After the blitz of the Olympics with Rafael Nadal sweeping away the world no 1 in the men’s game and the Russian triad of Dementieva, Safina and Zvonareva sweeping the women’s contest, the spotlight turns to Flushing Meadows.

Men: The Djoker’s Moment of Truth: 

The US Open will see a new top seed, Nadal eager to become the first man since the peerless Rod Laver to have ever won Roland Garros, Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows in the same calendar year. Defending champion Roger Federer meanwhile is more eager than ever to reclaim lost glory and inch closer to the now seemingly distant Sampras fourteen. To pick a winner however, I clearly think Nadal is fatigued after his exertions at Beijing and would not bank on him to go too far. He has so far never progressed beyond the quarters at New York . That said, I do expect some classic performances from the dethroned Federer, but I also think he is running through a serious confidence crisis at the moment, which makes me feel he is likely to stumble towards the end of the first week. If he does make it through to the late stages of the Open, a resurgent Federer is going to stake a sure claim. The pretender here is Novak Djokovic who I would rate as most likely to take home the US Open. However the Djoker has had an indifferent past season and could not play at his best, which might just pave way for young usurpers James Blake or Andy Murray.  So, my predictions are: 1. Djokovic, 2. Blake 3. Federer

Women: The Venus comeback:

The women’s draw these days is far more complex with the seeds changing like lottery standings. The Russians, as demonstrated in the Olympics are a formidable batallion, with Dementieva and Kuznetsova laying claim. The top seeded Serbs Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic need to provide succour for their rankings. What we wont be seeing this year for sure is an all Williams final since the two are on a collision course for the round of eight. I would pick Venus to meet Ivanovic in the final. My predictions are 1. Venus Williams, 2. Ana Ivanovic, 3. Svetlana Kuznetsova 

Having made all these predictions, a change of reign is imminent in both genders of the game. In this interregnum, the US Open as of now is, too close to call.

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Yes, all of us are disappointed at Vijenders loss in the 75kg category boxing. Now the medal tally of India instead of reading 2 0 1 or 1 1 1 reads 1 0 2, a small but significant difference. Vijender meanwhile has cheerfully promised us to win gold at London. He knows very well that in four years time, an entire nation is going to be watching his every move. And if he doesn’t keep his promise, we will be very upset.

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A few weeks back, I was guilty of dismissing the Indian contingent at the Olympics as the worst ever. Today I am exhilarated at being proven wrong. At its neighbor’s Olympics, came India’s first gold, the best expression of which is captured as “Bindra, done that!” by a fan on this page.

As if it were a precursor to better things to come, the light of sporting glory has started growing brighter. Sushil Kumar’s bronze in the 65kg freestyle category rekindled hopes of the revival of an ancient Indian art, which has sadly started pandering to ”staged” wrestling, the most famous of those exponents being the Great Khali of WWE fame.  Sushil Kumar, and not the Khali, is now the poster boy of Indian wrestling at last resurrecting a tradition that has lasted for 2000 years. Little do many Indians know, that Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram, the ancient site near Chennai is named after Maha Mallam or great Wrestler, as tribute to King Narasimhavarma Pallavan. Ever since, wrestling or kushti has had the highest of royal patronage. 

For the first time since the hockey team and K D Jadhav(also wrestling) brought home two medals in 1952, India will return with more than one medal. Add to that the new Nawab of Najafgarh, not the Virender of Sehwag fame, but Vijender the Boxer, whose exploits at Beijing have still not finished. We could very well hope for gold. The Olympic Team India, now packs a punch! Keep watching this space for more.

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We have a winner! In an incredibly tense 10 metres air rifle final, Abhinav Bindra held his nerve in the final round to bring home a gold medal.  The Indian flag will fly higher than all other flags, its national anthem drowning out that of the Chinese, Zhu Qinan (silver) and Finn, Henri Hakkinen(bronze). The cheers for Abhinav Bindra will no doubt become louder as India slowly wakes up to this achievement.  Soon the vibes will resonate all the way to Beijing. Its time to celebrate!

Bindra no doubt desereves all the kudos and rewards he is going to get over the coming weeks. Bindra is no newcomer to the event, despite his relatively young age, Bindra has been around for over a decade and has been a world champion and an Olympic finalist. More importantly, this victory should give immense confidence to all the athletes who are still in the reckoning for a medal- most notably the other shooters, and Saina Nehwal.

India’s First Individual Gold Medal

Meanwhile, this is the first Individual Olympic gold for India and our first gold since the men’s hockey class of 1980, the ninth ever gold medal overall and the first outside hockey. With the 10m Air Rifle, Abhinav Bindra has now gone ahead of Rajyavardhan Rathore who won silver at the Athens Olympics, Leander Paes of 1996, K D Jadhav, the wrestler of ’52 and Karnam Malleswari, the lifter at Sydney 2000 who all grabbed third place. To India’s benefit, two of those former medalists (Paes and Rathore) have still to perform at Beijing. We now have a genuine chance of going beyond the 1 medal jinx for the first time since sprinter Norman Prichard, who represented British India won two silvers way back in 1900.

We have got used to setting ourselves modest targets and cheering ourselves with any good results. Bindra, we hope is the first of many and we hope that engenders a genuine competitive interest in all sports. India will truly have arrived when instead of 57 athletes, half of them officials; India sends a 500 member team to the 2016 Olympics.For Indian sport that has suffered from a genuine lack of inspiration, this medal signifies the first mark, the first whimper of hope at the highest level of sports for the world’s second largest population. It is as if we have been digging for so long and after all these years have seen the glitter. More than anything else, the nation heaves a relieved sigh.    

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The Beijing Olympics will be the most definitive political statement since the Berlin games of 1936. The pariah of today’s world, more than anything else, wishes to impress and intimidate the rest with a display that is going to be staggeringly beautiful and frightening at the same time. Whispers that a new world leader has arrived will finally be out announced loud and clear on August 8. That the western world has the chance to get even, at London, of all cities, is further reason why Beijing wants to set a lofty benchmark.

Here is our list of some thingt to watch out for at the games:

Protests:

No one can possibly rule out political disruptions during these games, expect protestors to try and grab as much attention during a time when China would be hosting the maximum number of foreigners on its soil, at any given time in its post-colonial history. Tibet, Darfur, human rights, Islamic fundamentalists, and separatists will look to make a small mark, if any at all. Protests at gymnastic events, videos challenging kafir athletes and improperly attired women, protest banners on the Great Wall of China. Anything is possible. But China’s strong handed, zero tolerance policies would prevent a good majority of these protests, for better or for worse.

Pollution:

China’s pollution problems and the ongoing efforts of the government to curb it have been well documented. In a bid to give, Beijing a much needed facelift, the government has gone to extreme lengths including relocating all polluting industries to outside city limits. It has introduced ‘no-car’ days where people are encouraged to use public transport instead of their four wheelers. But, two things remain to be seen. Firstly, will athletes especially those long distance runners get affected by the incredible pollution and secondly, will the government continue to focus on green initiatives after the Olympics?

The stadia

The stadia for the Beijing Olympics are going to be just another attraction. The city of has been waiting eight years for this event and boy have its citizens been prepared for it! Foreign newspapers and magazines have started to review the stadiums and how each one is indicative of the Chinese spirit and the fact that the country has arrived in a big way. Expect a lot of superlatives over the next two weeks as people go gaga over the main Olympic Stadium or even the fabulous venue for swimming.

Iconic Images: 

Every Olympic Games has its own set of iconic images and moments that transcend petty factors such as medal tallies and world records. In 1996, it was Muhammed Ali lighting the Olympic Flame and Kerri Shrug beating an injury to help her team with the gold. (Michael Johnson’s 200 and 400m double as well). In 2000, it was the incredible image of Cathy Freeman in a full body suit running and winning the 400m two weeks after being chosen to light the Olympic Flame and in the process almost bridging the gap between the aborgines and the rest of Australia. The best moments of 2004 undoubtedly had to be the entrance of the Afghanistan and Iraqi teams at the Opening ceremony, or better yet, Liu Xiang almost heralding the arrival of the Chinese in the 100m Hurdles (the commentator started to scream breathlessly- ” It’s the Chinese guy, it’s the chinese guy!”)

But if there will be one image to take back from the 2008 Olympics, it will probably be again Liu Xiang at the 110m hurdles, leaping past history in the iconic Bird’s Nest with the bated breath of the world’s biggest population. Liu, not unlike Cathy Freeman in Sydney for Australia, holds the key to galvanize the entire nation and announce its arrival where short, skinny Chinamen are traditionally not favorites. Expect at his celebration, not the whimper of a kangaroo, but a deafening roar of a billion dragons.

The Indian Angle:

As ever, India goes into the Olympic Games being cautiously optimistic that there will be more than one medalist. The competition is tougher than ever, but despite the lack of funds, facilities and support, our athletes have got stronger. Flag bearer and Olympic Silver Medalist Major Rathore is still a bet but not a safe one. Shooting remains our best opportunity to win a medal and one hopes that one of Gagan Narang, Anjali Bhagwat, Mansher Singh, Abhinav Bindra or Major Rathore come good over the next two weeks.

Looking at Tennis, The Lee-Hesh combo is way past its best but given some inspiration might grab a bronze. But the two haven’t been exactly in the best of terms with each other, and the rustiness, the animosity and the competition could mean that they will come back empty handed. Sania probably stood an outside chance a year back but now with her injury and poor run of form, it will be a miracle if she reaches the later stages. How she and Sunita Rao perform in the doubles will be interesting to watch.

We have an outside chance in both archery and boxing. The archers have done the country proud at the World Cup but whether they can replicate the same at the biggest stage of them all remains to be seen. The gut feeling is that we will return home from our neighbor’s Olympics, empty handed. But there is nothing wrong in hoping. Also, expect men like Suresh Kalmadi making a bloody grand appearence at the Olympics Village talking about how we will do the same in 2010 at the Commonwealth Games. Or how we are going to win the bid to host the 2020 games.

The boardroom battles:

The Beijing Olympics will see the biggest battle yet between, not just athletes, but sportswear manufacturers. The rivalry between Nike and Adidas gets bitter with both eyeing long term gains in the world’s largest market place (read battleground). Adidas has coughed up USD70 million to become the official title sponsor, while Nike has decided to sponsor key performers who they believe will display the Swoosh on the podium. Add to this, Speedo with its controversial LZR swimsuit, which Nike has strongly objected to and grudgingly allowed, and we could have a war in the boardroom just as well as on the track. You could expect lawsuits, athletes being forced to change clothes for displaying the wrong logo, walk outs and as the London Telegraph put it, ‘National anthems being drowned in the ring of cash registers.’

The Chinese Brand

After Hitler’s abortive attempt at establishing Aryan supremacy at Berlin, China will certainly attempt to project its athletes not as disgruntled victims of a repressive regime but as world champions who owe their success to their government. However, their means of doing so have already started being challenged. The Aussies have complained, as usual, about them being disallowed team barbeques which they think will give an added advantaged robbing Team Australia of ‘bonding’ opportunities. Allegations of ‘under-age’ and ‘doped’ athletes have already begun. China is going all out to project itself, not as the iconoclastic, atheist nation of today, but the preserver of the world’s oldest existing traditions. Chinese medicine, feng shui and astrology will be showcased in more ways than subtle, leading to possible allegations of favoritism to the home team. Nevertheless, China will definitely succeed projecting its significant sporting culture, it will finish second at best, behind the United Stateson the medal tally.

Somewhere, in this humdrum, lies buried the spirit of the Olympics of universal brotherhood, fair play and sportsmanship. These values, in Beijing, will be little more than verbal assurances. For China, the Olympics are a war against the rest of the world. If they breach a few ethics in the process, they could be setting dangerous precedents. These Olympics would perhaps be best remembered as a bloodbath of many dimensions, sporting, commercial and above all political. What better message could a “Red China” send?

Z and Pyscho

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This has been considerably tougher than the Men’s list, since I feel there are clearly two planes, one with the each incomparable top four, and the remaining six who seem to have very little to separate each other . I certainly think, this ranking is going to elicit more contradicting opinions, so, bring it on folks!

10.Martina Hingis – When Graf was fading out, the tennis world had gotten used to a single woman dominating the court and it was no surprise that this teenager, who claimed to be named after Navratilova herself, usurped the throne nonchalantly setting in the wake, a series of “youngest ever…” records. But, the early start led to an early demise, when injured and scandalized with drug abuse, Hingis was forced to quit the game prematurely. More than her entry, it was on her exit thus that a void was created at the top, leading to a series of pretenders, none of whom have adequately impressed. The dainty Swiss Miss today is a forgotten star; her countrymen have since then found, Roger Federer.

9. Justine Henin – What can you say about a great player who decided at her very best, that enough was enough? The fragile Belge belied her competence against Serena and Venus with a peanut sized frame. With a perfect backhand, nimble toes reaching out to complete volleys and a harsh, ruthless forehand, Henin was just about to capture the throne, when in the midst of it all, she called it quits. Henin battled personal troubles, injuries, accidents and illness to make it to the top. When she reached there, I suppose she no longer wanted it.

8. Serena Williams – During the interregnum after Graf, Serena Williams has come across as the most impressive women’s player by far. Not only has she won herself all the four majors, she has radically altered the game with her brutal, assaulting style that would easily be competitive even in the men’s game. If ever there was a move to make the women’s game a grueling five set one, it would suit Serena best. However, a complete lack of consistency and apparent fitness problems keep Serena from being at her best in most contests and also keep her eighth in these rankings.

7. Monica Seles – While Graf ascended the throne of women’s tennis with her supreme technique and crisp style, a pint sized double handed pretender from troubled Yugoslavia was grunting her way up with sheer aggressiveness and unmatched agility. Just when Graf’s throne was up for grabs, tragedy struck and Seles became the victim of the most infamous regicide in tennis, effectively “assassinating” her career. An overweight emotionally drained Seles made a return after her backstabbing incident only to feel ill at east on the court and never ever to play at her best. Needless to say, the world never got to see the best of Seles and thus she never achieved what she could have. Despite a short career, her achievements merit a place on this top-ten list.

6. Evonne Goolagong Cawley – It was not easy to notch up 14 grand slams in an era when Margaret Court was ceding way to Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. It was even tougher when key opponents like Billie Jean King and Navratilova were starting to use power and aggression over speed and skill. Evonne Goolagong Cawley was the last of the Aussie greats, winning 14 grand slams across three majors, narrowly missing out, four times in New York.

 5. Billie Jean King – Billie Jean is best remembered for her infamous victory over Bobby Riggs. While Riggs had earlier beaten the top ranked Margaret Court, thus adding to his chauvinism, Billie Jean King’s power and aggression foreshadowed much of what the William’s sisters would do to tennis in the future. Billie Jean amassed twelve grand slams across all majors with forceful ground strokes and  aggressive lobs which allowed her to dominate both in doubles and singles. Billie Jean, rather curiously never won the Australian Open in the Open Era, winning it instead in 1968 when it was still called the Australian Championship.

4. Chris Evert – Chris Evert has the best win-loss record in the history of the game and has a career grand slam to her name. Chris Evert also appeared in the most number of finals ever and never lost in the first round of a tournament. She is best remembered for an intense rivalry with Martina Navratilova, while ruling the clay court, often caving in at the grass of Wimbledon to the left hander.

3. Steffi Graf – Graf reached her peak form rather early, winning her famous Golden Slam way back in 1988, coupling all four majors with the Seoul Olympic Gold. Graf’s effortless game was rarely challenged and she was perhaps the most complete player in recent times, equally at ease across all surfaces. Graf also holds the all time record for maximum time spent as the top ranked player, a record 377 weeks. However, Graf put the game at loss when she decided to call it quits in 1999 when she felt her rankings were slipping although many felt she still had years left in her.

2. Margaret Court-Smith – Margaret Court dominated the game effortlessly for more than a decade, winning all possible majors both in doubles and in singles both before and after the Open Era began. Court also is one of the few mothers to have won a grand slam, US Open 1973. The all time record that still stands in her name is that of 24 grand slam singles titles. Her all pervasive achievements in singles and double, have not ever been equalled either, except by one person.

1. Martina Navratilova –The all start resumes of Margaret Court and Martina Navratilova seem eerily similar, a cut above the rest. Martina Navratilova is the only other player, apart from Court to have dominated both the singles and the doubles games equally, earning her the “boxed” set of Grand Slams, winning all four majors in singles and doubles. She was perhaps the best known serve and volley player in the women’s game.  There are two reasons why I put Navratilova above Court, one is that Navratilova had the fortune of winning on hard court, the other is sheer longevity, playing her last match at nearly fifty, and who can forget that emotional Wimbledon final in 1994 at 37?

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After 252 weeks, Roger Federer will finally lose the number 1 spot to Rafael Nadal. New contributor Hari thinks its a good time to rank the best male tennis players of the open era.

10. Jimmy Connors:

The games first showman, shows up at the top ten rankings as the winner of the maximum number of ATP tour titles. He did manage a couple of Wimbledon titles and was often stopped by the peak performance of Bjorn Borg. Despite Connors never winning the French Open, he could be called an all court player since he did dominate the US Open which was played on clay back then. He is in fact one of the three players, Andre Agassi and Mats Wilander being the others, to have won grand slams on hard courts, clay and on grass.

9. Rafael Nadal:

The charming Rafa makes it as the world’s best ever clay courter and the latest achiever of tennis’ toughest double – back to back grand slams on grass and clay. The mighty Majorcan has also broken the jinx of past clay court titans like Gustavo Kuerten and Sergi Bruguera and adjusted himself to all court play. Rafa’s journey has just started and if all goes well and he avoids injuring himself, we could well be witnessing some historic achievements. Those interested in tennis betting wouldn’t bet against him surprassing many of the other legends on this list in terms of most grand slams won.

8. John McEnroe:

He is given credit for elevating serve and volleying into a fine art and then making centre court more than just an exhibition of tennis talent. Most old timers, lament the fact that tennis has become too much of a gentleman’s game since the exit of the foul mouthed super brat. His grand slam exploits notwithstanding, McEnroe was also one of the greatest ever double’s players. And so if you question his ranking, ‘You cannot be serious!’<

7. Andre Agassi:

While most players start in their late teens and peak in their early twenties, Andre Agassi was the exception, improving as he aged like pure wine. In an era when big servers dominated, Agassi became the world’s greatest ever baseliner and proved his point winning all four majors albeit in different years. Personal troubles led to inconsistent performances in his early career and the tennis world could have actually missed out on seeing his very best

6. Ivan Lendl:

A genuine all rounder, Lendl was no specialist in any court but instead honed his skills to be equally sound on any surface. However, Ivan Lendl ended up the game’s greatest runner up.Winning the Australian, French and US Opens, he made the final of Wimbledon twice, against unheralded (at that time), Boris Becker and Pat Cash, only to choke on both occasions. Had he one any match out of those, his ranking would have been higher than 6 on this chart

5. Ken Rosewall:

Since this is an Open Era ranking, it is easy to forget the all pervasive achievements of the Australian. There were no hard courts at that time but Ken Rosewall was unarguably the best proponent on both grass and clay during the sixties. It was after the Open Era began that Rod Laver stole his thunder . Complications surrounding him being a professional player disallowed him from many key tournaments throughout his career. And so, his open era performances were often on the wrong side of thirty. Nevertheless, Rosewall’s backhand has never yet been equaled, as has his long twenty five year career. Rosewall makes it here as an exception to the Open Era rule since although his best performances might not have been during the Open Era, he certainly did play in it as the second best at a time when the world’s best ever player was king.

4. Pete Sampras : Pistol Pete changed the game like no one else ever has. Apart from the elegance that all the players on this list have, Sampras’ key weapon was his power. Sampras dominated the tennis world for an entire decade, possessed possibly the greatest serve ever and was never beaten at his best. Even those possessing a free bet would have never bet against him! If he ever was, it was attributed to under par performance due to some injury. But his gross underachievement on clay keeps him ranked at 4

3. Roger Federer:

Take the old world charm of a Fred Perry, the baseline skills of Agassi, the poise of Borg and the supreme technique of Pete Sampras, Roger Federer has been often called the most complete tennis player of all time. He also is the fastest achiever of the modern era running up very close to Sampras’ grand slam record in almost half the time. The Sampras vs Federer question is a hard one to answer. I put Federer above the Floridan for him being at least the second best clay court player for most of his career and not having lost at his best to anyone other than Rafael Nadal. And he still has his chances.

2. Bjorn Borg:

The Iceman ruled the courts as a baseliner when serve and volleying was the norm. He used both his hands when self respecting professionals were expected to slice their backhands with one hand. In a world that was fast changing tilting towards power over grace, Borg defied with elegance, chasing down the ball with the rarest of anticipation that one has to be born with, not acquired, returning at angles never again seen, winning points (and hearts) without ever breaking a sweat, Borg made tennis look easy. He ruled grass and clay with equanimity and came excruciatingly close four times on hardcourts. Following two successive grand slam upsets, the impassive Swede silently drew back from competing saying that he did not wish to be number 2. Well, on this list, he is.

1. Rod Laver:

The only player ever to have won the Grand Slam in the strictest sense of the word in 1969 and 1962 (amateur) is almost an automatic choice to be number 1 for most tennis experts. He is renowned for his feather touch serve and volleying, wristy groundstrokes and being the inspiration for a whole generation of players from where sprang John McEnroe and Pete Sampras. Though the latter generation’s power would probably have beaten Laver had they ever met, it is Laver’s dominance at his time that keeps him at the top and not how he would have fared against future generations.

- Psycho(the moderators don’t understand why he wants to be called that!)        

Australian Open, French Open, Tennis, Wimbledon | 12 Comments »