US Open is my second most favourite grandslam (I think most people’s). It is by far the most vociferous slam, the glamour of tennis in New york and under lights as opposed to the quiet applause on the green lawns (except Henman hill of course) of Wimbledon, has a unique appeal. US Open has got spirit and it keeps the audience entertained something rarely seen on the dusty clay of Roland Garros. you have Spaniards all over the place and the tennis is a slug-fest, the matches are rarely, if ever, enthralling. The Australian Open: less glamorous than the Big Apple but it is good fun to watch and most importantly, rain is kept at bay and the indoor tennis is awesome (that king of indoor tennis, Becker performed ever so well when the roof was closed). But, for sheer entertainment, the US Open is unparallelled.

This year’s Open is over and it was great entertainment. The familiar sights of Roger Federer holding the trophy aloft and Martina Navratilova saying she’s done with the game; the media being more interested in the banana than in the wonderful tennis that Sharapova was playing; another Brit failing; Roddick hitting his powerful serves. They are good times, when the grandslams are on.

Federer is on a different plane. It’s like what Chang said about Sampras when at his peak: The guy is from a different planet. Sharapova, it is intimidating enough when someone plays tennis that well; couple that with the way she looks and you wonder if the world is a fair place :). Paes has won after a long time. He is older, slower but you can see the passion, emotion and love for the game. Indian tennis owes him a lot; Indian sports in general does. He is the only superstar we have had in individual, truly global sports (other than Anand).

Agassi has retired. I still can’t believe it! It doesn’t seem like very long ago when I saw a tremendous four-set display in the US Open. Two old men standing across the net from each other and showing the world how tennis is supposed to be played. If there had been no tie-breakers, they would till be playing set 1. The level of tennis on display that night, I am yet to see again (I doubt I will). That man is now gone: the rebel, the rival, the champion, the old man of the game.

Navratilova is gone. I can’t say enough about her contribution to the sport. Her best tennis years were long over by the time I was an avid watcher. But at fifty she plays the game better than some of the divas of the modern game. Davenport will probably not play again. She was a good player and was one of the original powerful hitters in the women’s game. She won more than I thought she would.

There were a few upsets: Baghdatis, Nadal, Nalbandian, the Williams sisters, Andy Murray. The new video challenge, a good addition I think. But on the whole, it was a great tournament and no one can debate it when I say, the best players won.

Now, it’s a long wait for the next grandslam, early next year. Let’s see how the draw pans out, new stars, old stars, whether the Federer phenomenon continues, whether Mauresmo is really a choker, will Andy Murray be a phenomenon, will Safina do things that Safin has failed to, will Safin make a comeback, what is happening to Hewitt… waiting for Australian Open 2007.

-Prof

Technorati Tags: US Open Navratilova Sharapova Federer AndyMurray Davenport Agassi Safina Hewitt

A striking figure standing across the diminutive Henin, dressed in black,a lovely chain around the neck, black hair-clips in place and the hair being tucked behind the ears every two points and squeals after every shot and fist-pumping!!! Maria Sharapova has won her second GrandSlam. And what a victory it was; Henin never really had a chance.

She started off playing nervously but once she was set in her groove, there was absolutely no chance for Henin. Henin didn’t play the tennis she is capable of but I don’t think it would have mattered much today.

Sharapova was inch perfect, brilliant power-hitting. She was kissing the lines, hitting deep shots and moving Henin all around the court. Sharapova was serving at her best and hitting that inside out forehand perfectly. The match was hers to win or lose. And after disappointments in her last two years, she has proved to us, she is no one-slam wonder.

Maria burst on to the scene when people had written off that diva, Kournikova. She came out and showed us she wasn’t just another pretty pair of legs. I mean, to beat Serena at Wimbledon, playing the way she did! There was ambition, determination and hers was a story the crowd loved: the six-year old with her non-English speaking father, out in a country where they knew no one and all they had was her talent!
She is absolutely gorgeous, carries herself very well and yes, she grunts but then it is very easy for the crowds to forgive her for that (easy for me to, definitely!!). After the match today, she went off-court for a few minutes and got her phone, and ‘told her Mom to start breathing again’.

It is heart-warming to see her succeed. She is going to be around for a while and fans, sponsors and tournament organizers world-over are going to be praying for her success. ‘Maria, you have won our hearts!’

Martina

What do you say about this woman? She been everywhere, won everything there is to win, retired, come back and competed against players about twenty years younger… and she has won, again. How does she do it? No one knows. Where does the motivation to carry on come from? And the fitness…? She might not be as sharp or fast but then she can still win.

Martina retires, again. And finally, the career is over… it is, isn’t it?

- Prof

Technorati tags: Sharapova,Henin U.S.Open Navratilova Martina

It’s easy to sit here and write about Agassi’s 8 grand slams, his 1992 Wimbledon title, his achievements including the career grand slam, numerous affairs including Barbra Streisand and Brooke Shields in the 1990s, the transformation from a rebel to a legend, his marriage to Steffi Graf, his groundstrokes, his return of serve, his rivalry with Pete Sampras and ofcourse his charity work but nothing I write is ever going to do justice to this man. The facts simply do not tell the entire story and for once in my life, I am very badly short of adjectives.

One of his best attributes was was his tremendous resilience. He had plummeted down the rankings and was torn to shreds by the media but he fought his way back playing in the small tournaments and boosting his ranking enough to get into the grandslams. In the course of a year he had transformed his game and had become the best in the business. As Confucius said “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

Men’s Tennis has just lost its most popular player ever. And more importantly the sport has lost a great personality. I can’t think of a single player on both the men’s and the women’s tours who had the same charisma as Agassi. And he kept men’s tennis cool despite the repeated threats from sexy Russian babes. So long, and thanks for all the wonderful memories!Z

Technorati Tags: Tennis, US+Open, Agassi, Graf, Sampras

Nalbandian vs Safin going on. Set 5, 1-1, Safin serving

A Nalbandian victory is predicted. The despair of all tennis lovers world over, that moody Russian, Safin - why can’t he just play the sublime tennis he is capable of? He is a man who can beat Federer, and maybe even consistently or is that a wrong word to use in the same sentence as Safin? With him, every match is a game of chance, a game of Russian roulette.

A detailed post on Safin later.

-Prof

Update:

Safin beats Nalbandian in a tie-breaker in set 5. That’s one more of my semi-final predictions out of the window. Big mistake overlooking Safin and also, didn’t realize Baghadtis would be playing Agassi this early. You never write these guys off. Ah well, now Agassi is out, beaten by Becker and Safin…well, hard to predict what he will do next, kind of like a random walk.

First Indian Sportswoman on Time South Asia’s cover; WTA Newcomer of the Year, 2005; Round 4 of US Open 2004; Winner Girls doubles at Wimbledon 2003; Media darling and THE TRUE MEASURE OF POPULARITY: had a fatwa issued against her.

That was 2005. The world of sport is unforgiving and most fans have the memory spans shorter than a goldfish. Great champions have been seen to come back after breaks, after brilliant seasons and struggle like ordinary mortals. Things change quickly. Borg found out when he took a break, Ferrari found out last season: you need to keep working, keep improving because sooner rather than later, someone is going to figure you out.

Sania Mirza is discovering that this season. She has had a terrible year, especially at the Grand Slams: Round 2, Round 1, Round 1. Yes, she has been plagued by injuries that have been recurring, a major cause for worry.

The Player…

Sania has a very powerful forehand and is a powerful hitter of the ball. Some wonderful forehand crosscourts she hits! Also, she goes for her shots at all times. This has won her matches against some very good players. She has a strong mind and an ability to dig deep and face adverse situations.

But her serve has been weak and not much work seems to have gone into it in the off-season: if I could see this any opponent would have. And as an athlete, she needn’t necessarily be in the class of the Williams Sisters (very few are). But she seems to be struggling for pace on the court and seems to lack stamina, a drawback for Leander in his early years. Agassi, at 30, was training in the heat in the mountains to help him in the Australian Open. Now, that’s the kind of commitment you need to display to be at the top of your sport.

To a certain extent, there seems to be a feeling that beating a top ten player once or twice is a huge achievement. But then, champions don’t think that way. They know they belong and display that through their performances.

She has passion for the game which is essential but not sufficient. Sania is figuring out the hard way that being a media celebrity is one thing (hard as even that may be). But professional sport is a whole new ball game.

…And More

The perfect poster child: young, good looking woman from a minority community? The woman who will aid the growth of tennis popularity in India? Or will she be more: a consistent winner on the world stage, a top ten ranker on a regular basis? The next two years will tell whether Sania means as much business on-court as the business she generates off it.

Technorati Tags: Mirza, Sania

-Prof