Grass & Clay = Chalk & Cheese, eh?

Barely a fortnight separates the two, the seeded players too aren’t very different, the continent doesn’t change, yet for some reason the two non-hard court slams have a trend of producing different champions! The change of surface could be the major reason, or the suitability of certain players to certain conditions or simply a coincidence.

Let us scroll down ‘recent history’ to explore this occurrence! Since the year 2000 only thrice has the Wimbledon and French Open had the same men’s single champion - 2008 & 2010 (Nadal), 2009 (Federer). Nadal’s early ouster from this year’s Wimbledon came as a shocker, yet there have been instances of the French Open champion bowing out early at London - Gustavo Kuerten (R3 - 2000), Juan Carlos Ferrero (R4 - 2003), Rafael Nadal (R2 - 2005).

Sania's Stance Is Valid, But Can We Move On?

Fierce shot, strong return, cheeky drop shot, helpless leave and a brutal serve is what Bhupathi, Paes, Bopanna, AITA officials and Sania respectively have had to offer over the last couple of weeks; all in the verbal sense of it! The Olympics are barely a month away and at a time when India is about to send its largest contingent for tennis, here we are debating and analyzing what the players have to say about each other and about the governing body, rather than discussing their skills and potential ability to win medals. Each of the enlisted entity have had its elaborate share of washing dirty linen in public and the latest to that is India’s highest ranked ‘female’ tennis player.

So is Sania’s stance appropriate? Does that add to the muddle that has already swelled to a point of embarrassment? For starters Sania’s views are well timed and hence appear more than genuine; she spoke only after her entry into the Olympics was confirmed. If you read the entire transcript completely you will realize that her position has been well advocated, exaggerating the language only wherever it should be (the part about male chauvinism). The quotes sparked off sharp responses from many, including those who aren’t her fans, the consensus endorsing her dissent about the kind of treatment that was dished out.

Beauty & Her Crown Of Jewels!

Though she makes you switch on the mute button of your TV, though she doesn’t quite make for exemplary tennis but it would be a hard exercise to list tennis viewers who don’t like to watch her play! She’s loved by millions, emerged as teen prodigy, an advertiser’s dream and the career slam achieved at Paris splashes the cream on a delightful career.

Her tennis career has fluctuated more than the crude oil prices over the last few years, yet there is something about her which makes her fans support with unperturbed zest. A major injury hampered her potential growth as a superpower in the women’s circuit after a dream debut, but since last year you can see her getting back to where it began; both in terms of unperturbed determination to win and the brand of tennis.

The Fine Line Between Good & Very Good!

Every sport has its flagship tourney, which is meant to test the best and showcase the rest! Likewise the 4 Grand Slams provide the opportunity to top ranked tennis players to compete with the best and exhibit their skills in front of a large pool of audience. The French Open of 2012 has had each of the above-mentioned attribute: the top seeds have been tested and the fringe top seeds have had their opportunity to command applause and admiration.

Sports fans/commentators/viewers often speak up a clichéd thought - ‘may the best player win’. In every discipline you find sportsmen who are separated by a thin line of quality which defines that ‘best’ in the above statement. This week’s tennis has reiterated this fine line between the good and the very good. Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic & Roger Federer are outstanding bearers of the tennis racquet, though each one of them is at a different stage of his individual career. While Nadal is almost a clay court perfectionist, Djokovic & Federer have customized their game to meet the needs. Yet a common thread that knits the 3 into a single bracket is of that their ‘never-say-die’ attitude!

Indian Sports Need Identity Not Comparison

A hat-trick of world championship in a sport that invariably everyone at some point of time would have attempted their hands at - chess, is a phenomenal achievement by an outstanding individual. No dancing around or punching the air or visible over the moon celebrations but an honourable acceptance of victory and the innocent-like, infectious smile followed. What followed in the public and media though was a sense of immense respect and quite but humble joy; alas like it has happened throughout - these sentiments made way only for the day Anand won the title.

The following day sms and online polls were asking people whether Anand is the greatest Indian sportsperson ever or whether he deserves the Bharat Ratna more than Sachin etc. TV experts and sports slots were vehemently expressing the comparison of the hat-trick win to the World Cup win by the cricket team last year. You almost get a sense of déjà vu when you try and recreate the above set of events; Sania Mirza’s endorsement deals were compared, Saina Nehwal’s popularity was compared and the list can go on.