Olympics are so awesome

In the furore over Michael Phelps and Dara Torres and Tyson Gay, some truly inspirational stories and moments tend to get lost. Check out this one http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/wrestling/news;_ylt=Ar5J2mg3wt9SH1VXXDM40pAGqZp4?slug=ap-wre-mens55kg&prov=ap&type=lgns It is INSPIRATIONAL.

Viva Olympics!

The Summer Olympics start on August 8th in Bejing. I am really looking forward to them. Growing up I was never a big fan of Olympics (boring!) but as I grew up, I began to understand better the hard work and discipline that goes into being an elite athlete. You cannot have off-days, you can rarely take a break, you have to continuously keep getting stronger and faster, and do all this to improve your times by what? 0.2 seconds! 0.2 seconds that can make the difference between victory and defeat. 1 slip on the gym floor can make the difference between victory and defeat. Also the fact that you are performing for national glory adds a bit of romanticism to the event. I remember supporting USSR as a kid because it was fashionable to *not like* the US and support the Soviet Union. Now a days I just support the sport, may the best person on the day win. My favorites are gymnastics, diving, track and field and swimming.

Before signing off, I will leave you with this cool passage from the Olympic charter. “The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understandingwith a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.” Bring on the Olympics, I can’t wait!

OK, I wasn’t there, but I saw it :)

One of the greatest joys of following sports (any sport)  closely is that ever so seldomly you will see a match or a game that will blow your socks away. You will feel lucky that you saw it. It will turn into a legend that you tell your family, friends, kids, grand-kids. To this day, every one who watched the Borg-McEnroe Wimbledon final of 1980 talks about it. Now I have my own story to tell. Federer-Nadal, Wimbledon final, 2008. Being a sports fan growing up, I have seen great games, I have seen history being made. But yesterday’s final was above and beyond any sporting event I have ever witnessed, BY FAR.

It was not the fact that it was the longest, tightest match in Wimbledon history. It was not the fact that a 22 year old Spaniard, defending French Open champion, beat the greatest grass court player of all times in the gloom of the English evening. It was not the fact that from 2 sets to love down, Federer kept finding extra gears to keep slugging it out with one of the greatest athletes in tennis, almost winning at the end, but not quite. WHAT IT WAS, was the sheer brilliance exhibited by 2 of the greatest tennis players I have seen. A lot of times you will see tight 5 set matches, exciting matches. But NEVER will you see the quality of tennis we saw yesterday. Incredible winners, very few unforced errors, running down balls and hitting winners deep into the 5th set. It was just phenomenal. Anyone who had the priviledge of watching yesterday’s game and anyone who understands the history of tennis needs to thank Roger and Rafa. They have taken tennis to a new, sublime level that has never been seen before. A 5 setter thriller where the A+ Federer showed up, the A+ Nadal showed and they stayed A+ for the full 4 hours 48 minutes they were on court and Nadal just about managed to squeak through. Also amazing to watch is the grace and maturity with which both champions conduct themselves.

Tennis fans are a lucky lot these days. THANK YOU Roger and Rafa for giving me a tale that I can tell my kids and grandkids. Thank you for the show and thank you for the grace. Sometimes you wish they gave out 2 championships trophies because Roger Federer was not the runner-up yesterday. He won something very important, he won our hearts with his fighting spirit. As did Rafael Nadal whose never say die spirit is becoming legendary.

And if this is a sign of the future (with Novak Dyokovic waiting in the wings), I say Tennis fans, fasten your seat-belts. We are in for a wild ride!

Update: People seem to think I was AT Wimbledon, I wasn’t. I just wanted a cool sounding title Also now that I think about it Federer wasn’t on his A or A+ game during the first couple of sets, he relaxed a bit too much.

A little bit of Wimbledon

I have been watching a little bit of Wimbledon action every day. Today was a day of big upsets. James Blake, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova lost. Let me explain why they lost because all 3 lost because of exactly the same reason. Lack of progress. All three are incredible players with big weapons. All three give 100% and are very talented. But if you have noticed, not one of them has made big strides in the last few months while the rest of the tennis world has surged ahead.

Roddick and Sharapova both still have a blow-hot, blow-cold style of play where they dominate for intervals followed by a dip in play. It is just not good enough. James Blake does not attack the net enough and could use a better serve. I know I am nitpicking and am sure all three work very hard on improvements. But the hard work is not showing.

Compare that to Rafa who has a markedly improved serve this year and moves much better on grass and hard courts. Federer has a sublime game to begin with. Dyokovic (although he lost as well) hits the ball much harder now and still manages to be consistent. Relying on just one or 2 strengths does not cut it anymore. Unless you serve like Pete Sampras that is.

Also as a side note, I always find it funny to watch Nadal and Federer at the same time. Federer is the Rolls Royce of tennis, silent and smooth. Nadal on the other hand is like a hemi-powered truck. Not at all smooth, quite awkward but with SO MUCH power that he still gets the job done.

Who to root for at the French Open?

There is no fun watching any game unless you can root for one of the teams/players. For me, it is actually quite simple. I always root for the under-dog, unless India is playing Therefore I am having a really hard time choosing a player to back at the French Open because neither Rafa nor Fed-Express can be called underdogs. Let us analyze both players before making a decision.

Roger Federer

Player: Beyond doubt, the greatest tennis player ever! This guy is a magician with a tennis racket in his hands. He hits incredibly unbelievable shots as if they are the easiest thing in the world. He is cool, unflappable and knows how to step up a gear under pressure. Impossible to beat if he is playing at the top of his game.

Personality: By all accounts, a very nice popular guy. Good personality and very smart. He is extremely smooth, never puts a foot wrong, whether it be a tennis court or a press conference. If anything, he is a little boring on the court because he keeps winning so easily.

Clay court play: 2nd best clay-courter, the only player better is Rafa. Federer can slug it out from the baseline with the best of them. He has a strong serve and attacks the net even on clay when he can. A very smooth, all-round game with a wicked forehand.

Why he should win: He is too good a player and too good a clay courter to never win a French Open. No one deserves a Grand Slam or atleast a career Grand Slam more than Federer.

Rafael Nadal

Player: Beyond doubt, the greatest clay court player ever! He is super fast and gets to balls that would be sure shot winners against other players. Not only that, he  can turn defense to offense in twinkling of an eye. He has an incredible, never-say-die spirit and fights for all points like a maniac.

Personality: A little rougher around the edges, quite endearing actually. I like the fact that he always has a good word for his opponents and he is very humble. On the court, he wears his heart on his sleeve and like I said, he fights every point like a madman. If he does lose, you can bet your ass that he left it all out there on the court.

Clay court play: In one word, flawless. Rafa is the 3 time defending French open champion. At the top of his game he is unbeatable on clay, even if Federer is on his A-game. His forehand has to be seen to believed the way it kicks up on clay.

Why he should win: He is too good a player to end up with just 3 French Open titles. He would have won many more Grand Slams and been number 1 for a long time if it wasn’t for Federer.

My pick:

It is a close call since I like both players, but am going to go with Rafa. I feel bad for Nadal because he is a great tennis player in his own right. But he will be always remembered as the number 2 to Federer’s number 1. I want him to at least have French Open glory. I also love his personality and his will to fight. He is not as gifted at tennis as Federer but he is a supreme athlete and plays with a rare passion. Vamos Rafa!

Update: Nadal destroyed Fededer, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. Maybe I should have rooted for Federer .

 

 

A little bit of sportsmanship – Part 2

Thinking about my last post, I think I have an answer. When you are playing sports, you only have to focus for an hour or two and it doesn’t matter if you lose. Real life doesn’t work that way

Also sports is probably the “fairest” facets of life. You will find terrible CEOs making millions, losers with great girlfriends/boyfriends, really great people who can’t catch a break, smart people working hourly jobs etc. Life is quite unfair (in good ways and bad) and there is a lot of *chance*. Sports on the other hand is fairly predictable. The better person or the team almost always wins.  Very little depends on chance. And that makes things simple

A little bit of sportsmanship

I strongly believe in the adage that those who don’t play sports find it hard to be a sport. Apart from the obvious benefits of health, fitness, sleep and team-work,  for those who choose to look deep, there are more hidden benefits. Personally, I find playing sports to be a spiritual and uplifting effort.

In everyday life I do quite a few things that I would not do if I was a better person. I lie sometimes, I act selfishly, I do not take my chances only to regret later. Simply put, I do a lot of dumb shit. But I do not know what happens when I am on a tennis court or playing volleyball but I am the best person I can be. I play fair, I respect my opponents and I never give up. I take my chances and work hard on improvement. In short,  I do everything right. I do not win all the time, not even often but I always have the happy feeling that I did good, I tried.

Sadly, I do not have that feeling often in my regular day-to-day life. If I can get the “sports Amit” be the “24*7 Amit” I would honestly be proud of myself

Farewell Gilly

Adam Gilchrist, one of my favorite cricketers ever, is retiring at the end of the current CB series in Australia. I have never ever seen a more gentleman cricketer. Not just in Australian cricket but in world cricket. PERIOD. There is an innate likability about the guy. Maybe it is his smiling demeanor or his natural niceness or maybe it is his dashing cricketing skills. What I think it is, is the amazing dichotomy between his cricketing persona and his off-field persona.

On the cricket field, he is a gladiator. When on song, he is a joy to watch. He is an explosive batsman, always looking to pulverize the opposition. He is also an excellent wicketkeeper, agile and with good reflexes. This combination has made him the greatest all-rounder to have ever graced a cricket field. Off the field, he is a true gentleman, simple and low-key. A great role-model and a devoted family man, he has been a great ambassador for the sport. Gilly is one of the good guys, universally loved and respected.

There are so many great sportsmen who are defined by the sport they play. You get them feeling that had they not found that calling they would not amount to much. But Gilly is different. Am sure he will live a rich, wonderful life thanks to his cricketing skills. But he would have done just great no matter what he chose to do in life. Cricket is just as lucky to have found him as he has been to find cricket. And that is the best tribute I can pay him.

Thanks for the entertainment, thanks for the sixes and thanks for the grace with which you played the game. You will be missed!