There's God, There's Man, and There's Roger Federer

Fedelicious, that's how one of the banners held by a fan at the Australian Open 2007. It's not surprising, the popularity of one of the greatest players of tennis today, Roger Federer or Fed-ex or the champion, or numerous other names by which he is called. I will not get into the debate of whether he's the greatest tennis player of the open era, or closed era. He's a genius on the court, like an Einstein, an Edison, a Newton, a Schumacher, a Tiger Woods, a Maradona and host of others. I simply can't stop marveling at him,his brand of tennis, and his nerves.

Today was another display of the magnificence that we got used to for the past few years. Down two set points to Fernando Gonzalez, the nerves he displayed to come back into the set and win it were awe inspiring. The match which started of as coolly as the breezy conditions in Melbourne park, turned much placid as Federer took control of the match and went on to win the championship. It was 2hrs of magic, with both Fernando and Federer taking on each other at Rod Laver Arena. Taking nothing away from Fernando, who did every thing human to overcome the "Fed express", it was the master at his best.

10Grand slams in 4years and still going, I am sure he will add at least one more this year (It's good to lose sometimes ;) ) that is an awesome record. When I look at the statistics of some of the players like Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, yes Federer has some way to go, but I am sure he will surpass them one and all. Forget it even if he doesn't I don't care. What I have seen over the last few years, and what I am going to see in the next few years can never match any statistics. I am sure it is the same with millions of fans out there. Yes we want him to win at the end of the day, but what really matters is he keep playing this wonderful brand of tennis that is very much his own.

I truly believe Federer sees the tennis ball as a football in his mind. The way he comes up with some audacious shots, the way he returns some unimaginable stuff of his opponents, the way he ups his game to match the occasion, the way he managed to stay at the top, is simply amazing. And one thing is for sure, he is not a short term wonder (we have seen many in the past), he has risen through the ranks. Most of the players who fail to read him today, had their days in the past, it is just that Federer seems to have dawned the knowledge of wisdom. Just like Siddartha turned to Buddha under the Bodhi tree, Federer transformed into a force, now its time for the rest of the pack, to follow him.

As the title of the post goes, in tennis today, There's God, There's Men, and There's Roger Federer.

Warne and McGrath !!

Cricket, love it or hate it, watch it or ignore it but you can't take it away from the lives of Indians. And I am no different, though I don't prowess to say I am hard core cricket enthusiast I love this game and love to watch some of the players. This article is not a tribute to the greatness of the Warne and McGrath, two of the great players (there are no greatest!!) that the game has seen, but to relive those moments which play in my mind when I hear of them.

It was the 1996 world cup semifinal at Mohali. It was a day and night match. I watched the Australians settle for 207. Not a big score, and considering that Australia were not as formidable as they are today and West Indies were in much better shape than the are in the present. The score was 165/2 in about 32 overs, when the power went off, as is the custom in many Indian cities at the dawn of summer. I took off for my dinner in hope that West Indies will face Srilanka in the finals and restore themselves to the glory days of the past. With great difficulty I could tune in to the live commentary on AIR. It was Warne to Richardson and the score was 180 odd runs for 6 and we were into the forties. Unbelievable!!, from the jaws of victory, West Indies were snatching defeat. I was very confident that Richardson will see them through this without difficulty. I was wrong, the mercurial bowling from Warne was mind boggling. Listening to the commentary on the radio (a soul that was used to watching live action) was in it self a hair raising experience, and hearing to the commentators describe Warne's action on field is something I can never forget. It was simply marvelous. I have seen him bowl up teem number of times but that memory of the 1996 world cup semifinal is what Warne brings back .

The memories with McGrath are also from the World Cup, this time its the 2003 World Cup at Wanderers in South Africa. India received a thumping from Ponting and Australia posted a mammoth target of 340 for victory. Both the sides need a great start. Tendulkar who was in an ominous form throughout the tournament made his intentions clear with a boundary. Not one to be left behind McGrath struck back with his usual probing deliveries. It was a match of two greats, I was with a few hundred other students watching the match on the big screen in the college auditorium. The auditorium was roaring both and on and off screen. It was an electrifying atmosphere. McGrath was tracking back his run up after the fourth ball of the first over. In less a minute it was silence all around, it was deafening. The sticklers of the game may say it was not perfect, but it did achieve something. The line and length just outside the off stump, that he bowls so consistently, I many a times get carried away "isn't it simple", only to be brought back when I see all those who struggle to bowl a decent line and length.

These two bowlers, cricketers may not epitomize our image of greats, who are modest of their achievements, who are down to earth, in essence Gentleman. But, who cares, I don't they have lived their cricketing life on their terms and played a great part in a great era for Cricket as a whole and Australian Cricket in particular.