I feel guilty
Well I just finished watching the Australian Open Final (thanks to the unbelievable level of play witnessed in the Wimbledon final) between two rivals that mirror the same intrigue, drama and personality analogous to Sampras/Agassi. I have to say, although Sampras still remains my favorite, I have to grudgingly concede that perhaps these two tremendous athletes provide the best rivarly in the history of tennis. Of course, by history, I mean since 1990 when I started to follow tennis thanks to a terrific Courier vs. Sampras match on clay.
After Sampras announced his retirement from Tennis, I pretty much lost all interest in tennis and banished it into the depths of "uninteresting-but-once-was-an-awesome-sport" like F1, Cricket and the Moto GP. Although I do not intend on following Tennis with the same youthful exuberance as I did in the 90s, I will try my best to try and watch any Nadal/Federer match in earnest if they so match up in future grand slams.
Now here comes the guilty part. Owing to an epic semi-final which pushed Nadal to over five hours, I was fully supporting Nadal, knowing that he would come to the match as an underdog by virtue of fatigue and muscle wear. After seeing the ceremony, I felt so much empathy for a tearful Federer that I felt sick: here is arguably the best tennis player in the history of tennis reduced to tears because he just can't get over his most challenging hurdle : Sampras' 14 slams in addition to beating Nadal, at his prime, in the final of a Grand Slam.
Now normally men are good at controlling their emotions, and with good reason - they need to be brave in situations that explicitly call for strength and restraint. However, just by seeing the poor guy cry like that made me understand just how much commitment these althletes possess and the sheer agony of perhaps losing to mantle of "The Greatest Ever". In fact, when Nadal said that he regarded Federer as a Great Champion, Federer almost starting bawling. Pressure, expectations and standards are so high for Federer that he just let it all out today - even Nadal visibly felt bad for him.
So here is to Federer for beating Nadal in the French final - if they do meet.
posted by Sarem at
5:49 AM
3 Comments:
oh yaay you back!
i'm ashamed that you'vemissed out on a plethora of brilliant nadal-federer finals. they've been going on for YEARS, and now you notice :@
anyhoo, the award ceremony was unlike any other i've seen in a recent while. Federer was at this very same stage crying last year because he had won. this year, things were different. i have deep respect and admiration for the way nadal coaxed and hugged him back to the speech. can it get any fecking better then that?
this rivalry has spewed nothing but good spirit and grace. ofcourse theres been the mutter here and there, more exponentially enlarged by a starving media, most probably caused by lingual misinterpretations, but this is the kind of thing i would want my kids to grow up too. wow, what a lesson for young kids who look up to these two and have learned, after watching said hero, that it is okay to win but you dont have to shout about it, its okay to lose and you dont have to hide your emotions about it, and that its best to end everything, winner/loser on good terms.
fed really wants to get the 14th, and by God he deserves it. i believe though he is beliveing in himself lesser and lesser each passing macth against nadal. it was a fabulous chance he had yesterday, but i think he realizes its getting furthera nf urther away if he carries on like this.
thank God this is nadal he is losing too, else i'd hate the other guy. two champions all the way round.
Federer for the french, i hope!
so it was tearful Federer who brought you out of your hiatus
Tazeen: Ya, I'm a sucker for tears - updating blogs is arguably one of the hardest things for me to do.
Sidrah: I did manage to watch the last two sets of the Wimbledon finals last year. Apart from that, I did not follow tennis at all.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home