Does one hear these words ring out? In anguish? In concern? Or in just plain relief?
Has he been arrested for celebrating Alonso's win in the first ever F1 night race at Singapore in 2008, now that it is turning out to be a "race fixed by Renault"?
Or was he sitting directly in the line of fire (should it be ire?) of a frustrated Serena Williams and think the threat was being made to him and so is now maintaining a low profile, à la Salman Rushdie?
Is he heading for "the Rainbow country", intending to cover the ICC Awards and the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy? Or is he busy with the calculators, working out the chances of the teams participating in the tourney, with an eye to make a fortune by picking a team underrated by the bookies?
Or is he just maintaining a low profile, hiding in shame, for his inability to predict the winners, or even the finalists, with the exception of Roger Federer (that does not need one to be a rocket (racket?) scientist) of the recently concluded US Open?
Or is he on board Vijay Mallya's luxury yacht, probably on its way from Italy after the Monza race, heading like an arrow for Singapore and the next stop for Team Force India's tryst with glory and destiny, celebrating a famous fourth place finish for Adrian Sutil at Monza, sipping Kingfisher beer as a token of appreciation from the boss for post on relieving Fisichella to follow his dream with Ferrari?
Or, knowing his love for solving complex maths problems and puzzles, is he trying to figure out the solution to the equation on how many matches India needs to win at the ICC tournament to get back to the #1 ranking, simultaneously working on the probability of England avoiding a yellow-wash in their series against Australia, while also figuring out what South Africa is likely to do to overcome the insult of not having any of their cricketers in the final nominees for the ICC awards and how to overcome their jinx of excelling in the league games and then ruining it all in one poor showing at the knock-out stages, not to mention the unknown factors introduced by a blow-bot, blow-cold Pakistan, the eternal bridesmaid of recent times, Sri Lanka, the talented but underperforming Kiwis or the second string from the Windies?
Or is he a confused man, undecided on whether to celebrate the first ever 1-2 finish by Indians Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi at the US Men's Doubles a few days back or mourn Sania Mirza's inability to get on the board in only the second round coupled with Yuki Bhambri's quarterfinal exit when he was top seed in the boy's singles and expected to win?
Surely Pankaj Advani's success in the Professional Billiard's World championship deserved a mention, being only the second Indian after Geet Sethi to accomplish this feat? As did Vijender Kumar's bronze medal, India's first ever medal, in the Boxing World Cup. Then why the silence?
NEWS FLASH:
When last seen, the author of this blog was desperately trying to get a complaint through to set right a faulty internet connection, that probably went wrong due to the recent heavy rains, much like the city's roads. What a pity - such a let down, just an one's imagination was running wild.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Federer and the "hot dog" shot
The "hot dog" shot is one where a player chases back to retrieve a lob and then hits the ball between his legs with his back to the net.
Obviously Federer is very good at this, as he is with all the tennis shots - in the book and those that he will be adding to it. He also has the perfect sense of when to play it - to get to match point is absolutely the best time - it stuns you so much that playing the last point is just a formality.
So what does one do now?? 2 choices - either you don't play the lob against Federer or you put so much top spin in it that it races away after pitching. Then maybe Fedex will come up with a "hot dog volley". Till then, please watch and enjoy!!!
Obviously Federer is very good at this, as he is with all the tennis shots - in the book and those that he will be adding to it. He also has the perfect sense of when to play it - to get to match point is absolutely the best time - it stuns you so much that playing the last point is just a formality.
So what does one do now?? 2 choices - either you don't play the lob against Federer or you put so much top spin in it that it races away after pitching. Then maybe Fedex will come up with a "hot dog volley". Till then, please watch and enjoy!!!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
The Djoker and the King
The US Open this year threw up an interesting match up. Maybe for the first time, there was someone who was not in the top 120, nor a qualifier, or a wildcard on the court. This is fun, specially for all the John McEnroe fans like me. If he can do this at age 45+, in formals you can well imagine him in his prime.
Watch and enjoy!!!
Watch and enjoy!!!
ICC Champions Trophy - a look into the past - the 1998 story
The ICC Champions Trophy, as it is known today, was first played as the ICC Knock-out Trophy, in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 1998 and, as the name suggests, it was a pure knock-out tournament. This ODI tournament was arranged with the aim to be the second most important limited overs tournament, after the World Cup. The first edition featured 9 teams, with Zimbabwe playing New Zealand in a preliminary match, followed by the quarterfinals, semis and finals.
New Zealand beat Zimbabwe by 5 wickets, to qualify for the main tournament, scoring the winning runs of the last ball of their innings. In what turned out to be a match between the captains, Stephen Fleming managed to trump the century scored by Alistair Campbell, bagging the Man of the Match for his 96 runs.
In the first quarterfinal, England, being captained by Adam Hollioake, won the toss against Hansie Cronje's South Africans and scored a creditable 281 off their allotted quota of overs. Again, the captain stole the batting honours with Adam top scoring with an unbeaten 83. In reply, 3 South African batsmen, Cullinan (Man of the Match for topscoring with 69), Jonty Rhodes and captain Cronje got past 50, ensuring a win for their team by a confortable margin.
The next quarters was between Sri Lanka and New Zealand and with the latter managing to post only 188, batting first, Sri Lanka were home for a comfortable 5 wicket win. Captain Arjuna Ranatunga (not another captain!!!) guided the team to the target, scoring an unbeaten 90, after the Lankans had lost 3 wickets by the 4th over.
The next match, between India, led by Md. Azharuddin, and Australia, led by Steve Waugh, really turned out to be a match between Sachin Tendulkar and the Aussies. Sachin, a real thorn in the Aussie flesh in those days, scored 141 in India's total of 307 for 8 and, as though that was not enough, went on to take 4 wickets for 38 runs, including the scalps of Steve Waugh, Michael Bevan and Damien Martyn. That effort ensured an easy decision for the Man of the Match adjudicator and also marked the beginning of a miserable run for the Aussies in this tournament, which finally ended with the title win in the last edition.
The final quarterfinal match was between the Brian Lara led West Indeies and the Aamer Sohail led Pakistanis. The Windies, after scoring 289 for 9, restricted the Pakistanis to 259 for 9, thereby qualifying for the semis.
The first semi-final between South Africa and Sri Lanka was delayed by rain and started as a 39 overs a side match. Jacques Kallis, who had a fine tournament exhibiting his all-round skills, scored an unbeaten 113 in his side's 240/7. Further rain interruption meant that Sri Lanak were set a target of 224 in 34 overs, under the Duckworth-Lewis formula. The Lankans did not last that long, being bowled out for 132 in the 24th over, giving the Proteas their first appearance in a major final.
The early dismissal of Sachin and Azharuddin, followed by Dravid and Jadeja at regular intervals, emant that India were always fighting with their backs to the wall. Ganguly fot 83 and Robin Singh an unbeating 77 in India's total of 242/6. Sachin, the bowler, again tried to turn the match on its head, but Chanderpaul had other ideas and so the Windies were in a major final after 15 long years.
Philo Wallace's 103 and Kallis' 5 for 30 were the highlights of the West Indian's innings when they batted first in the finals. For them to set an unbeatable target, they need Brian Lara to come good - and he did not. But the South African captain did not miss his trick and Cronje's unbeaten 61, coupled with some useful contributions down the order meant that the Proteas were home and dry - and at last found some silverware to justify their potential...
New Zealand beat Zimbabwe by 5 wickets, to qualify for the main tournament, scoring the winning runs of the last ball of their innings. In what turned out to be a match between the captains, Stephen Fleming managed to trump the century scored by Alistair Campbell, bagging the Man of the Match for his 96 runs.
In the first quarterfinal, England, being captained by Adam Hollioake, won the toss against Hansie Cronje's South Africans and scored a creditable 281 off their allotted quota of overs. Again, the captain stole the batting honours with Adam top scoring with an unbeaten 83. In reply, 3 South African batsmen, Cullinan (Man of the Match for topscoring with 69), Jonty Rhodes and captain Cronje got past 50, ensuring a win for their team by a confortable margin.
The next quarters was between Sri Lanka and New Zealand and with the latter managing to post only 188, batting first, Sri Lanka were home for a comfortable 5 wicket win. Captain Arjuna Ranatunga (not another captain!!!) guided the team to the target, scoring an unbeaten 90, after the Lankans had lost 3 wickets by the 4th over.
The next match, between India, led by Md. Azharuddin, and Australia, led by Steve Waugh, really turned out to be a match between Sachin Tendulkar and the Aussies. Sachin, a real thorn in the Aussie flesh in those days, scored 141 in India's total of 307 for 8 and, as though that was not enough, went on to take 4 wickets for 38 runs, including the scalps of Steve Waugh, Michael Bevan and Damien Martyn. That effort ensured an easy decision for the Man of the Match adjudicator and also marked the beginning of a miserable run for the Aussies in this tournament, which finally ended with the title win in the last edition.
The final quarterfinal match was between the Brian Lara led West Indeies and the Aamer Sohail led Pakistanis. The Windies, after scoring 289 for 9, restricted the Pakistanis to 259 for 9, thereby qualifying for the semis.
The first semi-final between South Africa and Sri Lanka was delayed by rain and started as a 39 overs a side match. Jacques Kallis, who had a fine tournament exhibiting his all-round skills, scored an unbeaten 113 in his side's 240/7. Further rain interruption meant that Sri Lanak were set a target of 224 in 34 overs, under the Duckworth-Lewis formula. The Lankans did not last that long, being bowled out for 132 in the 24th over, giving the Proteas their first appearance in a major final.
The early dismissal of Sachin and Azharuddin, followed by Dravid and Jadeja at regular intervals, emant that India were always fighting with their backs to the wall. Ganguly fot 83 and Robin Singh an unbeating 77 in India's total of 242/6. Sachin, the bowler, again tried to turn the match on its head, but Chanderpaul had other ideas and so the Windies were in a major final after 15 long years.
Philo Wallace's 103 and Kallis' 5 for 30 were the highlights of the West Indian's innings when they batted first in the finals. For them to set an unbeatable target, they need Brian Lara to come good - and he did not. But the South African captain did not miss his trick and Cronje's unbeaten 61, coupled with some useful contributions down the order meant that the Proteas were home and dry - and at last found some silverware to justify their potential...
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
The ICC Champions Trophy - A Preview
The fan following of this blog is growing, but not by leaps and bounds, as I would like it to be. In a country like ours, this means only one thing. That it is time for an article on cricket - after all, nothing sells like cricket in India. We are now in the midst of a short tri-series being played in Sri Lanka, involving India and New Zealand in addition to the hosts. In the first match, Sri Lanka got the better of New Zealand, by a comfortable margin, in a low scoring match. As this article is not really on the Compaq Cup, here's something for those interested in watching the match highlights (in 3 capsules).
An interesting fact about the Compaq Cup is that it is the first digital trophy, incorporating a small LCD screen which will display winning moments, key statistics, photographs and fan messages. A novel idea for a trophy indeed!!!
However, for the diehard cricket fan, the Compaq Cup is only like a promo, when compared to the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, to be played in South Africa, from the 22nd of September to the 5th of October. 8 teams divided into 2 groups and 15 matches in total - 12 round robin matches and 3 knock-out ones.
The schedule of the matches is as follows:
Tue Sep 22 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group B - South Africa v Sri Lanka at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Wed Sep 23 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group A - Pakistan v West Indies at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Thu Sep 24 at 09:30 local (07:30 GMT, 13:00 IST)
Group B - South Africa v New Zealand at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Fri Sep 25 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group B - England v Sri Lanka New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sat Sep 26 at 09:30 local (07:30 GMT, 13:00 IST)
Group A - Australia v West Indies at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sat Sep 26 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group A - India v Pakistan at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sun Sep 27 at 09:30 local (07:30 GMT, 13:00 IST)
Group B - New Zealand v Sri Lanka at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sun Sep 27 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group B - South Africa v England at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Mon Sep 28 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group A - Australia v India at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Tue Sep 29 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group B - England v New Zealand at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Wed Sep 30 at 09:30 local (07:30 GMT, 13:00 IST)
Group A - Australia v Pakistan at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Wed Sep 30 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group A - India v West Indies at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Fri Oct 2 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
1st Semi-Final - A1 v B2 at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sat Oct 3 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
2nd Semi-Final - B1 v A2 at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Mon Oct 5 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Final at SuperSport Park, Centurion
As can be seen, the 2 groups are
Group A - India, Australia, Pakistan, West Indies
Group B - South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, New Zealand
As all participating nations are regular test-playing nations, with no new comers, it is expected that all the 15 matches will be well contested. It is hoped that this tournament breathes much needed life into a format that many experts feel is fast losing ground to the instant thrills provided by the T20 format.
An interesting fact about the Compaq Cup is that it is the first digital trophy, incorporating a small LCD screen which will display winning moments, key statistics, photographs and fan messages. A novel idea for a trophy indeed!!!
However, for the diehard cricket fan, the Compaq Cup is only like a promo, when compared to the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, to be played in South Africa, from the 22nd of September to the 5th of October. 8 teams divided into 2 groups and 15 matches in total - 12 round robin matches and 3 knock-out ones.
The schedule of the matches is as follows:
Tue Sep 22 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group B - South Africa v Sri Lanka at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Wed Sep 23 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group A - Pakistan v West Indies at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Thu Sep 24 at 09:30 local (07:30 GMT, 13:00 IST)
Group B - South Africa v New Zealand at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Fri Sep 25 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group B - England v Sri Lanka New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sat Sep 26 at 09:30 local (07:30 GMT, 13:00 IST)
Group A - Australia v West Indies at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sat Sep 26 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group A - India v Pakistan at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sun Sep 27 at 09:30 local (07:30 GMT, 13:00 IST)
Group B - New Zealand v Sri Lanka at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sun Sep 27 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group B - South Africa v England at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Mon Sep 28 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group A - Australia v India at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Tue Sep 29 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group B - England v New Zealand at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Wed Sep 30 at 09:30 local (07:30 GMT, 13:00 IST)
Group A - Australia v Pakistan at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Wed Sep 30 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Group A - India v West Indies at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Fri Oct 2 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
1st Semi-Final - A1 v B2 at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sat Oct 3 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
2nd Semi-Final - B1 v A2 at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Mon Oct 5 at 14:30 local (12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST)
Final at SuperSport Park, Centurion
As can be seen, the 2 groups are
Group A - India, Australia, Pakistan, West Indies
Group B - South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, New Zealand
As all participating nations are regular test-playing nations, with no new comers, it is expected that all the 15 matches will be well contested. It is hoped that this tournament breathes much needed life into a format that many experts feel is fast losing ground to the instant thrills provided by the T20 format.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Dasvidanya Marat!!!
Marat Safin's last match, before retirement, was a true reflection of his career - unpredictable. Having wont the first set, by a mile, he promptly lost the next three to make his last Grand slam tournament an extremely forgetful one. Safin's career has been like a roller coaster ride and his ranking over the period of his professional career, stretching from 1997 to 2009, reflects this.
Take a look at this:
Year 1997 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09
Rank 0203 49 23 02 11 03 77 04 12 26 58 29 61
Absolutely sinusoidal. And that takes some achieving!!!
On his given day he could be brilliant. Blessed with a near-perfect physique, the factor that gave his opponents hope was his fickle temperament. While most of us have a split personality, it was more evident in Safin. One just wondered which Safin would turn up on court - the brilliant shot maker or the one bent on harakiri. Often it really did not matter - the self destruct button was never too far away if the brilliant shot maker did show up. Such a weakness would normally mean that the player would not stand a chance in the longer 2-week tournaments. That Safin did win 2 Grand Slam titles, in addition to reaching the championship round in another 2 Grand Slams, speaks volumes of his ability and talent. He also went on to be ranked world number 1 for 9 weeks between November 2000 and April 2001, soon after winning the US Open in 2000, defeating Pete Sampras in the finals. His amazing all-round game ensured that he reached the semi-finals of all the Grand Slams, thereby proving that he had the game to suit all surfaces, once he kept his famous temper in check. His most famous win was his thrilling 5 set win over Roger Federer in the semi-finals of the 2005 Australian Open - a match that ended Federer's 26 match streak over Top-10 players in Grand Slams and a result that must have been sweet revenge for his loss to the same player in the finals of the previous edition. He went on to win his second singles Grand Slam title defeating home favorite Lleyton Hewitt in 4 sets.
Safin's younger sister, Dinara Safina, also a tennis player, emulated her brother, to be the current world number one in the women's ranking and this must be a proud achievement for the Safin family. However, Dinara Safina is yet to win a Grand Slam crown despite reaching 3 finals, of which 2 were in 2009 (the Australian Open and the French Open). Let's hope that Safin's retirement gives him time to support his sister in her quest for Grand Slam glory. Heer's wishing the duo all the best in the future.
Take a look at this:
Year 1997 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09
Rank 0203 49 23 02 11 03 77 04 12 26 58 29 61
Absolutely sinusoidal. And that takes some achieving!!!
On his given day he could be brilliant. Blessed with a near-perfect physique, the factor that gave his opponents hope was his fickle temperament. While most of us have a split personality, it was more evident in Safin. One just wondered which Safin would turn up on court - the brilliant shot maker or the one bent on harakiri. Often it really did not matter - the self destruct button was never too far away if the brilliant shot maker did show up. Such a weakness would normally mean that the player would not stand a chance in the longer 2-week tournaments. That Safin did win 2 Grand Slam titles, in addition to reaching the championship round in another 2 Grand Slams, speaks volumes of his ability and talent. He also went on to be ranked world number 1 for 9 weeks between November 2000 and April 2001, soon after winning the US Open in 2000, defeating Pete Sampras in the finals. His amazing all-round game ensured that he reached the semi-finals of all the Grand Slams, thereby proving that he had the game to suit all surfaces, once he kept his famous temper in check. His most famous win was his thrilling 5 set win over Roger Federer in the semi-finals of the 2005 Australian Open - a match that ended Federer's 26 match streak over Top-10 players in Grand Slams and a result that must have been sweet revenge for his loss to the same player in the finals of the previous edition. He went on to win his second singles Grand Slam title defeating home favorite Lleyton Hewitt in 4 sets.
Safin's younger sister, Dinara Safina, also a tennis player, emulated her brother, to be the current world number one in the women's ranking and this must be a proud achievement for the Safin family. However, Dinara Safina is yet to win a Grand Slam crown despite reaching 3 finals, of which 2 were in 2009 (the Australian Open and the French Open). Let's hope that Safin's retirement gives him time to support his sister in her quest for Grand Slam glory. Heer's wishing the duo all the best in the future.
Oh - these Italians.... and an Indian's large heartedness...
There cannot be smoke without fire - what was said to be a rumor when Fisichella took the podium at Spa, was confirmed news a few days later. Fisichella has driven his last race for Team Force India. Ferrari have solved their driver problem by passing it on to Vijay Mallya.
In my previous post on the Spa race, a couple of reasons were put forward for Fisichella's lack of fight in holding on to the top position during the race. There could have been another reason - Force India driver Adrian Sutil was in line for scoring the teams first points on 2 previous occasions and both times it was Raikkonen who put paid to all such hopes. So was it a calculated gamble to let Raikkonen pass? After all, it is better to watch all his moves than have him sit on your tail. As they say these days, lessons learned, corrective action and best practices.
With the news of Fisichellas move, a devious mind could conjure up a fourth reason for allowing Kimi pass. A return for the favor to fulfill a dream? Surely, a team with no points in the kitty is going to be happy with 8 points and would not mourn the loss of 2 points. Was Fisichella approached before the Spa race? If I were the Ferrari boss, would I be more impressed by a driver who fought for the first place (against my team driver) or by one who took the safe route to take an almost assured second place?
Well, it takes all kinds to make this world and that's why it is so interesting. We will never get to know the truth, so let the case rest.
Whatever may be in everyone's else's heart, one can be sure that Vijay Mallya has his heart in the right place. As one in service for almost 25 years and having served out numerous bonds (or contracts as the players have), a gesture of relieving someone of his obligations is magnanimous, to say the least. Only a person who believe in chasing wild dreams could understand the dreams of others. Fisichella says he would like to end his career with Ferrari, a household name for every Italian. And what better place to join the team than Monza? Thanks to Vijay Mallya, Fisichella will get to live his dream. And this gives me hope too... maybe the same man will help fulfill my dream...
In my previous post on the Spa race, a couple of reasons were put forward for Fisichella's lack of fight in holding on to the top position during the race. There could have been another reason - Force India driver Adrian Sutil was in line for scoring the teams first points on 2 previous occasions and both times it was Raikkonen who put paid to all such hopes. So was it a calculated gamble to let Raikkonen pass? After all, it is better to watch all his moves than have him sit on your tail. As they say these days, lessons learned, corrective action and best practices.
With the news of Fisichellas move, a devious mind could conjure up a fourth reason for allowing Kimi pass. A return for the favor to fulfill a dream? Surely, a team with no points in the kitty is going to be happy with 8 points and would not mourn the loss of 2 points. Was Fisichella approached before the Spa race? If I were the Ferrari boss, would I be more impressed by a driver who fought for the first place (against my team driver) or by one who took the safe route to take an almost assured second place?
Well, it takes all kinds to make this world and that's why it is so interesting. We will never get to know the truth, so let the case rest.
Whatever may be in everyone's else's heart, one can be sure that Vijay Mallya has his heart in the right place. As one in service for almost 25 years and having served out numerous bonds (or contracts as the players have), a gesture of relieving someone of his obligations is magnanimous, to say the least. Only a person who believe in chasing wild dreams could understand the dreams of others. Fisichella says he would like to end his career with Ferrari, a household name for every Italian. And what better place to join the team than Monza? Thanks to Vijay Mallya, Fisichella will get to live his dream. And this gives me hope too... maybe the same man will help fulfill my dream...
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
On the cards
The final tennis grand slam of the year - the US Open - is underway. And the men's singles event is going to be the cynosure of all tennis fans. While Roger Federer is the firm favorite, one cannot write off the chances of Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Andy Roddick. The Federer-Nadal saga has taken a complete u-turn since last year, with the hunter now being the hunted. Nadal should now be feeling the shoe pinch, in addition to his troublesome knees, as the shoe is on the foot now. Last year Federer arrived at Flushing Meadows after having been mauled by Nadal in the French Open and robbed of his Wimbledon crown and the chance to go past Borg's five consecutive wins by the same nemesis, this time is a five-set classic though. And losing his #1 ranking - to who else - must have been salt in his wounds. However, he went on to put all the doubting Thomases in their place by making it 5-in-a-row at New York, with a truly majestic performance. And today, Nadal is in the same boat that Federer abandanoed at the Arthur Ashe stadium last year. In fact, he is facing a bigger mountain than Federer did on a cuple of more counts - in addition to the loss of his Wimbledon crown and the #1 ranking, he has lost his French Open title, which was unchallenged for 4 years and with it his aura of invincibility on clay. And he faces the question whether his knees can support his "chase-down-every-ball" game style. It really looks like his bulging arms muscles used to intimidate his opponents, for his record is more mortal-like once he stopped wearing his sleeveless T-shirts. Watch this space for the coverage of the US Open.
In September, we also have the ICC Champions Trophy coming up in South Africa. Here, again, the undisputed champions in the 50-over format, Australia, have lost their invincibility, and the other teams - South Africa, India and Sri Lanka - have turned in impressive performances, leaving a more levelled playing field. Interesting fare in the offing and one hopes for some close matches with nail-biting finishes, to get the charm back into this format of the game.
And I hope to do some writing on the Premier League and other football matches, at least to please The dream Chaser, if not for anything else. This will mean hard work for me, but anything for you, my friend.
Keep reading and sending in your comments.
In September, we also have the ICC Champions Trophy coming up in South Africa. Here, again, the undisputed champions in the 50-over format, Australia, have lost their invincibility, and the other teams - South Africa, India and Sri Lanka - have turned in impressive performances, leaving a more levelled playing field. Interesting fare in the offing and one hopes for some close matches with nail-biting finishes, to get the charm back into this format of the game.
And I hope to do some writing on the Premier League and other football matches, at least to please The dream Chaser, if not for anything else. This will mean hard work for me, but anything for you, my friend.
Keep reading and sending in your comments.
Down Memory Lane - The Alonso Hamilton Mercedes Commercial
This one is pure fun - a well made commercial. Great lyrics too. And it was supposed to be made in the days when Alonso was having trouble with Hamilton and the McLaren Mercedes team, during his first season with them - this does not show though. A treat for all Alonso and Hamilton fans. A final appearance by Mika Hakkinen is the icing on the cake. The 5 red lights are off, signalling the start of a great race!!!
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