I'm not an avid tennis follower. I do watch tennis. Never been into the game though, except perhaps an odd match featuring Maria Sharapova, or when Paes-Bhuapati-Sania do something. But something happened last year which made me more curious about tennis; Men's tennis to be precise.
Wimbledon 2008 had just ended. I was in Germany. First Onsite, I was trying to make the sweet talk with the client, and he said, "Something has happened to these Spaniards". I promptly started the conversation along the lines of Germany's loss in the 13th EURO cup final, complementing the German players. But few minutes into the conversation I figured he was primarily referring to the OTHER Spaniard.
Rafael Nadal.
He went on and on about the final, and the loss of Roger Federer. Back in India, I knew something fascinating was going on in Tennis, but was too preoccupied with my preparation for the trip. I just sat there, looked in his eyes, and nodded, providing the inconsequential fillers as the discussion carried on and others joined in.
As soon as I got time, I looked it up over the Internet, and BAM !!! I knew history had been created as I read the first partial line that GooGle threw up;
"...Wimbledon defeat that ended 9-7 in the fifth set".
Boy, I was so excited that FedEx was defeated on a grass court on the verge of his
14th Grand Slam.
I read all that I could about it, I found how oblivious I was to the the arch rivalry that had gripped the world of men's tennis for five years. This is how this Cricket crazy nation hammers down our psyche, the latest strike being the blockbuster IPL.
I made a vow then and there, that I would make amends.
And yesterday, I got my chance for redemption. The clash of the titans was to happen down under.
Setting aside my books for GMAT, I tuned in to Star Sports at 2 pm IST. And a desperate wish left my heart; "Please, let it be worth the wait".
The odds were evenly balanced; even though Nadal had proved to be Federer's nemesis for the past year, he wasn't well rested like the Swiss, who had an easy Semi-Final (avoided defending champion Novak Djokovic) and a day's break before the final test. Nadal's knee wasn't in the best shape either.
First set into the match, and I felt that today Fedex will equal Sampras. After all, despite the high octane tennis, he was leading 4-2.
However, as Nadal thwarted 6 break points in the third set (a tiebreaker), I knew my wish had been granted.
Although I am unaware of the technicalities of tennis, I can say Federer played a horrible 5th set. He looked and moved bad. Commentators kept saying how Nadal was displaying his nerve similar to Wimbledon 2008. Federer wilted in the 5th set, and I watched Nadal collapse to the floor in delight. I felt what millions must have felt in that moment; the height of joy and grief in a single moment. The world No. 1 had won a classic Australian Open final to secure his first hard-court Grand Slam title in style.
I was speechless. Too much in awe of the battle just concluded. And the presentation ceremony began ...
I later learned that 3 years ago Roger FedEx wept in the arms of his icon Rod Laver as he accepted the winner's trophy at the Australian Open.
He was brought to tears once again. I felt a lump in my throat as FedEx faltered to speak, unable to contain himself.
"God, it's killing me. I love this game, it means the world to me and it hurts when you lose."
"In the first moment you're disappointed, you're shocked, you're sad, then all of a sudden it overwhelms you," Federer said. "The problem is, you can't go in the locker room and take it easy and take a cold shower. You can't. It's the worst feeling."
It is moments like these which capture the greatness of sport. To see an all time great writhing in agony, unable to control his feelings. And Nadal responded as a true Sportsman should...
“Sorry for today,” Nadal told Federer. “I know how you’re feeling right now. It’s really tough. But remember you are a great champion, you are one of the best in history and you’re going to improve the 14 of Sampras.”
In the end, "jo jita wahi sikander"
It was such a contrast to the women's Final, where Serena Williams demolished Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-3 within an hour. I can't help asking "How the hell could Nadal recover from the 5 hour gruelling semi-final with Fernando Verdasco"? 10 hours of Tennis in 3 days! Never did I feel in any of the long rallies that Nadal showed signs of fatigue.
I guess when Nadal overpowered Federer last year at Wimbledon, he broke his heart. Till then, Nadal had been the God of Clay, and Federer the God of grass courts. Unlike in 2006, when the Swiss overpowered Nadal in the Wimbledon finals after straight four losses, Nadal won in an epic battle, said by most analysts to be the best game of tennis ever.
Nadal ended Federer's record streaks of 5 Wimbledon titles and 65 wins on grass.
It was like we say in hindi, "Ghar me ghus ke maarna" (to beat someone in its own backyard)
Nadal had tasted the same frustration in the Hamburg Masters in 2007, where his 81-match clay win streak spanning over two years was brought to a grinding halt by Federer. Incidently, that is the only time Federer has defeated Nadal on clay till date.
FedEx is a champion. And champions dont like to loose. Period. Looks like the July 2008 defeat left a lasting scar on Federer's psyche, which seems to have grown in a mental block. Everyone is talking about it. Federer looks all too shaken up.
This IS the era of Nadal and Federer. They have ruled Men's tennis for so long now. The signs of an ultimate showdown had begun to appear in Wimbledon 2007, when Nadal made Federer uncharacteristically lose his cool and complain to the umpire about the Hawk-Eye line calling system. Their differing personalities and playing styles have made the rivalry such a compelling one to follow. That is the beauty of their rivalry.
Yesterday, everyone wanted Roger to equal Sampras as much as they wanted Nadal to prevail. In the end, the true winner turned out to be Tennis.
Champions rise to great challenge. These two spur each other and churn out the unbelievable in each other.
Taking a cue from movies, the current Heavyweight champion Mason Dixon in "Rocky Balboa" wasn't considered great despite being a superb boxer simply because he had no worthy opponent to give him a fight. In "MI-2", the deadly virus Chimera was purposefully developed to make use of a wonderful antidote Bellerophon which was discovered first. Batman in The Dark Knight shined brighter in heroic glory because of The Joker.
In the past few years, the duo's dominance has been challenged in some measure by Novan Djokovic, who emerged in the summer of 2007, and has been in the fray ever since. I can't help but recall his impersonations of Sharapova and Nadal.
On top of it, Federer and Nadal are true sportsmen in the real sense; whom kids need to follow and get inspired. They are better than the Wayne Rooneys and Gautam Gambhirs of the world who wear their lack of discipline and arrogance on field with pride under the cloak of aggression.
How will this rivalry pan out in years to come? Well, Nadal is certainly an incredible player, but the huge role that raw power and stamina play in his game makes me wonder how long will it be before his body breaks down? He is 22 and already has problems with his knee. Federer is a seasoned pro and a champion at heart. Nobody can deny his return, which will be tough, considering the next Grand Slam is the French Open.
I also feel we need more variety of sport in India. Our Cricket team has let us down several times, too long we have been desperate to have a champion team worthy of the fan following it has. It isn't right that our cravings be served by one sport. I will never forget the image of Nadal's arm around Federer after the match. The nearest one in Cricket that comes to my mind are a bare chested Ganguly in the Lord's balcony and the T20 world cup winning team in Johannesburg. We need more such enduring images across the sporting spectrum. We need more like Gopichand, Yuki, Abhinav Bindra, Saina, Vishwanathan Anand, Vijayendra and Geet Sethi.
Cricket being a team sport can't provide certain thrills that those like Tennis can, where greats are crowned as they scale the Everest all by themselves. Besides, more sport would make us better as a society; we need the inherent sporting qualities like diligence, patience, focus and hard work to be imbued in our children and youth.
I believe this has been one of my most passionate blogs. I see I have written a lot as always, but I have done it in one sitting. I am out of ideas and opinions, but I still want to write more. I just can't have enough of it.
That is what sport does to you...
May the saga of Rafa vs Roger continue in days to come.
Hallelujah.
