee's sheer menace.

For now, Australia no longer seem to have the ability to finish off games as they once did in a way only they could.

The Oi Oi Boys had still been the better team throughout the Test and deserved to go to Lords ahead in the series.

England can thank their lucky stars which sparkled blindingly at Cardiff.

Honours level.

True, a couple of Englishmen definitely did not deserve to be at the losing end of things as the sun began to set on Sophia Gardens at Cardiff.

But then, come to think of it.

Neither did Brett Lee and Michael Kasprovicz at Edgbaston four years ago.

But then, it is cruel that deserve has got nothing to do with it...

Hewitt may be wrong after all.

Right now, the Australian captain who put up a brave face at the press conference post the woeful final day, will inadvertently be thinking about that horrendous 2005 series when his captaincy credentials had been criticised harshly.

One thing we can say—By the time the last ball of the fifth test is bowled at The Oval, there may be no nails left in Ricky's fingers.

Buck Up Tiger, Roger Is No Longer Behind You

Gil — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:12:05 -0400

Two great Champions. Two great competitors. Two great pals.

He hits a yellow ball, coming like a bullet.

He hits a slightly smaller ball.

He loves winning.

He hates losing.

The world of sport has in Roger Federer and Tiger Woods, two great champions who have written and rewritten the record books and set the very highest standards in their respective sports.

The commonalities between the two men chasing history are unmistakable.

Woods and Federer share sponsors and management associations.

They film commercials together.

They make it a point to shown up to see the other compete in person.

Like Woods in Golf, Federer is talented and innovative, someone who not only is capable of dominating Tennis but also of changing the way opponents play.

As they say, Genius recognises Genius.

Yet, there is an uncanny rivalry between these two friends cum professional sportsmen.

Even as they channel congratulatory messages on the other's triumphs, the silent competitors in the two motivates them to leave the other chasing.

And that may exactly be what Tiger had felt whilst texting 'Well played, mate' to Roger, after the latter's triumph on the dirt of Roland Garros.

That cheeky urge to keep his buddy playing catch-up...

That, we know, is Federerer-esque. And that is Tiger-esque too.

Tiger, you was yelling at the TV, the whole deal whilst your Swiss pal belted it out against the Rob Sod...

[Who knows whether he will return the favour come the US Open Golf Championships...?]

But it will not have escaped your notice that from the score having read 13-11, it is now 14 all.

He aint behind you anymore bro!

True the two are chasing different records and in all likeliness, Swiss Cheese will get there first but nevertheless, at least keep him chasing you mate!

Pressure’s on. Your move now Tiger.

So what message will Roger wake up to on the 22nd of June - incidentally, the day he begins his quest for that Number fifteen - Tiger...that the scoreboard reads 15-14?

Creature Vs Creature: France's Adopted Son To Stop Argentinean Jaggernaut

Gil — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:25:50 -0400

Rajat's arguments favouring Del Potro - Click here

Introduction

With the World Nos. 1, 3, and 4 safely in their homes watching the Slam of Surprises unfold in Paris on their TV sets, No. 2 Roger Federer is still alive in the quest to capture the only piece of major silverware to have eluded him thus far in his glorious career.

Federer has a chance to create history here.

He is two wins shy of completing a career Grand Slam and tying Pete Sampras for the most men’s singles Grand Slam titles in the open era (14).

He may have a glittering 13 Grand Slam trophies in his cabinet, but the Swiss Maestro still has butterflies in his stomach.

He finds it hard to eat and sleep well. He gets tired, dizzy, and nervous while practising.

But he is alright when he steps on court. No worries.

True, it was not smooth sailing for Federer into the semifinals. He has struggled in almost every single match but seems to have upped his game at just the right time.

The Swiss maestro will be contesting his twentieth straight Grand Slam Semi final today (Twenty semifinals is great, but 20 in a row? What a freak!) against the rising star in World No. 5—Juan Martin Del Potro or Argentina, who will be playing his maiden major semi.

Federer is a combined 26-1 against the other three semifinalists—del Potro (5-0), Soderling (9-0) and Fernando Gonzalez (12-1), making him the strongest contender for the title.

The Super-perfect Federer is gone, but he still makes an occasional visit.

The last time Federer and Del Potro faced off in a Grand Slam (Australian Open 2009, QF), the Swiss was in an orbit known only to him.

For the uninitiated, the World No. 2 barely dropped a game, let alone a set in the 'exhibition' encounter, blowing the big Argentine off the court three, love and love.

But the past and the numbers hold for nothing. And Federer would know this.

Will win if

Del Potro doesn't have a particularly good defense and his 6'6" frame means he will not be able to move anywhere near as well as Federer.

Federer will do well to attack from the onset, keep his opponent on his toes and off his balance by swinging him from side to side.

We may also see him use his slice backhand effectively to bring the Argentine to the net, where most of the modern day players are uncomfortable.

Hitting deep returns and angled passes will take Del Potro off his comfort zone.

And we know that if there is one guy who can hit a slice, a top spin passing shot, a volley, a down the line winner all in the same rally, it is Federer.

After his Quarterfinal defeat, Monfils commented that Federer's incredible variety is a "pain in the a$$" for him.

It will in all likeliness be so for the lanky Argentine too.

Bottom line, stick to your usual game, Roger. Nothing adventurous required.

Will lose if

He goes to sleep.

Seriously, I am impressed by Del Potro's progress (both in the tournament and his own game), but it beats me whether he has any weapons whatsoever to take three quality sets off a man against whom he has never chalked up even one in their five previous meetings.

But it must be mentioned that in recent times, Federer has often forfeited matches thanks to his new-found generosity and if he plays lackadaisical tennis against a guy who may not have beaten him before but is nevertheless a quality player, Roger may find himself in trouble.

Underrating his opponent is another 'weapon of downfall" but at this stage of the competition, we can expect him not to do so.

But shaky nerves may be his biggest opponent.

With the whole story of Nadal, Murray and Djokovic losing early, the pressure is well and truly on Federer.

Shots to Look For

Backhand slice and drop shots from the Federer Wilson.

He claims to detest the latter, but it has been one of his most effective weapons this year in Paris.

Intangibles

Federer's shorter stature and superior all court ability will enable him to cover the court quicker and better than his opponent.

This coupled with his uncanny ability to scrap through when playing well below his best against most opponents will come handy against the big boy from South America.

And if push comes to shove, expect Federer's championship pedigree to make the difference.

Final thoughts

Del Potro has been on a cruise in the tournament, but he will face his biggest challenge in the man desperate to conquer Tennis history.

If Federer gets the early lead, it would be game over for the towering Del Potro, especially as the World No. 2 is one of the best front runners of the game.

In fact the the 20 year old himself confessed that "His game is much of a problem to me".

Could be over in straights but I choose to play safe here. Federer in four.

Post Script

I just had to add this one.

"Everybody wants Roger to win this tournament. But if I can't do, if I can't win this tournament, I want to see, next Sunday, Roger with the trophy" - Del Potro.

Good Boy.

Modesty Among Sportsmen: How Important Is It Really?

Gil — Wed, 20 May 2009 06:48:40 -0400

Ok, I know this would hardly be the discussion that will attract fans of racquet sport right now—not when most of us are busying ourselves doing the mathematics on some small (:d) sporting event in Paris coming up in a week's time.

[By the way, flying kisses to all of you who are braving to gamble against a certain Spaniard!]

Nonetheless, I would like to try cast what I hope is a frank portrait of a much admired and rather 'aggravated' quality called modesty among Sporting Icons.

A modest-appearing ethic has often enveloped the sports hero in our culture (after all, didn't pride goeth before the fall).

Conceit and vanity in supposed role models is a turn off, no two ways about it.

However, isn't underestimating one's self as much a departure from truth as exaggerating one's own cons?

My question here would be: Is the virtue of modest an overrated and often misunderstood concept?

Heck, is it a virtue in the first place?

They say sports and legends inspire lives in ways no other mortal possible can and instances proving the same are galore.

What exactly do we look up to in them? Their achievements? Their tenacity in attitude? Their sportsmanship and honesty?

Or their ability to slip into the shoes of perfect P/R guys?

Even as I don't intend to drag the name of any sporting individuals into this space, for it is hardly within my whims to pass a judgment on who is decidedly humble, honest and arrogant, I recall one classic instance when Muhammad Ali once told the world about his invincibility with "They all must fall In the round I call."

Is this lack of humility? Or just plain, brutal honesty. Something not intended to be even borderline malign?

If so, is this kind of honesty deserving of being labelled arrogance?

Needless to say, it lies in the way we perceive things. Rather, choose to perceive things.

Let us face it: The human mind is a intriguing piece of engineering.

When a person plays down a hard earned achievement, is it always (this to be noted) a modest but honest assessment of one’s own importance or just mere pretension of thinking less of yourself than you really do, or deserve to do.

It even makes me wonder whether people in general start to believe the white lies they tell themselves to the point that telling them the truth actually distresses them.

One of the unintentional byproducts of 'media psychological warfare'—a strong word this as it may be—is forcing the sportsman to become so focused on his own misery that he isolates himself from others emotionally.

An odd infection gets planted in a mind and roots itself.

If a disgruntled Roger Federer claims that "I shouldn't have lost this sort of match,"—needless to say, referring to his lame loss to Novak Djokovic at Roma 2009—should the spotlight be cast on it in a way that it shows itself as an ingenious effort to discredit the opponent rather than an honest mode of venting one's disappointment?

Tongues start wagging at words uttered in every second press conference by a sports star holds these days.

Such is the media spotlight and the consequent pressure on a sporting figure that he has to measure his words before letting him fall, so that his or her image doesn't end up crashing down the gutters.

As Rudyard Kipling said in a famous poem...'to hear the truth you've spoken twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools'.

In my 'humble' (what a misused term this is) opinion, honesty and arrogance don't go hand in hand.

And even as I concede it to be unfair to generalise this, yet these days, not often does modesty and honesty either.

Please don't let the article snapshot fool you. I hope not to cripple this debate to within the boundaries of a single sport.

I have no intention whatsoever of putting up a long discourse on this to bore you off your pants. Indeed, I have not much to add from my side.

As you see, I have not even bothered the pagination button!

So, if you would take a couple of minutes off your busy schedule which you can hardly keep up with in a mere 24 hours time—half of which you spend here at this fan writer's haven, if I may take the liberty to say—to voice you opinion on a matter which I doubt will have earth shackling ramifications to the sporting world, but indeed has niggled my mind slightly over the past many weeks, I would be gratified as a fellow writer and a strong sporting passionate.

Inter Milan Retain Serie A: Jose's Incredible Treble

Gil — Tue, 19 May 2009 02:06:30 -0400

As Inter Milan wrapped up another successful domestic season with a 3-0 champagne victory over Siena, the weekend results signalled Inter's triumph in former Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho’s first season in charge—their fourth straight Scudetto and their 17th overall.

It is Mourinho’s fifth League title in seven years in three different countries, having previously claimed two Portuguese crowns with FC Porto followed by two Premierships with Chelsea in England.

While his ground breaking success at Porto, with whom he won the Champions League crown, introduced him to worldwide fame as a master tactician, having won two of the three most prestigious leagues in European football puts him alongside Fabio Capello as the only men to have achieved this rare distinction.

No doubt we may soon see him in a nice blue hot seat in Spain.

Retaining the Scudetto was probably the least that was expected from the former Chelsea tactician, who had been recruited to bring European glory to Italy.

But things did not work out as planned with Internazionale being knocked off Europe's biggest competition by Champions Manchester United.

Nevertheless, Mourinho's first season in charge is in a failure by no stretch of imagination.

Inter has not flown akin to Arsenal or Barcelona at the height of their powers.

But when has beautiful football always guaranteed results?

Mourinho's footballing philosophy about flair is different. Defence is the best form of offence.

And this has been the trademark of all Mourinho teams—They are all very hard to beat.

Mourinho has a carefully applied agenda here.

As a man who traverses life in his cocoon of personal mythology, he has been able to shatter the same myths of many of those surrounding him.

No less pivotal has been his willingness to accept that the three pronged attack, which worked so beautifully in the physical English football, was not the way to go in Italy.

Equally impressive has been his man-management.

For the first half of the season, Mourinho diligently overlooked the problematic Brazilian striker Adriano, who had been a regular frustration for the former coach Roberto Mancini, but rather than doggedly butt picking the temperamental striker, he allowed Adriano to work his way into the first team slowly and steadily.

Soon, he fitted back to the system before being released by Inter after his personal problems resurfaced.

Mourinho, rather than lambaste the player as some expected and anticipated, showed a different face—one few could believe he actually possessed showing sympathy for the Brazilian and wishing him the "best."

His treatment of the brilliant strikers in Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic and teenager Mario Balotelli was similar.

And as the master at psychological mind games, how often has he succeeded in bringing better than the best of his players?

Some say more than a tactician, Mourinho is a better communicator and motivator. It may well be so.

But without an insurmountable desire, nothing can be achieved.

Hard work, perseverance, aspiration, inspiration, and strength are necessary in abundance to be crowned the undisputed Champions of your country and Inter has had it in plenty under the Portuguese.

One would argue that under Mancini, Inter has achieved the same results, and Mourinho hasn't been able to achieve the fundamental goal of winning the European League.

Yet, on closer observation, Inter is no longer mentally fragile as they had tended to be previously.

Jose has instilled a different spirit in the Nerazzuri exactly as he had done at Porto and Chelsea.

An undying, inspired, and determined spirit to keep fighting to the death.

"The Special One" may, not infrequently, fuel controversy and tend to be more than slightly loud mouthed, but at the end of the Juggernaut of a season his rant about how "no one has spoken about Roma, Milan, and Juve because they will all win nothing" has turned spot on.

Even as he has racked up trophy after trophy over the past few years, the Portuguese has been going through one of his tiresome phases in Italy when he has not been able to get out of bed without being detected for some sort of conspiracy or discredit.

During his short stint at the Nerazzuri, Mourinho—the only foreign coach in the Serie A, has made few friends...but it will hardly bother the ever so provocative and charismatic manager because he has the big fish to show them.

Over the last many years, if there had been any occasional fears whether Mourinho's great ambition and self-conviction will survive the inevitable first blows which will unavoidably mar any stellar managerial career at some point of the other, then they have always been stylishly, and rather ruthlessly, ended then and there.

There is an uncanny resemblance between Mourinho in defeat and Mourinho in victory.

He is a challenging, self-sufficient, and forceful character who pushes the limits of his criticism of officials as far as he legitimately can, and at the same time fights a tenacious rearguard battle in defence of his players and staff.

Surely, that is what we call Nietzsche’s qualities! Afterall, "that which does not kill me only makes me stronger."

A Champions League with the unsung and unfancied Porto, two Premier League titles with Chelsea—the first in half a century—and the scudetto with Inter Milan in his first season in charge.

This and more at just 46 years of age.

Call him lucky, call him arrogant, call him ego-centric...

Accuse him of suffering from "selective amnesia" when it comes to the necessary footballing evil called diving, or of being a sore loser (something he apparently prides himself in, by the way).

But, no one can deny that this man is a born winner.

When What is "Left" Becomes Right in the IPL

Gil — Thu, 14 May 2009 05:52:28 -0400

We are into the business end of the lucrative and widely criticised but followed cricket extravaganza in the DLF Indian Premier League.

The league table has been refreshingly different looking and much closer than the previous year and the many controversies which inevitably dog a big event have been the perfect bait for the ever hungry media.

But the story of the tournament so far has been the left-handers making merry in the South African pitches.

Whether batsmen or bowlers, the cricketers shining in the tournament this year are mostly left-handers.

Even in the first edition, the southpaws had made a big impact in the competition.

But this season, the trend has become far more prominent.

So far, the top five run-getters in the competition have been Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Suresh Raina, Jean Paul Duminy and Yuvraj Singh. And surprise(!)—all are left-handers.

The burly former Aussie opener in Mathew Hayden is simply running away from the chasing pack for the Orange Cap with an aggregate of a whooping 426 runs from nine matches while the still swashbuckling West Australian Adam Gilchrist, has been proving why he was once considered the scariest batsman in the world, having already recorded 21 hits over the roof, the most by an individual player in the tournament.

The former Aussie opening partners are indeed doing what they do best—terrorising the opposition and in style.

Jean Paul Duminy, South Africa's new favourite son has been the most consistent batsman of the tournament, having recorded four half centuries already at a staggering average of 63.00 runs per innings.

By the way, the biggest six smashed in the tournament? Yuvraj Singh!

The story doesnt end here either.

R.P. Singh of the rejuvenated Deccan Chargers, has been the revelation of the competition this year. The left-arm seamer is the top wicket-taker in the tournament with a total of 16 scalp.

The long-forgotten Ashish Nehra has been unexpectedly deadly with his line and length for the Delhi Daredevila, sitting pretty with 14 wickets in 10 matches.

Irfan Pathan may be as patchy and vagrant as it gets when donning his national blues, but in his "Arsenal" jersey the left arm pace bowler has inflicted the maximum number of golden ducks in IPL this year.

Rounding up the top five wicket-taking bowlers is Yusuf Abdulla—amazingly, against a left arm seamer.

In fact six of the top 10 wicket taking bowlers are left-handers.

This leaving out the part timers who have been giving the regular bowlers quite a run for their money!

The encore of the lefties in the event has been spectacular.

Clearly, In the Indian Premier League, Left is the Right way to go!

Chelsea - Barcelona: The Night That Could Have Been

Gil — Fri, 08 May 2009 01:43:12 -0400

The encounter between the powerhouses of the two biggest footballing nations of Europe. In the biggest European Championship semi-finals, here in West London.

The most gritty and resilient defence against the most fluent attack in Europe's club level football.

Chelsea vs Barcelona.

One would have thought - just the perfect script for a historic and possibly, memorable night at Stamford Bridge.

Sure it was historic. And I am positive, it will be remembered for a long, long time.

Only, bitterly that.

Within the span of a couple of short weeks, Stamford Bridge was the spectacle of two incredible footballing nights.

If the thrilling 4-4 draw against Liverpool was the perfect advertisement for the beautiful game, the carnage played out at the Bridge a couple of nights ago in the UCL semi-finals between Chelsea and Barcelona has been, not unreasonably, described an absolute disgrace for football.

While Barcelona secured a berth in the final against Champions Manchester United after pinching a scarcely deserved 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea has yet again been cruelly given the boot in Europe's elite footballing competition.

Michael Essien's jaw dropping left boot flick in the ninth minute was brutally cancelled out by a moment of magic from Barca's Anders Iniesta in the heart-stopping final minutes of an encounter which will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

As a dedicated supporter, it is painfully hard for me to go through those nightmarish moments all over again.

But that doesn't make it any easier to overlook those three stonewall penalty shouts from the home side shockingly turned down by the Norwegian referee, Tom Henning Ovrebo.

Unsurprisingly, tempers were frayed on and off the pitch after the final whistle at the refereeing horror show which had well and truly cost the West Londoners a chance to redeem that rainy night at Moscow, one year ago.

Inevitably, some of the players came under fire for their alleged Break out.

Much has been said about Didier Drogba being a spoilt kid and Michael Ballack not behaving his age, among others.

But can you really blame them?

It is very easy to sit in you couch at home with a bag of popcorn and take a cynical view of boys behaving badly.

But try to place yourself in their boots.

You have a chance to reach the championship match of football's Wimbledon.

And you find yourself yet again denied of a chance to compete at winning the only trophy you never have won, because of refereeing incompetent (One hopes it is only that, if you know what I mean).

Sport is about emotions. It is about passion. How fair is it to ask the players to suddenly tame them on the final whistle, especially when they have an understandable sense of being unfairly wronged?

Should alleged bad decisions be accepted as just an inevitable part of the game, especially in football played at the highest levels and the biggest of competitions?

Like you or me, they are living, breathing, feeling human beings.

From being the only winners of the tie, Chelsea had brutally ended up as the only losers.

The West London club is sure looking good to be tagged the Shakespearean Tragedy of European Football.

One that so many love to hate, of course.

Ovrebo was smuggled out of England and into hiding last night to escape the furore over his performance.

While it seems incredulous that referees should be subjected to so much pressure in a sport, it is at the same time hard to sympathise with Ovrebo who has time and again proved his incompetence and it hits devastatingly hard on the victimised sides.

The talks about a conspiracy by the UEFA machinery will continue to be hotly debated for a few more days.

It is a strong word no doubt. And no matter what, we can prove nothing.

But for the sake of the game, UEFA desperately need to prove their credibility and take a stern look in into the refereeing standards which have been on a free fall in recent times.

In the best interest of the game, this needs to be arrested at the earliest.

While Chelsea fans will undoubtedly feel that it was not the deserving team which went through, a new chapter will nevertheless be opened at Rome.

Fo, it is a hard reality of sports - Deserve has got nothing to do with it.

Careful as ever with his words, Chelsea interim coach Guus Hiddink, made his anger at his team being unjustly gutted clear, but spoke with remarkable calm and sense.

The Dutchman is quite correct in saying that this was a match which need not have depended on those denied penalties for the home side.

Yet, at the end of a long night, it will be incredibly insensitive to blame this brave Chelsea team for being so desperately unlucky.

Even while bearing witness to the injustice dished out to the English Club in a match which could have been so much more followed by those frenzied and undeniably unbecoming final scenes at the Bridge, one couldnt help wondering whether the players, the fans, and most importantly, the beautiful game of football deserved this.

[A final word to Chelsea fans : 'Chin up Folks!']

The Fan-Writers' Obsession with a Certain Swiss Tennis Star

Gil — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:51:01 -0400

[Immediately as you read this title, did you just say "God, there she goes...Not again...!"]

"ROGER FEDERER...ROGER FEDERER...ROGER FEDERER!"

Now that is a very nice name. We 'luv' this name.

We never tire of it.

It has a nice feel to it.

See the musical touch to it...The R's ringing nice and soft...And not to forget the F's, the D's and the alternate E's!

Yeah, the 'O' too.

It is as sweet as a certain Swiss guy who is addressed something very similar...or maybe...sweeter?

Alright, I will stop.

Over the last many months, searching the web on 'Roger Federer' has yielded 'same-same-but-different' 'fan-turned-critique' articles on R-Fed's not-so-infrequent losses at the hands of everyone from Rafael Nadal to Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic to James Blake, Giles Simon to Stanislas Wawrinka, to name a few.

Even as the former World Champion slumped to an 18-5 record in a title-less 2009 season, things have run riot among fan writers.

For each of those five losses the great man has succumbed to so far, ripe in the season, we have had a bare average of 10 debates of the "whys," the "hows," and the "what nexts?"

And I find that at this point in time, a wave of self-introspection decided to pay me a visit. Yeah, I would agree that I don't favour it much. It certainly didn't leave me feeling jolly good, you know.

While sifting through her archives, this self-confessed 'Fed-tard' concedes that she gave a huge sigh - hey, not THAT big - on realising that since joining this fan-writer's haven called Bleacher Report less than six months ago, she has not written a single piece of Tennis so far without mentioning that good old name at least once.

Yeah, this is another one.

Indeed, I also confess to have labelled him a "Weekend Hacker" myself, this quite recently.

But she ain't alone in this Fed-hunt!

There have been various others for company who have decidedly and blissfully found it impossible not to talk about this gentleman, even if it has been done to the point of exhaustion.

To be fair, the Tennis domain in B/R is far from the only place.

All us lesser human beings with nothing better to do than think, walk, read, and talk Roger Federer can silently certify that the very many "Discuss Tennis" sections we have popped a visit to have been flooded with them: redundant articles on the various self concocted problems of the Swiss Mister.

As I am not paid for advertising other writer sites, we will skip the honours shall we?

Of late, a good majority of us tennis freaks have discussed pretty much nothing but Federer, his demons, and his awry performances which have "broken hearts" (*weeps*).

Not because of a lack of other note-worthy players (this slyly) or fellow-creatures who have attempted to catch our interest towards the 'others' of course.

But because a wide majority has seemed a little bit more interested in "Let us talk Federer."

If the man has not been dominating the tennis courts anymore, he certainly is still dominating a lot of tennis fan-cum-writer bases.

We have prayed for him to everyone from the 400(+) different Gods to the world's Demons, all in equal measure.

It has not worked very well, and after watching a horror show from him- one day a forehand one, the next day, a backhand one - we have wailed about our (oops...his rather) plight.

Then we have taken our pens in frustration and blogged our misery in endless numbers.

And it is all pretty much the same things said over and over.

"He ain't done yet!", "Federer's mental demons", "He isn't the same anymore", "Why doesn't he get himself a coach?", "Federer's delusion and the path of self-destruction", "Now what for Roger?"...

Boy, it has been quite a sweat. Federer this, Federer that. Yes, you get the gist. Outside this, it appears that nothing of consequence need exist.

Animal magnetism, maybe.

For all our goodwill for the man, he ain't reading all this. That we know positively!

And something tells me, this is not a very healthy habit to practise.

At least, not for all those faithful Federer supporters who have been screaming their throats (and heads) off for their man whenever he has stepped on court.

Don't run your voice out after every other "sad sad defeat." Because, it definitely doesn't look like the last of those.

And what is more, the last thing you need as a dedicated and ever so concerned and passionate fan is to be overcome by that "curious sensation" that befell Mr. Oscar Wilde's endearing little hero after his exhaustively frenzied efforts to solve the puzzle of "The Portrait of Mr. W. H!"

"ROGER FEDERER...ROGER FEDERER" - It still rings a nice sound, right?

We don't want the name of our little "big" elephant, the term so generously coined by our community leader, to soon start ringing a monotonous note.

What say?

The Real Madrid Curse: Chelsea Pip Resilient Liverpool

Gil — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 01:44:57 -0400

It would have been a comeback even more extraordinary than Istanbul. They dared to defy their manager's willingness to throw the towel in and give up the tie, and they very nearly did the impossible at Stamford Bridge.

But Super Frankie had other ideas.

After winning 3-1 at Anfield, Chelsea were thought to be in the driver's seat but they very nearly lost the initiative as they succumbed to two unanswered goals in the opening half of the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Liverpool at home.

Nevertheless, they fought back and wrestled the advantage going up 6-3 on aggregate in the second half, but the Reds—in their trademark fashion—refused to accept defeat.

Down but not out, the "Comeback Kings" nearly pulled off another miracle before Frank Lampard played Captain Marvel and netted the final goal of a slug-fest in London to finally silence a remarkable and laudable fightback from the men from Anfield.

Prior to the first leg at Anfield, former Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho said that he didn't expect this quarterfinal tie to be an exciting affair.

Clearly, he couldn't have been more mistaken.

Over the two legs at Anfield and and the Bridge, the teams produced not just a stunning 12 goals in all, but nearly about everything expected and unexpected in a football clash.

It had it all—moments of madness, of embarrassing errors, of pure brilliance, and on top of this and more, sheer nerve wrecking drama...

After 90 exhilarating minutes, when the referee blew the final whistle, the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge was feverish with an odd mixture of ecstasy and relief.

Hiddink's brave Blues had pipped Rafa's resilient Reds in what will go down as a Champions League classic.

For all their hard work, dare be said, the heroic Liverpool had finally succumbed to "The Curse of Real Madrid".

Since 2003 when Real Madrid claimed the European Championship, in each season that has followed—six in all—whoever knocked the Spanish giants out of the competition has been defeated only by the eventual champions.

Last year, Italian club AS Roma knocked out Real Madrid 4-2 on aggregate but were eliminated by Manchester United 3-0 in the last eight.

United went on to claim European glory, beating arch rivals Chelsea in heart-stopping penalties in the final.

The year before, German giants Bayern Munich upset the Spanish club in the knockout stages before being dispatched by AC Milan, again in the quarterfinals. Milan then beat Liverpool in the final, at Athens.

In 2006, Arsene Wenger's incredible Gunners beat out the Bernebeu men in the Round of 16, before being beaten in the final by another Spanish giant, Barcelona.

The previous year, Liverpool beat Juventus who had knocked out Madrid in extra time in a Round of 16 clash.

Liverpool of course went on to win the Champions League that year in the most incredible fashion, staging one of the greatest comebacks in the competition's history, coming back from being down 0-3 at half-time to win in a penalty shootout against AC Milan.

And in 2004, Monaco upset the bets by famously knocking out Real Madrid in the quarterfinals en route to the final, before running into a red hot FC Porto in the title clash.

Amusingly, Real Madrid had been the only side to beat Jose Mourinho's winning side in the competition that season.

This year, Barcelona are tipped firm favourites to win the title, and not without reason. The Spanish La Liga is all but won and the Catalan have thumped whoever has come their way in Europe this season.

But Chelsea fans have reason to be upbeat.

According to sources, manager Guus Hiddink had lost his temper on the players after the appalling first half performance against Liverpool in the second leg last night, but the response from the team was immediate and, what is more, positive.

In spite of nearly blowing their advantage in the first 45 minutes, the Blues came roaring back in the second half to send the Scousers packing.

After the roller coaster at Stamford Bridge, there may well be defensive problems to deal with for the Dutchman, but on the upside, in spite of some sluggish defending at times, Chelsea got the vital four goals, all when they needed them.

This team has shown the willingness to stay positive, focused and respond strongly to crisis.

It seems that the golden Guus may well be encouraging a different brand, an "exciting" brand of football, but is indeed channelling the same fighting spirit that a former coach had brought to the Bridge—you know what I am getting at!

Next up for the West Londoners is Spanish powerhouse, Barcelona FC in the final four.

In recent memory, Chelsea and Barcelona faced off in the 2005 CL, in the Rd of 16 in which the Londoners, then under Jose Mourinho, won a thriller at Stamford Bridge, 5-4 on aggregate.

The very next year, the two clubs clashed in the knockout stages, this time the Spanish club coming atop.

Sure, against the most in-form club in the competition, Chelsea have their work cut out.

Barcelona are arguably unrivalled in moving forward and even if by some miracle Petr Cech's shattered confidence is restored and defensive crisis resolved, the Spanish champions possess too much skill and dexterity to be contained cheaply.

But Chelsea can also exploit the fact that Barca don't possess the best defence in the world themselves—mainly because they concentrate more on moving forward.

And, after having knocked out Liverpool under Benitez, arguably the hardest team to beat in Europe, the Londoners should be justly high on confidence and believe in their chance in the semifinals.

Chelsea fans will be hoping that their club can keep the trend of the Real Madrid Curse alive and finally, this turns out to be the year that Europe gets painted Blue...

The Day Roger Federer Turned a Weekend Hacker

Gil — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 02:40:46 -0400

Ah, it was one of those days...the kind of day you dont want to get off bed and step outdoors, forget hit a few yellow balls into the sidelines under the blistering sun.

As Roger Federer lost his fourth competitive match of the year, all four coming at the hands of fellow Big Four players, the Swiss presented a remarkably new image of himself in front of the sell out crowd in Miami.

Federer, famous for his usual sobriety and decorum and awarded Five times the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award by his peers, not only lost the match...for once, he also lost his cool.

Roger won the first set handsomely, six games to three and it was all smiles in the Federer camp.

The world No. 3 had played disappointing tennis for much of opening set and one bets that a few fans, especially the ones struggling with the time zones, would have chosen to head for their warm beds rather than watch an error-strewn encounter.

Federer had looked in great form in the tournament, and with a one set advantage over Djokovic, who had struggled both technically and physically in the tournament, surely the match was in Roger's bag now.

But NoJo had other ideas—he was out to prove that Federer should rather be spending some quality time in the practice courts rather than waste it taking undisguised potshots every second day at the Serb's "habit" of pulling the pin.

And that he did—or should we say Federer generously finished up that job for his younger rival?

Putting in an outrageously poor game in his opening service of the second set, Federer opened the door for Djokovic, who gleefully accepted the rare-no-more gift.

As the set progresed, the Serb played smarter and smarter tennis while the 13-time Grand Slam Champion's play deteriotated unpardonably—Federer seemed to be virtually asking across the net "Alright pal, are you going to put it long, or should I do the honours?" to which the Serb humble replied,"You lead, mate. My Dead King."

And good old Roger solemnly obliged.

Thanks to a barrage of errors from his frame, Federer duly lost the second set 6-2 and it was one set apiece.

A buoyed Djokovic kept playing his most consistent tennis, all the while watching his more decorated opponent go from bad to worse and fall into pieces on court.

Because the famed RFF—The Roger Federer Forehand—had completely abandoned him today. When on, opponents simply have no choice but die by it's side.

Yet, how often do we see that it is your most lethal weapon which goes awry in those horrendous outings?

Unable to string two good points together, Federer's frustration mounted feverishly even as a Swiss supporter was caught choosing to use his Sui flag as a shade while taking a nap rather than watch the nightmare that was unfolding on court.

There was nowhere to run for the former World Champion and after dumping an easy forehand into the net when down 0-2 in the final set, Roger produced his finest forehand of the afternoon—abandoning the thinning pretenses of prettiness, BHAM! Federer slammed his racket to the surface of Stadium Court in angry disgust.

Such was the ferocity of this forehand that the victimised frame didnt need furthur treatment to fall mangled, crumpled and dead...Gonzo would have been proud of that one.

"I was just frustrated," said Federer. "It didn’t feel great. It was just a natural thing I did."

It is hard to be critical of his out of the box behavior—evidently the man is wounded but frankly seems so headstrong that he cannot convince himself to change his tactics and approach.

During his junior years, Federer had been known for his tempestuous temperament, but had gone "Too much the other way" to use his words in his giant killing days, and now, is he back to square one?

Those days of numerous questions about his mental strength and far too few answers?

As they say...All that goes around, comes around.

At first, as is customary among tennis fans, the crowd jeered and whistled, but then realising that this may just be what he needs, turned in his favour, vociferously voicing their support—the Miami Beach residents realising that the Swiss fans never turn boisterous enough to make an impact.

But in reality, this hardly helped the Swiss, who had last broken a frame over four years ago, that interestingly at this very venue.

He went a double break down in the third and things had turned so ugly that by the time Federer has put the final backhand long—just his 47th unforced error of the match—almost every Fed-fan would have had his or her face buried in their hands in embarrassment at the sacrilege of the sport by the man who they claim had made it look more beautiful than ever.

At least, I for one, did.

No doubt, Djokovic was the better player on the windy day. By no means was he fantastic today—in fact he was well below par.

But the difference between him and Federer was in the attitude, in the intent and the purpose.

"Thank God the hard-court season is over," Federer said, after the match. But of course, didn't we know he is looking forward to the clay season?

Living in a self-denial mode, Federer has lead himself to self-destruction now.

And the state of his "almost" ever-so-faithful racquet is a perfect metaphor of Federer's credentials in the sport today.

I would never have thought I'd have to say this one day—but today Roger Federer turned a schoolkid who decided to have a Miami bash by turning a weekend hacker. For all he is worth, the great man ran freaky.

Can Roger Federer Get a Monkey Off His Back in This "Important Week"?

Gil — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:22:12 -0400

It is halfway through the always fascinating 'Glam Slam' of the Tennis calender year, and two-time former Champion and second seed Roger Federer finds himself with a great opportunity to redeem his almost 18-month drought of AMS titles.

Federer's 2009 start has not been as bright as he would have wanted, being marred by two semifinal losses to new nemesis Andy Murray and a difficult Australian Open halt from No. 1 Rafael Nadal in a fiver.

Playing only his fourth tournament of the year and the prospect of the customarily difficult clay season looming ahead, if the Swiss is to break the season blank here on the hard courts at the Crandon Park Tennis Center, he will have to do it the hard way.

Federer has had a comfortable passage into the quarterfinals, beating American qualifier Kevin Kim, (6-3, 6-2) in the second after a first-round bye, then dispatching a disappointing 28th seed, the German Nicolas Kiefer, four and one. Yesterday he rolled over American comeback kid Taylor Dent with ease.

Yet, so far, he has met absolutely no resistance and thence the fact that he is yet to drop his serve, let alone a set doesn't give a genuine picture of how well he actually is playing.

However, in the Quarters, Federer will meet his first real challenge in the form of rejuvenated and fifth-seeded Andy Roddick, who got past ninth-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils (7-6 (7-2), 6-4) in a compelling 96-minute fourth-round match.

Going by the records, against Roddick, Federer can never fail to start the favourite, but it was exactly here, this time last year that Roddick accounted for only his second win in 18 attempts over the Swiss.

Federer knows Roddick will be no pushover, and if the aggressive American doesn't become a sitting duck against Federer—something he has often done in the past but looks less likely to do tomorrow, Federer will need to bring his A-Game to top his old foe.

Things don't get any easier further deep into the draw. Federer's possible semifinal opponents will be the winner of the Jo-Wilfred Tsonga-Novak Djokovic quarterfinal clash.

Both being two of the game's best shotmakers, and on their best days both have the game that can cause trouble to the World Number Two.

And at the end of the day, it will be the better of two evils for the former World Champion.

Because if the Swiss does reach the title match of this 12-day, $4.5 million tournament, the one of the only two players with a credible winning head-to-head can await—Murray or Nadal.

Federer and his legion of supporters will fully realise the advantage of Murray being dropped in the top half of the draw, which means that rather than facing Murray and Nadal in possible back-to-back matches, Federer will have to, at best, face only one of his current puzzles.

There is no doubting Federer's talent and ability. He may not be uncontested in both of them any longer but alas! with a world of credit to his opponents, the irony of it all is that the pressure he puts on himself has been his primary undoing against the Scot and the Spaniard over the last some months.

Either which way, Federer will have to play his very best if he is to win a third title here in Miami and it is perhaps fully appreciating the need of the hour that Federer described this one as "an important week to do well."

Because, the last thing Federer needs going into the Clay season, where he will again give another optimistic shot at the ever so elusive Grand Slam at Roland Garros, is two different monkeys in the back of his head.

Why Only England Can Tolerate Jose Mourinho

Gil — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:40:55 -0400

He branded himself 'A Special One' in his very first PC after being appointed coach of English Football Club, Chelsea mid-2004 and we instinctively warmed up to the man whose celebratory sprint down the touchline at Old Trafford in 2004 had initially introduced him to the British public—an act that had brought a sly smile to every non-United fan's face.

The contrast between Jose Mourinho's popularity in England and Italy has been as stark as it gets.

The English tabloids 'dim-wittedly' fell for him, while the more sophisticated Italians have been left scratching their heads wondering what is so special about this Portuguese who seems more of a 'Lusitanian bluff', a term generously coined by Italian Football buffs.

So why are most of the British public and EPL fans so enthralled by this living, breathing and walking fulfilment of arrogance from Portugal?

What exactly do they see in him which evidently no other League has managed to?

Throughout his successful three year stint with the Premier League Club, Mourinho's behavior had been more than slightly unhinged.

Whether it be shushing on Anfield's face, claiming that Arsene Wenger was a ‘voyeur’, the '"I am invisible" talk to cops (for the uninitiated—he prevented animal welfare officials from putting his beloved Yorkshire Terrier dog into quarantine), hiding in the dressing Room and escaping via a laundry bin during a match he had been banned from.

He used an 'eggs in the waitrose' metaphor to explain his footballing style, snubbed compatriot and Manchester United winger, Christiano Ronaldo by labelling him 'a liar' (undeniably, there is a bit of credibility here), this and more added to the ' whistle and whistle, cheat and cheat' blast at the Red Devils post their high profile Carling Cup SF(2005) clash — the man had come off as an extremely eccentric bloke who seemed to possess an endearing sense of mischief.

When he was around, the pot was not just boiling—it was ready to spill.

Indeed there always was a vocal group, though by a long way only a minority, that disliked his pragmatic style not to mention that maddening haughtiness of the steely-eyed football fizz.

But ask yourself—didn't most of you enjoy it all, if only silently?

He would make it a requisite to catch his post-match conferences, which would delight the usually dull week separating the League clashes.

The supremely confident man was Colourful and Charismatic, Controversial and Candid, Committed and ultimately—borderline Crazy.

And the biggest mouth in Football apparently has so much savvy sex-appeal that in 2006, Mourinho was voted the sixth sexiest man in the world by readers of Brit New Woman magazine.

Right, this George Clooney look-alike is one item of a Footballing manager.

And in England, packages like this are begging to become the 'Show of the country.'

The English public couldn't wait to start wooing the pepper-salt haired Portuguese—he had been a blast of fresh air into the League which had always been wanting of bravado.

Fellow managers loved him—*cough* but of course they did! Who would talk about and scrutinise them when Mr Bombastic was around, who seemingly revelled being soaked with limelight.

Because bad Publicity is still publicity.

As has been widely acknowledged, English football has certainly seemed duller since Chelsea made the mistake by letting him leave by “mutual consent” in 2007.

So charisma, confidence and lunacy - all in all, a winning combination in English land.

Ah, the irony of it all..don't we love nutters?

But all has not gone well in Italy.

Since setting foot in Italy and having learnt Italian in just three weeks to get along with the media—something he claims was a show of 'respect', at the Nerazzuri he has appeared everything he didn't while in England.

Unnecessarily loud-mouthed, incredibly disrespectful, uncharmingly childish, invariably irritating and most importantly quite 'ordinary'.

His boastfulness and arrogance has not appeared endearing at all to the Italian public, whether he twinkles his eyes notwithstanding and over the last few months, he has made more enemies than friends.

As result, he has fallen out with everyone—picking fights with Ancelotti, Claudio Ranieri, Donadoni, Galliani, Luciano Spalletti, Maldini, Pietro Lo Monaco, Buffon (Gosh! You name them) one after the other or rather, all at the same time.

To elucidate on his many war of words with different rival managers will be a waste of time—mine and yours, but the following spat may give the gist.

After Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri claimed that "unlike Mourinho I don’t need to win to be sure about what I am doing," the Portuguese blasted back in his trademark style saying that "Ranieri was right, I do need to win things to be sure of what I am doing.

"That’s why I've won so many trophies. By contrast, he has the mentality that winning isn’t crucial and at nearly 70 years old* he's just won a Super Cup and other small tournaments. He is too old to change his mentality.”

Apparently, the in-depth analysis in the culture-rich and respect demanding (especially for age) Italian Football is more intelligent and demanding of being 'becoming' than in England.

And Mourinho doesn't seem to appreciate this.

In fact, he has seemed more than a bit of an intolerable brat to the Italians, who cannot wait to see his back.

Evidently the scathing Italians seem to agree with Volker Roth, the over-exuberant chairman of UEFA’s referees committee, who once branded Mourinho ‘The Enemy of Football’.

Clearly, for Jose, widely known for his strong personality and quirky comments at press conferences, things have not been 'Jolly Good' for once at Inter Milan.

There can be no doubt about his calibre as a Coach. He is a class apart in every way when it comes to managerial abilities and has been widely recognised as Top Draw.

At shoestring budget, he took the hardly celebrated FC Porto to European victory beating out richer, stronger opponents en route. And of course his achievements at Chelsea are well familiar to EPL fans.

Since 2003, he has racked up more than a dozen trophies but Jose's his phenomenal run as a coach is even more well reflected in the 110 home games unbeaten in all competitions since 23rd February 2002 and his enviable 71 percent in ALL competitions since joining Porto.

More importantly, the players of his Club, wherever he goes, always love him because he is the man who demands respect for them, protects them with his singular antics.

But at the end of the day, that is that.

He is the Fabio Capello league - he will possibly win more than most contemporaries, but will never have the legacy that a Sir Alex Ferguson or an Arsene Wenger will leave.

To the England Footballing passionates he may be like Gold Dust, but in almost every other country he goes, people cannot wait to wipe the dust off.

*In fact, Ranieri is 56 years old.

Liverpool Draw Chelsea Again as Manchester United Meets Porto

Gil — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:56:46 -0400

By the law of averages, this should not be possible. But hold your breath—it has happened again.

English football giants Liverpool and Chelsea have yet again been pitted, for the fifth straight season, against one another in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, the biggest domestic competition in European Soccer.

So many times have they played each other that Chelsea secretary David Barnard commented that "We probably know the inside leg measurements of Rafa's trousers. It's something that's completely extraordinary we should play so many times."

Extraordinary is putting it mildly.

The two Clubs have already faced off three times in the knock-out stages and once in the group stage of the competition.

Liverpool, the club Chelsea's Mr. Dependable Frank Lampard has claimed is one he "wants to avoid" meeting in the Champions League, have won on two occasions, while the Blues triumphed once, but it was the West Londoners who won the last clash 4-3 in the previous year's high-profile semifinal meeting.

Undoubtedly, this is the most eye-catching rubber.

Defending champion Manchester United on the other hand has been handed a plum path to the finals. The Red Devils play FC Porto, who had memorably knocked out the English Club on their way to winning the title in the '03-'04.

This tie brings back memories of what is often described as "that celebration" when then Porto coach Jose Mourinho charged up the Old Trafford touchline in absolute ecstasy after a 90th-minute free-kick goal aided their ousting of the English Club

Yet it seems highly unlikely that Porto manager Jesualdo Ferreira will have his chance to emulate the act. United are a far superior team today and if any club, Porto are definitely not expected to be the ones to stop the Devils from defending their European Crown.

Of the six matches the clubs have played in Europe, they have each accounted for two wins, and two stalemates. But at least for now, the Red Devils sit pretty on paper.

Manager Alex Ferguson, who remarked "This is a good draw for us," evidently seems to agree, if only mutely so for if they had chosen a draw, this would exactly be the one.

The fourth member of the Big four, Arsenal, managed by Arsene Wenger's Arshavin-less Gunners are to meet Spanish Club Villarreal, the Club they had beaten in the 2006 semifinal before going on to lose in the final frontier to Barcelona.

In the final match-up, the giants of Southern Europe, Barcelona take on former champion Bayern Munich in what promises to be a mouth-watering clash between the two highest scoring clubs in the competition.

Bayern is coming fresh from a 12-1 thrashing of Sporting Lisbon, while Barcelona eliminated French club Lyon 6-3.

The winners of United Vs. Porto will play Villarreal, or Arsenal, while Chelsea or Liverpool will have it no easier in the semifinals where they will face the winners of the Barcelona Bayern.

The quarterfinals will be played on April 7-8 with United, Villareal, Barcelona and Liverpool playing hosts while the return legs will be played in the following week (Apr 14-15).

So are we on for another all English final at Rome? Only time will tell.

Slapgate Wrapup: The Special One Has Done It Again!

Gil — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:12:51 -0400

Anyone who googled "Inter Milan" post their ousting from the UEFA Champions League would have found one post match review to a hundred news articles on a certain somebody venting his anger on a certain nobody by the use of "physical assault."

After being outclassed by the reigning champions Manchester United last week in the second leg of Round of 16 Champions League clash, Inter coach, Jose Mourinho, hogged the headlines owing to his alleged punch-in-the-face of a United supporter at Old Trafford, within hours after the match.

Famous for his fragile temperament and snappy demeanour, Mourinho apparently attacked a United fan (with the versions changing from "punched" to "mildly slapped") who had screamed something in the lines of "You’re not special anymore" and "Go home, Mourinho", whilst the Portuguese was being interviewed by the press.

Hardly surprising...after all, the chant had been ringing in his ears for a tedious hour and half inside the Theater of Dreams.

And who wouldn't want to punch such moronic fanatics, the sight of whom sporting a Red jersey, singing "Viva Ronaldo, Viva Ronaldo, Running down the wing..." at the top of their voice while mowing their lawn is enough to boil the blood of anyone who was not "born" United.

The "unfortunate victim" went straight to the Greater Manchester Police to file a complaint on this unbecoming act by the man who is widely acknowledged "a tantrum merchant."

Whether this is just a fib by a few conceited United fans to rub salt to injury or it is a conscious act by the celebrated coach is still being investigated.

Either way, the incident has only benefited the Inter locker room...that is, until and unless their boss gets handcuffed for this "grave crime!"

Because, on hindsight, this has been a Mourinho pattern: the paranoid attitude, the indulgence in epic theories of conspiracy against his team by the refs, the rude behavior to opposition fans, which more often than not ends up the story of the encounter, the slapstick remarks like "Intellectual prostitution" post a lost match...in a nutshell, diverting the direction to himself and in this way, never letting his Team or star player be singled out by the media to attribute the loss.

Roman Abramovich may feel this means the manager is getting bigger than the club, but a far more realistic reasoning may be that this is Jose's immensely clever and singular way of shielding his players from outlandish criticism.

At the ripe age (for a manager) of 46, he is no newbie to the world of sophistication of controversy...rather, a veteran at the art of dealing with it. He knows his job better than anyone. And he does it alone.

And pretty much everyone has played into his hands.

The Italian press and fans, with whom Mourinho has already managed to estrange himself in his short stint, have lashed out at the boss of the Nerazzurri for his "failed" tenure.

Yet, in their excitement in chasing Mourinho, they have naturally forgotten to highlight the fact that their star Inter players had looked like boys in front of the class of the English teams, something a coach can hardly be blamed for.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic could easily have been stripped and scrutinised for his less than stellar show, Adriano could well have been drilled for managing nothing better than trying to rock the woodwork. But the media and fans have had words only for the manager.

If anything, the Punch brawl has only helped his team and players to disappear comfortably under the radar, recover from the Champions League disappointment and turn their focus back to the Scudetto, which is all but won by now...this while the manager has let himself be made a pie of.

There is nothing sacrificial about this; he has been there, done that, and has no qualms in doing it again.

The catty Mourinho refused to comment on the allegations except calmly to claim that:

"Mourinho sells plenty and everyone knows this."

Sure and perhaps, no one better than the man himself.

Roman Abramovic: Can he afford another Managerial divorce?

Gil — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:55:52 -0400

They call him the Man with the bottomless pockets, the Red Roman, the Impatient Boss. Yet few adjectives can describe Roman Abramovic, the Billionaire owner of Chelsea FC, better than 'Juggler Rom'. Year 2003: Italian Claudio Ranieri was the manager of the English Club at the time, and though he took the club to a couple of domestic finals, they were unable to find themselves with a [W] attached to their name. The Russian oil magnate bought the Blues the same year, in the biggest ever sale of an English football Club - for a whooping £140 million bucks. Roman was prepared to throw in enough and more cash for his Club - he would do it all to make them Champions. But he needed a Footballing Brain to achieve this - something he knows deep inside he may well lack, but wants to think otherwise. Anyways, inevitably, Ranieri was fired and in came...well, more on that later... Boss Abramovic has his own way of business. He doesn't just throw in all the bucks and leave the professionals to do their job alone. That is not his style. The man is not just about the roubles. But he makes his ambitions clear: He wants everything - Exciting, pretty, successful football. And he doesnt think this is not plausible. If Manchester United can do it, why not his Chelsea? Tell him that United were brought up right from the gutters by Sir Alex Ferguson through slow, steady, resilient Team management - something that took an age to achieve. The Building of a solid team not just for the present but also for the future - Something that requires Patience and perseverance in good measure. Roman will refuse to do it that way. Anything you do, we do better. He wants immediate results, but results which should be perpetual. And he has his own way of achieving this goal - chopping of managers at will. Since Ranieri's departure in 2003, over the five years gone by, Chelsea has seen a dazzling display of Juggling act - the Juggling of Managers. It started with a certain Portuguese Hot shot.

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The Hard Task of Coaching Roger Federer

Gil — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:30:16 -0500

With Darren Cahill, the former coach of Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt, announcing that he has decided to step down from his coaching position for Australia’s Davis Cup team, citing "business and personal reasons", the well circulating murmurs about the Roger Federer's dire need of a Coach has come under scrutiny.

Coaching Roger is not an easy job, not just metaphorically. The story of Federer's coaches speak a story of their own.

After parting ways with Peter Lundgren, who helped him win the first of his five straight titles at the Champions at SW19 barely a month before winning the Australian Open in 2004, Federer went mentor-less through the year which saw his rise to the top of the men's circuit.

In 2005, Federer at his peak hired Aussie Tony Roche, one of the best coaches of the time and stuck up a highly successful partnership that yielded 192 wins from 205 matches, 25 titles including six majors in just a little more than 2 seasons.

But after winning the Oz open (without so much as dropping a set) and Dubai Championships in 2007, the Swiss No. 1 went title-less for four tournaments in a row (the driest patch of his carrier at that time), and out of the blue, Federer dropped the dungbomb, sacking the Sydney-sider quoting 'deteriorating communication matters' between the two, adding that he would not be rushed into finding a replacement for Roche, leaving the European lobby for Cahill to wait.

For the rest of the season (which saw the Swiss defend most of his major titles), Federer lived on minus a coach.

After Roche's sacking, Cahill had been tagged the next best man for the Swiss star. Yet, it has been nearly two years since the South Australian parted ways and Federer still has not found a steady coach for himself.

In 2008, while already coaching American Robby Ginepri, Spaniard and Clay court specialist Jose Higueras was hired by the then World Number 1 to help him during the clay court season.

It wasn't a very fruitful decision and the Partnership wasn't extended for long and soon after winning the US Open, the ties were severed and Federer has been coachless since.

It is true that Federer is an anomaly when it comes to his approach to tennis. He is just our normal guy next door who doesn't seem to feel that knowing to hit a yellow ball over a net grants him the privilege of pulling airs.

Yet, Federer is an extremely proud man and in a way, a self-admirer who has not shied away from admitting his own amazement at the kind of shots he manages to pull off. And True enough, viewers are left even more dazed at his repertoire.

To be fair to him, the Swiss doesn't need much work and innovation in his game or his fitness. He's able to easily go five sets with anybody and look and apparently feel fresh enough to go maybe for two more.

Moreover, not only has he the most complete game in Men's tour, he has extraordinary command over his shots and even today, many of his opponents.

But, there is a snag in the case. Federer's problems today are his mental demons against a certain 22-year old who has the surname of Nadal. Today, as have been said umpteen times, Federer has a mental block against Nadal, which was clearly visible in the Australian Open loss—a match he could have won as easily as he lost it.

There's also the matter of reptilian media and public opinion, an issue which is clearly a sensitive one for Federer. At this point in time, an aggressive 'let's move forward' motivator is what Federer needs to get on with his game and try stem his vulnerability against Rafael Nadal.

Most importantly, this work will be done behind the scenes, which would also help avoid being riled by public distractions.

So far, neither Cahill or Federer have made any comments, but as a devout fan of the Swiss, the writer here feels that at this juncture of his career, perhaps no one can help him better than the no-nonsense Australian, who helped a 30+ Andre Agassi and fellow-Australian (and much younger, needless to say) Lleyton Hewitt into glories.

Roger Federer: Of Triumphs, Trials and Tears

Gil — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:05:57 -0500

[First of all, a note to our community leader Mr LJS - I know you show immense distaste to dramatic wailing, but forgive me this time, sire, this one for that Swiss guy out there....]

For four whole years, from 2004-07, Roger Federer was the Infallible Fed, The Man to Beat and The Ultimate Force in Tennis.

Federer was ranked No. 1 in the world for a record 237 straight weeks (second best on the list being Jimmy Connors' 160), and during the 237 weeks preceding Federer reaching the summit, the world's top ranking had changed hands almost 20 different times.

It was utter domination, and it would be audacious to say that the generation of players were weak. They were a bunch of ever-aspiring and inspiring players who were as competent as anyone in hitting the tennis ball over the net. But Federer beat them all with convincing ease, proving his superior skills time and again. All he was accustomed to was triumph after triumph.

Tennis became a one-man army. First there was Federer, and then there was the rest. Thereby, contemporary dominance was well and truly secured. Now he was measured by the ages...

He created a domain like no one before him had, but in doing so, little did he realize he was creating a monster for himself - a monster of winning, a monster of not being supposed to lose.

And it is hardly his fault that he may well have thought that this is the way it is all supposed to be - Tiger in golf, Shumacher in Formula 1, Rossi in MotoGP...and him, Federer in Tennis - the invincible, unchallengeable pillars.

And then came along a certain young prodigal genius called Rafael Nadal - a complete contrast to almost everything Federer was. The left-handed (once) clay courter, who sported sleeveless vests exposing his bulging biceps, who played with grunts and power turned out to be a man who could match the Swiss maestro toe to toe, stroke to stroke, move to move and more than anything, look at him with unflinching eyes.

Nadal dominated Federer in their early meetings, winning six of their seven matches (four victories being on his favourite and Federer's least preferred surface - clay) before Federer finally started posting wins as often as his younger rival in their on-court clashes, making the head-to-head read a respectable 8-6 in Nadal's favor.

But that was before 2008.

Just a few months ago, Federer had completely decimated Nadal in a one-sided semifinal at the YEC at the Shanghai Masters Cup, granting the Spaniard just five games in all. But how different things were in 2008.

The Spaniard ran rampant, bludgeoning King Fed in all their meetings (which included a ignominious loss at Roland Garros, followed by a heart-breaker at Wimbledon). And finally, after a long and tenacious wait of about 180 weeks, he stole Federer's most precious belonging - his World No. 1 status.

Despite of all this, the Federer camp claimed that the Swiss still held a 3-2 advantage in hardcourts and 2-1 on grass and also had been the only man to post a bona fide victory over Nadal on clay in the last four years, clearly indicating he is the better all-surface player.

And that was when Australia 2009 happened. Beating a supposedly much fresher Federer in a thrilling five-set encounter, Nadal has finally laid to rest doubts of his true mastery over Federer.

From the true show of humility in the Australian Open in 2006, when the Swiss broke down uncontrollably in front of his childhood idol, Rod Laver, to the waterfalls which streamed thick and fast after achieving a miraculous fiver at Wimbledon in 2007 - R-Fed is famed for his post-win breakdowns.

But seldom had we seen the man give way to emotions after a loss, however heartbreaking it may have been. Known as the Ice Man, Federer had waited until the locker room to let his emotions get the better of him in that gut-wrenching loss to Nadal at Wimbledon last year.

In near darkness, he had willed himself to endure a painful half hour on court, silently watching the exuberant Spaniard climb over banisters into the Royal Box in jubilation and lift the Golden Beauty - that which had been his very own for so long. All this with almost unreasonable composure, hiding the storm raging inside with a resigned facade.

But yesterday, a 13th loss to Nadal (his fifth straight, and sixth out of eight meetings in Grand Slams) proved just too much even for him. He had been dealt a final blow from the Spaniard now, and the Swiss suffered an attack of emotions on court and then the dam burst. All he could say while addressing the crowd was, "God, it is killing me".

Sportingly, Nadal hugged the man who he maintained 'was the greatest ever' asking an unnecessary forgiveness which provoked a few giggles from the crowd and saying, "I can understand what you are going through".

But sorry, Rafa, neither you nor any of us may ever be able to appreciate the state Federer's mind will be in right now - a state of absolute disillusionment at being tested again and again by the younger pretender and failing to deliver on each occasion, in spite of trying desperately.

Even as a jubilant Nadal and team head towards what can be an amazing year - one as sensational as 2008, if not more - for Roger Federer, the man once nicknamed 'The Mighty Fed' (TMF), it comes as the worst start to the year - the year which he and his army of fans had hoped would be the redemption year.

At the end of the day, he may be defeated, but he is far from dead. He has three Slams left this year to go for that record-tying No. 14 (and maybe 15), though in essence, only two, for the French Open is not a very realistic prospect.

He has to live in a Nadal-ic world now, and even as he would undoubtedly find it hard, being the great competitor and champion he is, he will be able to realize and appreciate the fact that Nadal is the only guy out there who can truly say he has earned every single major victory over the great man. And despite of all this...Federer can survive.

But those tears which sparkled in his eyes in the fading lights at Melbourne yesterday were tears of a man who may have finally been forced into a realization - the ghostly one which he had dreaded so far - that he just may no longer be competent enough to beat that immensely gifted athlete and humble champion in the muscles from Mallorca - the man we lovingly call Rafa - King Rafa.

[It tore this Roger fan's heart - this last statement...yeah it is bleeding...ok bad one that]

Men's Tennis "Rewind" 2005: A Star Is Reborn (Federer-Safin)

Gil — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:45:28 -0500

As the season opening Australian Open draws closer, the excitement mounts with each passing day as a wild and crazy fortnight at Melbourne Park awaits, where the only thing to expect is the unexpected.

Here we welcome The Happy Slam with a look back at one of the most thrilling matches that the most unpredictable Slam, as far as results is concerned, has presented the world of tennis.

There are certain matches which trigger your imagination, make you sit on you haunches with bated breath and compel you to inadvertently create your own narratives of what you expect to be a mouth-watering clash.

And the 2005 Oz Open semifinal clash between top seed Roger Federer and fourth seed Marat Safin, a rematch of the previous year's final, was one such clash.

Their path to the semis had been as different as chalk and cheese. Safin had to get through a number of tight matches and use every ounce of his skill and strength to progress deep into the draw of the tournament, where he had previously twice lost in the final.

That was hardly the case with King Fed. The FedExpress had breezed through his draw (as was becoming customary), reaching the semi-finals without dropping a single set.

The seedings, coupled with his 6-1 record against his Russian opponent, said that the bookies' darling Federer was the clear favourite to emerge the victor.

Yet, the Melbourne crowd knew that they had reason, which statisticians may not have, to expect a ripper of a match between two of the most gifted players on tour. And the two men didn't disappoint.

The World No. 1, who was already being hailed as one of the great players of the game (and attempting to become only the third man since Sampras and Connors to win three Slams in a row) and the extraordinarily talented Russian, who incidentally was celebrating his 25th birthday on that pleasant Thursday afternoon, served up a match which was all stuff of legend and lore: a 268-minute marathon.

The first set

The first ten games were won on serve equally with both Federer and Safin coming unscathed through their service games with relative ease.

At 5-all and 0-30 on the Federer serve, Safin had a golden opportunity to win himself three break points but put a straightforward forehand into the net, drawing collective gasps from the crowd. Federer followed up with two blazing forehands to edge himself ahead.

6-5 in a set and serving to take it into a breaker is never an inviting prospect. Can it seem even worse? Yes it can, when you are staring at Roger Federer at the other end of the net. The pressure showed on Safin and Federer screamed into a 0-40 lead to earn himself three set points with some spectacular rallying.

Safin found two big serves to save the first two, but Federer was not to be denied the third and the Swiss Mister forced the Big Russian to send a backhand wild, drawing first blood and the opening set.

The second set

Visibly buoyed by the first set, Federer started the second set the stronger of the two, holding with ease and forcing Safin to perspire in his opening service game, scrambling with effortless grace. Somehow, the Russian managed to level at 1 game all.

Safin earned two break points in the ensuing third game on the Federer serve, and clinched the crucial break of serve on the second when he forced Federer to go out wide with his backhand. The break visibly disconcerted Federer and some wild forehands gave Safin a decisive lead in the second set.

Clearly struggling to find rhythm, the World No. 1 managed to stay in touch with Safin, forcing the Russian to serve out the second set at 5-4. As expected, a nervous game from Safin followed but he held to 30, converting his first set point with a delicate volley to level the match at 1 set apiece.

It was the first set Federer had lost in the tournament, and it was not to be the last.

The third set

Federer was clearly on the back-foot, but managed to edge out the service hold to push himself marginally ahead. And out of nowhere, Safin surprised the entire Rod Laver Arena by throwing in a ridiculously poor service game to hand Federer the break of serve.

An overjoyed Federer blitzed a comfortable service hold which included one of the most beautiful points of the match, a magnificent volley literally off his toes to take an ominous 3-0 lead.

At 3-1, an ugly forehand brought what was expected to come much earlier, the Safin racquet throw. Nevertheless, it seemed to help the Russian as he broke back and held to level the set at 3-all.

Federer tried to wrestle the initative by rushing like a madman into the net, but some uncharacteristic unforced errors left the match in a clear balance. After a few service holds, Federer guaranteed himself at least a tie break, holding to love to make it 6-5 and forcing Safin to smash a ball out of the arena.

Faced yet again by the unenviable task of serving to stay in the set, a distraught Safin broke his second racquet down 15-40, handing Federer two set points. But this time around, the racquet break didn't help, and Federer clinched the third set 7-5 when the Russian put a forehand long, to take a 2 sets to 1 lead (which seemed in those days, almost unassailable against the Swiss Express).

The fourth set

With both players finding no rhythm in return games, the first few service games were held with ease. But there was plenty of entertainment in the games, which included Federer raising a laugh from the Rod Laver Arena with a forehand drop at the net, which left Safin wrong footed.

But as the set progressed, the games got tighter, the returns and serves both more creative and desperate, the net exchanges more delicate, the rallies more punishing.

At 6-5, loud murmurs start doing the round and the crowd, clearly wanting a fifth set urged on Safin to hold. Safin had already lost two sets in the match by dropping serve in the 12th game and looked in danger again when Federer took the first point, but the fourth seed managed to hold his nerve and serve to force a fourth-set tie break.

The tie break appeared to be all Federer, when the Swiss Master produced a magical dropper to run away with a 4-1 lead and a scintillating backhand winner took him into a 5-2 lead, with two serves in hand to tidy up things.

But Safin gatecrashed the Swiss' plans, hitting back with two mini breaks.

But Federer responded in similar manner, hitting a spectacular drop shot to earn himself match point. A crazy rally ensued, but finally Federer netted the ball and Safin squeezed away with the breaker 8-6 thanks to a huge forehand followed by a Federer error.

It was two sets all and we were going into a fifth.

The fifth set

After a long break in which Federer received treatment to his back and right arm, Safin held to love, pushing himself for the first time in the match, ahead of the world's best player.

Despite his continuing back trouble, Federer made sure he put pressure on Safin, refusing to buckle but finally at 2-3, the Swiss dropped serve to gift Safin the crucial breakthrough.

Safin slammed the next game with ease bridging the gap between himself and the Championship match to just one game, leaving Federer looking shaken.

A game of lobs and rallies ensued and Federer held serve to make it 5-3 and kept himself in contention.

At 40-15, Safin had two match points, but blew it and Federer made him pay with a blistering backhand cross court to earn a break back point, compelling a frustrated Safin to net a sweet backhand.

It was back on serve. The King was not going to give up his throne without a fight.

It was a customary hold for Federer next and the Swiss levelled it at 5 games all in the decider.

Down 0-30 on serve, in the 11th game, the match seemed going Federer's way, But Safin was unwilling to lose on his birthday and found huge serves and stunning forehands to maintain his slender lead.

At 6-all, Safin again fell 0-30 behind but dragged himself back. Federer sliced a divine backhand down the line bringing back fond memories of the great Rod Laver to the Australian crowd to earn a break point but let himself down with a ballooned forehand. The game went the server's way when the Swiss made a wild backhand pass.

In the next game, Federer found himself under enormous pressure down 15-40, gifting Safin two match points, but the Swiss ace managed to crawl his way back, saving both match points through a series of fine serves to level terms at 7 games all.

The 15th game went Safin's way and the Russian finally held with ease to make it 8-7 in his favour. At 0-30 on his serve, Federer was left stranded as Safin blasted huge forehand returns to find himself a point away from the final-berth.

As usual, Federer aced his way out of the first match point, but a determined Safin made a solid return on his seventh match point, forcing Federer on the backfoot at the baseline.

The Russian made a blistering forehand cross court, and surely Federer who was virtually at the other end of the court was not going to reach it.

But not only did King Fed get racquet on ball, he also managed to make a clean return back to the other side of the net, but in the process crashed down onto the turf, landing in a very awkward position.

Unable to heave himself up in time, he let Safin put away an easy forehand at the net and finally the Russian could say 'Finally!'

The Rod Laver Arena burst into ear-splitting applause, for the entire Australian crowd knew that they had not just seen tennis of the highest quality at display, but also the heart of two fiercely competitive players. It had just come down to the case that on this day, it was the Birthday Boy who was the luckier of the two.

After the match, a relieved Safin commented that it had been more of a 'brain fight' between the two of them.

Typically, a generous in defeat Federer conceded that Safin had been the better player on the night but also mentioned in his trademark style that he was hoping for a rematch in near future.

Federer's 26-match winning streak was ended by this epic. The Champion could not defend his title but he left the Green Arena with his head held high...as a Champion.

More than anything, it also gave fellow players a glimpse of what it takes to beat the man. In a way, more than his emphatic victories over opponents, it must have been defeats such as this which created the Fed-aura: the very fact that one had to nearly flog himself to death to get the better of this man.

As for the talented Safin, he got a third chance to compete in the Championship Match of the Australian Open and redeem himself for the losses in the previous two finals.

And that he did, quelling Australian hopes by beating third-seeded Lleyton Hewitt in four sets.

But surprisingly, Safin has not won a single title, even an second-tier event since, while Federer has gone on to claim the honours of being an all-time great of the sport.

But putting every consequence and follow-up in perspective, Federer and Safin on that fine Thursday had served one of the most tasty dishes a Tennis fan could ask for: one which hardly needed a dessert.

POST-SCRIPT: Being drawn in the same quarter for this year's Open, if things go as planned, fans can expect a third-round clash between the same pairing. And who knows, maybe just maybe, another Classic in the offing?!

Is Nole Staring Down a Hole?

Gil — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:35:05 -0500

Last year, Novak Djokovic won his maiden Slam at the Australian Open and made it to the semifinals of the French Open and the US Open. He finished the year the way he had started it, with a stunning win at the Masters Cup in Shanghai.

The result of his consistent performance over the year? The Serbian Shotgun's ranked a mere 20 points behind the Swiss Star Roger Federer (and the No. 2 spot).

To kick off the 2009 season, Djokovic knew he had made a clever decision of opting against The Exxon Mobil Open, Qatar, thereby both avoiding a possible meeting and not improbable loss to the other three big boys, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and thus also upping the probability of overtaking Federer in the rankings before his Title Defence kick-starts later this month.

The bees were buzzing and all he had to do was go deeper into his draw at the Brisbane International than Federer at Doha. In short, Djokovic could have moved to a career-high No. 2 ranking, notwithstanding for how long, if he turned out to be a hit at Brisbane and Federer flopped at Doha.

The moment he greeted his draw for the year's opening ATP Tournament Down Under, the Serb knew that it was going to be some serious business in the opener.

Slated to meet him in his first competitive match of the year was the rising Latvian star, Ernests Gulbis who is reputed to be a flashy and dangerous customer for any player, on his day but doesn't yet boast a Top 50 ranking, mainly thanks to his mental fragility.

But having put up tough fights against both Nadal and Djokovic at Wimbledon and Roland Garros respectively the previous year, the young Latvian had already proved that he can keep pace with the very best players in the world.

Coming into the match, Djokovic had the edge as per the statisticians, with a 2-0 head-to-head over his opponent, and notably having squeezed past the younger star in a tight three-setter on the red dirt of Paris the previous year.

But Djokovic knew better than to take that as a yardstick for the Latvian star's calibre and Gulbis was going to be no pushover on the turf of Hard courts.

Naturally, the Belgrade Bomber was expected to put up a good show (steady, penetrating, deep tennis) and sent across a clear message to his rivals. It was also a good setting for the preparations for the defence of his Australian Open title later this month.

On the contrary, he received a setback he hadn't asked for.

Oh yes, we have got it: the first real upset of the year.

On his way to crashing out of the Brisbane Open, what we witnessed was an erratic and error-strewn Djokovic, who went down meekly 6-4, 6-4 to the younger pretender, who to his credit showed much poise and will, thus sending his more decorated opponent packing in his opening tournament of the year.

What is more, the message that came across from the World No. 3 was that he was clearly out of touch and out of sorts. This came at a time when both Nadal and Murray have announced their intentions for the year by playing their hardest Tennis against one another, even in an exhibition match. Federer looking fitter, stronger and happier than he has done the whole of the past season.

The stunning opening round loss comes as a big disappointment for the Serb and his fans, one that will be hard to digest, as this is the third time he has come within touching distance to the No. 2 spot, and the third time he has come short of the requisite goods.

During the clay season last year, Djokovic had a precious opportunity to overtake the then-No. 2 Nadal in the rankings if he successfully achieved the unlikely task of beating the Spaniard on his favourite surface at Hamburg (SF).

Novak did put up a great show, matching Nadal in every shot, but finally succumbing to the Clay King's imposing game.

Another chance came his way at Shanghai in the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup, where he got dropped in the loose Gold Group while Federer was made to work hard in the stronger Red Group.

Djokovic could easily have claimed the No. 2 spot then and there, with Federer being ousted in the Robin Rounds (for the first time in his TMC career), but the Serb yet again fell short, this time losing to the man whom he had beaten to take his first Slam, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (who these days seems to be on the mission of not letting the World No. 3 have his way against him anymore) in RR3, thereby ending the year agonisingly, but clearly short of Federer's No. 2 spot by 10 points (or rather 20 points now by the new point allotment) in spite of reigning supreme in the tournament.

Now, with his third wasted opportunity with the loss in the opening match of the year, Djokovic has also given breathing space to Roger Federer, for even though the Swiss has gone about claiming that it didnt matter much what his ranking was if he wasn't the Number 1, pure logic says he would want to be as close to the No. 1 spot as possible if his ambitions of reclaiming that enviable position are to come true.

Djokovic has received a wildcard for the Syndey International which will hopefully give him more match practice before heading for what is expected to be a gruelling battle at the Happy Slam, but the seeds for AO will be announced on 12th January, the same day that the Medibank International Sydney starts. Effectually, inspite of what Djokovic does at Sydney, he will be seeded third for the first Slam of the season and it seems unlikely that after the tournament, Djokovic may be able to boast of a ranking boost.

At this point in time, it would do Djokovic well to look behind him, for Andy Murray, who is in the form of his life, is dogging him pretty fast and if the Scot can claim the Australian Open this year, which is far from unlikely, he will replace Novak in the tier of Top 3, also coming just a few hundred points behind Federer.

One match never gives the direction as to where you are headed for a whole long season.

However, such a meek loss at the very beginning of the year, and that just as he faces the unenviable task of defending his Australian crown from a staggeringly strong looking circuit, is surely not the morale booster Novak was seeking.

Surely, Djokovic will put up a tough show at the Happy Slam. He will want to make the statement that he has been the one who has been around challenging the Big 2 for more than a year now, but by choking so often in big moments, things aren't looking very bright for the young and talented Serb.

Putting it simply, Nole is simply staring down the hole, and sadly that too at all the wrong moments.

2008: The Flips and The Flops

Gil — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:04:37 -0500

With the end of an incredible season which brought change to the face of Men’s Tennis upon us, a year that brought us a new World Number One, a historic Wimbledon, and an incredibly strong-looking year end Top 10, let us for the moment forget about the hits, the thrills and frills of exhilarating, exhausting, mind numbing victories and relax taking a different perspective of the past season.

Today, we look back at (and celebrate) some of the the distractions and delights, the Misses and mix-ups, the absurdities and the bafflements of the year gone by.

Milestone at Melbourne:The Organizers of the Australian Open achieved a milestone this last year. The third round match between Aussie Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis had already been pushed thanks to the scary dogfight between the Top seed Federer and the much less ranked Janko Tipseravic.

The Australian crowd had already been treated with one of the most dramatic matches of the season but hey, it was not done yet. The match between the Aussie and the Cypriot which commenced (finally!) at 11:47 p.m, stretched to five nerve rattling sets and finished at 4:34(!) the next morning. Dubious, but nevertheless a Milestone for Melbourne Park.

Federer and his ultimate Bogeyman: So much talk about Rafael Nadal being Roger Federer's bogeyman. A closer look may suggest a different nemesis for the Swiss—The Hawk Eye system. It is an open secret that the Swiss doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Hawk-eye and has often lost his cool when the Hawk-eye decides to punish him—which happens more often than not.

Thereby, to no one's surprise, Federer continued his unending quest to get on the wrong side of Hawk eye throughout the year and was even caught requesting 'C'mon, give me one!' to the challenge system during his QF match against Giles Muller. Sadly, even the plea didn’t work and Hawk-eye continued hunting the Swiss.

Mikhail Youzhny turns entertainer:In a moment of frustration during a tight match against Nicolas Almagro in Miami, the big Russian decided to lighten the atmosphere in his own unique way—he hit his forehead a number of times with his racket, causing blood to gush out all over his face. While many faces in the audience reflected something bordering “Dude?”, there were few who didn’t double up at this most ill-advised use to a Tennis racquet.

The Cardigan: Federer's big look for 2008's Wimbledon—a cardigan sweater with gold accents. The Last two years, he had those cream Blazers on. Now, the Cardigan was unique and all but blazers were much cooler. But well, we don’t complain, to give it to you, it wasn’t ugly, Mr Federer. But the big blip was to come later.

Roger decided to give away his prized sweater to Ms Serena Williams—after all, they were the King and Queen of Flushing Meadows—and the rest is history. Miss Williams gave us a Halloween treat with the precious gift. Maybe, you should just have stuck to your Sweater yourself, Rog.

Andy "Biceps" Murray: Andy Murray has worked very hard indeed on his fitness and physical stamina. And he had a very unique of showing it. After getting the better of Frenchman, Richard Gasquet in an epic effort at Wimbledon, the young Scot decided to show of his big muscles to his coach and fans. Yeah Andy, that is one prized possession—how about getting into a boxing bout with Mr. Rafael Nadal? You just may topple the World Number 1!

The Sui doubles celebration at the Olympics: Roger Federer had had a strangely difficult year so far and the man was under fire. Understandably, he needed to cut loose. And that he did with his compatriot, Stanislas Wawrinka at the Olympic Games. Having stunned the world by winning where they were least expected to, Roger and Stand debuted a special "we just won" ritual—The Drop and Roll on court.

It was apparently meant to signify that Wawrinka had been "hot" on court, but hey, didn’t most of us get lost. So guys, how about sticking to the usual old fashioned, undeniably and repetitively boring celebrations like punching the air with clenched fists and leaving all that weird symbolism to those writers and editors out there who don’t have many better things to do?

De Villiers big blunder: With nearly every player on tour are against him, Etienne De Villers finally decided to put up his boots and step down as the boss of ATP. The man not only brought ATP to a crossroads with more than a couple of blunders during his tenure as the head, he, probably thinking he knew more than he did, helped royally mess up the year for most of the top players, many of who by the end of the season seemed to need a support stand to stand up and go for a wash. Good bye Mr. De Villiers, though I don't suspect you will be missed by too many players.

The second most Elegant man of the planet: Roger Federer has been the eternal No. 2 everywhere this season—Roland Garros, Wimbledon, the year end Rankings, and…yes it is not done yet—The Classy Swiss lost out to Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld in the poll on the Most Elegant Man of Earth by Spanish rag Marca.

See Mr Elegant and decide for yourself:

http://soundbites.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/karl_lagerfeld.jpg

Sorry Roger, we can only say—"You wuz Robbed!"

"Where is my towel?": Jo Wilfred Tsonga neither had a dream run at the Masters Cup in Shanghai nor did he manage to gather some popularity among the spectators and more importantly, the ball boys of China.

The Frenchman had no qualms in making his disappointment at the performance of the ball boys during his Opening RR match (which he lost) clear as he was heard complaining about how he was made to wait for long seconds to be given a towel to scrub his face (after every point). Someone needs to realize that not all of them are like the French ball boys...

And finally….

The Djokovics and the Grand Prize for Buffonery:World No. 3, Novak Djokovic was the clown prince of the year. After making the headlines with his 'three words' for the then World Number 1, Roger Federer after stealing the Thunder Down Under (which sadly, didn’t go down too well with the formers legion of fans), it was young Jo’s family who made sure their tryst with foolishness continued throughout the year.

From being "politely" asked by the usually somber Federer to "Be Quiet" while play was on at Monte Carlo (which was appreciated enthusiastically by the crowd), to breaking into a television studio at Serbia where father Srdjan and uncle verbally berated the culprit televicion commentator who apparently had convinced Dad that he was not giving son Novak the appreciation due during his match against Rafael Nadal in Hamburg, NoJo and Family made sure they hogged the limelight for all the wrong reasons.

But the big dung bomb was dropped at the land of Apples when Nole decided to make some new pals. Before his Quarter final match against the defending Finalist, Andy Roddick unabashedly made fun of the Serb’s injuries (from anthrax to cold). Of course, one can argue he had said nothing for a war to be waged, but then our Belgrade Bomber had a sudden brainstorm and decided to think otherwise.

Nole made up his mind to go down the lane of silliness to stupidity and After beating the American in a well fought four set match, Djokovic did a "tit for tat" act by saying “Roddick thinks I have 16 injuries, but apparently I don’t” in an on court interview. Invariably, the American crowd showed their appreciation through a hailstorm of boos. And how things changed in one year—from the star of the tournament in 2007, this last year, NoJo seemed to be the most unwanted guest in an all American bash at Arthur Ashe.

So, after what has been a very eventful year in more ways than one, even as fans of the sport look forward to what will hopefully be an unpredictable, highly competitive and exciting season in the mad scramble for the top come 2009, it would be appropriate to say that we also expect some more of unique blunders, confusions to leave us scratching our heads in eye-popped amazement. Only, make some different follies the next season, guys!

[The writer earnestly hopes that all this will be taken in the lightest of spirits

Cheers!]