I have been thinking to write this blog for last few weeks; but it was Rafa's early exit from the Wimbeldon that really provided the final trigger. My earliest memories of Tennis are the matches of Boom Boom Becker..I watched all the majors pretty regularly till the era of Sampras was over. I moved out of my hometown thereafter, didn't have a television at my place, and lost the touch with the tennis world. It was then when an artist named Roger Federer was rising to stardom and carving his everlasting impression in tennis history. I regret for not following tennis in that time period.
After a gap of few years, when I watched tennis again, it was the epic match of Wimbledon 2008 final that made me an ardent follower of tennis and a religious fan of Rafael Nadal. Since then I had been supporting Rafa almost blindly till last year's US open final, when I really started to wonder who is the best of them all and who do I really support?
Rafa is "the man" who has achieved his greatness purely by hard work and by playing for his pride. Like all human beings, he may have his limitations. He doesn't seem to have Novak's confidence in his double handed backhand, nor does he have the force of Roger's serve; but, he knows how to play to his strengths and to his opponents' weakness. He has the stamina to run around to covert a backhand to his forte, forehand. He came with a game plan to hammer all the shots to Roger's backhand to break him down ultimately to win his first Wimbledon title in 2008. Outside the court, Rafa is very shy and humble personality (ref. "Rafa"). He follows his routine rituals without fail in the locker room as well as on the court in every single match. These days he has started whining a lot, on and off the court, which makes me dislike him..just a little bit!! But then I realize it's these "humane" qualities; having strengths and weaknesses, having blind faiths, having idiosyncrasies, and finally having a passion and perseverance to achieve success, that I can relate to Rafa more closely, and my heart still supports him whenever he is out on the court!!
But my brain....my brain is an admirer of Novak and Roger. Novak is like a machine, machine with a heart..with a lion heart!! Overshadowed by the success of Roger and Rafa during the early years of his career, he tuned himself up to become a complete player, and grew his hunger to an extent that now he is ready to pounce upon any prey that may come between him and his victory. Arguably the best returner of the service ever, he can also battle relentless rallies with his accurate forehands and lethal backhands. Occasionally he might need a physical overhaul like after the fourth set of the Australian open final 2012, but when he came back for the fifth set in that match, he knew exactly what to do, his serves were as accurate as ever, and "the machine" looked less tired than "the man" after the battle of six hours. Hats off to Novak for having a season no player has ever had in 2011, and thanks to him for adding a third dimension to the great tennis rivalry.
Last but not the least, Roger is the God of tennis. When his dominance was challenged by Rafa, playing to his seemingly weaker (?) side, he articulated not only a strong backhand, but a pretty one!! He is the magician who pioneered sneaky drop shots, and can hit winners with tweeners!! His court positioning is superb and his strokes are well crafted. He deserves a "Godly" stature as he has thrilled millions of fans for so many years without significant injuries, and with charismatic gestures on and off the court!!
I have no right to conclude who is the greatest of all time, but I wish this battle between the man, the machine and the God may never come to an end so that my heart can continue to be an ardent supporter of Rafa's never say die attitude, my brain continue to appreciate Novak's impeccable game, and I remain in awe of Roger's brilliance!!
For super enthusiasts...
http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2012-03-25/9177.php
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/sports/tennis/20iht-SRWIRACKET20.html?pagewanted=all
After a gap of few years, when I watched tennis again, it was the epic match of Wimbledon 2008 final that made me an ardent follower of tennis and a religious fan of Rafael Nadal. Since then I had been supporting Rafa almost blindly till last year's US open final, when I really started to wonder who is the best of them all and who do I really support?
Rafa is "the man" who has achieved his greatness purely by hard work and by playing for his pride. Like all human beings, he may have his limitations. He doesn't seem to have Novak's confidence in his double handed backhand, nor does he have the force of Roger's serve; but, he knows how to play to his strengths and to his opponents' weakness. He has the stamina to run around to covert a backhand to his forte, forehand. He came with a game plan to hammer all the shots to Roger's backhand to break him down ultimately to win his first Wimbledon title in 2008. Outside the court, Rafa is very shy and humble personality (ref. "Rafa"). He follows his routine rituals without fail in the locker room as well as on the court in every single match. These days he has started whining a lot, on and off the court, which makes me dislike him..just a little bit!! But then I realize it's these "humane" qualities; having strengths and weaknesses, having blind faiths, having idiosyncrasies, and finally having a passion and perseverance to achieve success, that I can relate to Rafa more closely, and my heart still supports him whenever he is out on the court!!
Last but not the least, Roger is the God of tennis. When his dominance was challenged by Rafa, playing to his seemingly weaker (?) side, he articulated not only a strong backhand, but a pretty one!! He is the magician who pioneered sneaky drop shots, and can hit winners with tweeners!! His court positioning is superb and his strokes are well crafted. He deserves a "Godly" stature as he has thrilled millions of fans for so many years without significant injuries, and with charismatic gestures on and off the court!!
I have no right to conclude who is the greatest of all time, but I wish this battle between the man, the machine and the God may never come to an end so that my heart can continue to be an ardent supporter of Rafa's never say die attitude, my brain continue to appreciate Novak's impeccable game, and I remain in awe of Roger's brilliance!!
For super enthusiasts...
http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2012-03-25/9177.php
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/sports/tennis/20iht-SRWIRACKET20.html?pagewanted=all
