Roger Federer-Gael Monfils: Taking a Leaf from "Harry Potter"

Draco Dormeins Nunquam Titillnadus is the Latin motif of the magical school of Hogwarts, which literally means, "Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon."

If Roland Garros 2009 is considered to be as the Quidditch tournament held in the school, then the above motif seems to have been triggered: Nole, Rafa, and Murray, essentially in that order, have been disrupted; the only person who remains standing is Roger Federer in the statuesque Gryffindor lion style!

This brings me back to today's match between Roger Federer and Gael Monfils, which uncannily reminds me of Harry Potter's inspired Gryffindor playing against Slytherin [technically it should have been Hufflepuff since Monfils is wearing yellow, but still, Slytherin sounds much more looming] and three-quarters of the world praying for a Federer victory.

There is a dialogue in the book between the team captain Oliver Wood and Harry Potter that reflects how important the win would be to the team and how maniacal a captain can get with his boys (and girls).

"Listen Harry, you must and can catch the Snitch only when we are 150 points up."

He says this sentence every time class gets over and whenever he catches up with Harry in the corridors in between lectures [Oliver is the height of exasperation sometimes].

Now, I don't know who will do an Oliver Wood to Federer. "Remember Roger, you have to win this under any circumstance." Maybe his team or maybe his fans who practically yell at the TV set egging him on (I am included, of course).

Unlike Gryffindor and Slytherin though, Federer and Monfils don't have a rancour-seeped, ugliness-bared rivalry. However, Federer fans won't forget Monfils in a hurry if he echoes a Robin Soderling, and they definitely won't pardon him with a big 32-watt smile!

There are no four balls or no three long hoops in this match making players sweep in broomsticks; it's a rectangular patch of ground firmly rooted to the land attached with a net separating the two opponents holding a bat playing on two personal two-legs instead of contraptions.

There won't be any chances of cracked bones as Harry falls off his broom dashing miserably to the ground. The only thing that can be matter-of-factly said if one of them slips on the dirt (most probably Monfils, as he is the one who will be doing most of the acrobatics), will be " Well, he did bite the dust."

The end result ultimately should also match the end result in the theme from which this idea is borrowed: Gryffindor (aka Roger Federer) should triumph in a [preferably] less nerve-wracking contest against Monfils. After all, there has to be some demarcated line between fact and fiction, no matter however enjoyable both may be!