Tennis!

Disclaimer! This blog is being written by someone who chanced upon the world of tennis after the era of Borg/McEnroe/ Connors etc, and therefore does not mention these greats in its text!


While watching a match being played at the Cincinnati masters yesterday, I got into a rather heated argument with Aditya about Djokovic , Nadal and Federer...and when an uneasy calm settled down in the living room, I pondered on how and when this obsession with tennis began...The culprit of course is Raja - he introduced me to murder mysteries (or rather, to the great Ed McBain), old english songs and...tennis.

I'd never been interested in sports of any kind (except perhaps a bit of gymnastics and ice skating, not that these were telecast regularly by doordarshan!). It was 1989 when I first sat down to watch a tennis match - Wimbledon was being telecast (those days only the finals were telecast). Raja, not wanting to be disturbed while watching, explained the rules to me quickly between service breaks. I watched these 2 players knock the ball around - Stefan Edberg had this cute habit of sticking his tongue out while serving, Becker made this big noise when it was his turn...and as I watched the drama unfold, I was surely and truly sucked in. Torn between my growing affection for the sweet, cute Edberg and awe for the melodramatic Becker, I cheered them on, not wanting this exciting match to ever complete! Sadly of course there was only one winner - and the game of tennis added a new fan to its fast growing list!

One of the biggest benefits of moving to Dubai in '92 was being able to watch more tennis! For all the grand slams were covered and telecast by star plus. I plotted and planned family meals and ways of keeping a young, active Aditya occupied when these matches were on! Much to Raja's amusement, soon I developed strong favourites and dislikes and egged my 'boys' and 'girls' to win over those I didn't much care for. I mean, what did people see in Pete Sampras, for God's sake? The man had a massive serve, but nothing much else (in my very knowledgeable opinion). I still remember that epic match he played against Peter Korda.

Anyway, I've been thinking of the questions the pundits of the tennis world often ask - 'who is the greatest of them all?'. Personally I think that's a rather daft question - for who knows how Borg would fare against Federer or vice versa? But on the other hand, one could list out the many favourites, and that's what I plan on doing.

The women 

These days I tend not to watch the women's tennis, as there aren't so many good ones around (although this year's Wimbledon had a couple of interesting new names playing well - Kvitova and Lisicki for example). But thimngs were very different in the bygone years - who could ever forget the countless matches that Navaratilova played and won? Or the great Monica Seles - who knows what records she would have broken had she not be stopped cruelly after being stabbed by a fan of Graf's? The 'always the bridesmaid...' Novotona - how frustrating it was to watch this extremely talented played lose - time and time again - for the lack of self belief? The elegant and dignified Clisters, the foxy but gifted Henin-Hardenne, the ever smiling Mary Pierce, the inconsistent Mauresemo...but alas, then the Williams sisters came to dominate the womens tennis for many years. While their background stories were amazing and so were some of their shots, the ease with which they put opponents out brought the issue facing women's tennis to light - there weren't too many good players left! So until and unless this changes, I will not be tuning into their matches....

Men!

Well, one must say that in this species has conitnued to hold me enthralled - in the world of tennis, that is!

The have beens - Boom boom Becker, sweet-natured Edberg, the calm and contained Courier, the ever popular Kuerten...and then ofcourse Pat Rafter and Andre agassi! I have never been able to understand why Rafter retired so soon, so early when his career was just beginning to peak. He was fabulous to watch - and so was his game! I remember my firm loyalty to Agassi being tested when he played that epic match against Rafter, boy was that one of the most exciting matches played ever! But my all time favourite ofcourse was Andre Agassi. While he won accolades for his great talent at a young age, I watched him play only when he came into the tennis again for a second shot at greatness. For in 1993 he had slipped in rankings - all the way down to 141 on the list. But the he got his act together, trained hard (he was a demon for physical fitness during these years - he would run up a hill/mountain, and he often overtook his trainer while doing so), and under Brad Gilbert's tutelage worked his way to the top - he was number 1 by 1995! This is something that has always amazed me about him - that he didn't just slip away, but clawed his way back. A baseline player, famous for his great 'return of serve' skills, one knew when Agassi had got his teeth stuck into an opponent....a certain gleam lit his eyes, and soon the master puppeteer had his opponent run from one corner to the other, and  the spectators held their breath, waiting for the killing shot! Sampras - Agassi's nemesis - played some of his best matches against the great A. Even now during rain breaks sports' channels telecast that great Rafter Vs Agassi or Sampras Vs Agassi matches. His trade mark hug to his fans at the end of each of his matches added to his charisma, and helped his ever growing popularity. Since retirement he has set up his  the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a tuition-free charter school for at-risk children living in the area.

The could/might have beens :
One of the reasons I hold Agassi in such high esteem is the fact that he pulled his act together, to put his skill to good use, and through sheer determination reached the number 1 slot he much deserved. Alas, many other players have allowed their skill to die in waste. Berdych (albeit mostly due to injuries), Haas (temper, temper!), Malisse...but of them all, Safin and Nalbandian have to rank the highest in this list of 'might have beens'. Both scintillating players, with a wonderful repertoire of shots, they were the only 2 to have defeated Federer in his heydays. Marat even got to number one very briefly. But the money, fame, the party life & girls that came along with all this distracted this immensely talented player - and alas, the world of tennis didn't get to see the best of him. As for David Nalbandian...well, what can one say? What a waste of all that God given talent. Who could forget that wonderful match when he defeated Federer in the year end masters' finals? And yet, his career rankings, titles are hardly worth mentioning. Was it a lack of discipline? A lack of committment? A lack of focus? Who knows, but once again, the spectators have been cheated of another tennis great.

And now,my favourites!

Better than the best?? Novak Djokovic's current run - 0f 55 match wins and just 2 losses - is certainly an impressive one. I remember the first year he burst onto the 'men's tennis' scene, having made his mark in the juniors. His charismatic personality did not in any way diminish his shot making skills...he was quite riveting to watch, one of those 'clever' players, who varied his game once he figured how to get to his opponent. and this is I guess what differentiates the 'great' from the 'best', the fact that they can vary their game, and can think for themselves and alter their style/shots depending on who they're playing against. However, he lacked in stamina, and quite often ran out of breath, and it was obvious to all that he would not survive a 5 set match, let alone win it. But boy did he make everyone sit up and take notice. Coming from a small town in Serbia, growing up when the country was torn by internal feuds, apparently he practiced tennis in an unused swimming pool! Sheer determination to make something of himself urged him to improve his game, and he has reached the number 1 title at such a young age. A nasal surgery, couple of bad years and change in diet seems to have worked wonders for him - for he appears to be the one who felled the almost invincible giant named Nadal. Besides possessing a wonderful array of shots, he is quite gracious in defeat, and is one of those rare players (Roddick, Tsonga - some of the othes) who has the decency and dignity to applaud a good shot from his opponent during a match. He is the only player to have won 5 masters titles in the same calendar year. Hats off, Djoko - and may your winning streak continue. 

And now, the very best!

With a mind boggling array of records under his belt (66 titles, #1 for 285 consecutive weeks (!), only player to have finished Top 2 in year-end for eight consecutive years, to have reached 23 grand slam semi-finals ...oh, the list is endless!), the 'Federer Express' - as he was affectionately referred to by the press when at his peak! - firmly remains my all time favourite. While he did win his Juniors Wimbledon title as early as 1998, he was prone to temper tantrums at a younger age (in the tennis world, mid 20s is old!)...however, he learnt to control this and focus on his game. And boy what a game he plays! He clearly raised the bar in tennis terms, taking the game by its throat and giving forehand winners a new meaning. While he appears slight in build (no obvious flexing of brawns), he is obviously one of the fittest players in the game. Think about it - when did one last hear of Federer pulling out of a match due to injury? Or undergo hip/shoulder/knee surgeries? When did you last see the trainer on court attending to him? You see what I mean?? He moves around the court swiftly and stealthily, so much so one doesn't appreciate his speed of movement. A brilliant serve (and no, not in terms of 'speed' but more in terms of its devastating effect/impact), mind blowing down the line forehands, breath taking drop shots, ability to handle all courts (while he hasn't had many successes on clay,he has reached the French open finals 5 times in the last 8 years, a record bested only by Borg and Nadal in this aspect) equally well....he forced the younger players to 'up' their game, and for many years had the halo of awe blinding his opponents. Sauve, elegant, smooth and stylish, he makes his shots seem effortless, one rarely sees him break into a sweat, or jump up, thumping his chest when he hits a fabulous shot. Not for him the antics of others, who attempt to rouse the crowd or irk the opponent by his body language. Not for him the time wasting tactics of Nadal before a serve! And I think this is what makes him so special - he just glides in, around and out....keeping the spectator glued to the game as one blink of an eyelid and a dazzling shot will be missed. Yes, Nadal has been his nemesis, and for a player who has been the only one to end Djokovic endless winning streak this year, Roger appears not to have figured out a way to beat Nadal. And alas the 'pundits' harp on this, forgetting how even at the age of 30 he is still in the top 5 (currently ranked #3), and appears to reach semi finals of most tournamennts with ease...and if he doesn't make it to the US open finals this year, it will be the 1st time since 2003 that Roger hasn't made it to 3 of the 4 grand slam finals in the same calendar year, and that in itself is no mean feat. Who knows what records he would have achieved had he not been blighted by glandular fever? Salutations, Mr Federer - and thank you for the many, many years of wonderful tennis matches and wins...