"The higher you soar,the smaller you appear to those who cannot fly"
Words that Nirmal Shekar quoted nine years ago when Sampras won his 14 th Grand slam when people around him said he was "a step and a half slower" and had lost his firepower .He battled all odds and did it when it mattered the most.
Things similar to what were said of Federer before the French Open. Roger ,like Sampras ,has proved his critics wrong and shown the world why many consider him the best ever in history.
The killer forehand was missing, the first serve percentages were having a negative slope,the unforced errors were suprisingly on the higher side than his opponent.Roger could have easily given in to a persevering Hass or a mercurial Del Porto or even a nameless Tom who stretched him to five sets ,but he found his own way to manufacture winners that came from nowhere.The shots had the necessary friction,speed,spin,momentum,direction,swing when it needed the most.
When Roger lost his Wimbledon crown to Rafa last year ,it took a while for us to sink the result into our minds.He plays with his heart.That was why he wept when he won his first Grand slam, wept after losing the Australian Open and wept after crossing the final frontier.When the going is tough,when people start thinking he is done and dusted ,when people doubt his supremacy on court,he comes with his genius and asserts he is still the best craftsman on the court.That's what make champions and Legends.That's what make Roger Federer.
When Roger could not cross the final hurdle at Roland Garros,.someone asked "Is Federer destined not to win the French open ?".And only with time we came to realise "Federer is destined to win the French Open as his 14 th Grand Slam,making it the greatest victory of his career".....How beautiful is sport...!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
"God, It's killing me "
Greatness can seldom be defined,nor does it come with time or victories but from the titanic pursuits of attaining it.It is marked by an unparalled skill and mastery of an art,but this man was not an artist,he was the one who created the art itself.His raquet spoke to the tennis ball giving it instructions of speed,movement and direction, with clinical precision.The art was so fascinating and awestruck that Wordsworth would have declared his sight at Wimbledon more beautiful than the one upon Westminster bridge.
Comparing Pete and Roger is like trying to find out which one is better,the discovery of fire or the invention of the internet.Both the most gigantic feats of their time,so are these two champions.The technical and aesthetic brilliance in Federer's game is unparalled and is only overcome and outsmarted by the brute force and tenacity of a man called Rafa , the only man on the planet who could make look an ordinary player on court.
Heros and Supermen dont cry,but artists do.There has always been this conflict between the art and the artist,one trying to be greater than the other.Most times,as in Roger's case, the art has the last laugh proving the artist that there can be only one masterpiece and it is for which the artist was born and not the vice versa.Roger cried because he realised he can no longer produce that killer forehands which made the coup de grace of his battles in the centre court in the All England Lawn Club,he cried for the art that was in jeopardy and not for his career.
Comparing Pete and Roger is like trying to find out which one is better,the discovery of fire or the invention of the internet.Both the most gigantic feats of their time,so are these two champions.The technical and aesthetic brilliance in Federer's game is unparalled and is only overcome and outsmarted by the brute force and tenacity of a man called Rafa , the only man on the planet who could make look an ordinary player on court.
Heros and Supermen dont cry,but artists do.There has always been this conflict between the art and the artist,one trying to be greater than the other.Most times,as in Roger's case, the art has the last laugh proving the artist that there can be only one masterpiece and it is for which the artist was born and not the vice versa.Roger cried because he realised he can no longer produce that killer forehands which made the coup de grace of his battles in the centre court in the All England Lawn Club,he cried for the art that was in jeopardy and not for his career.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
The "The year that was" post
I would remember 2008 as the year that witnessed a lot happening around my life.Apart from the fuzz that would normally be there with your transition from a student to an employee,there was everything i could ask for
January to 6th May :The first four months have been the most enjoyable amidst the last few days of my college with nothing to study and everything to have fun.A lot of friends,movies,chatting,sleeplessness(I dont remember a day sleeping before 2.00 am).It would surely be remembered as the best days of my life.How our final year project(There wasn't one actually) turned to be a disaster and how we surrendered ourselves into our project guide during the final month was hilarious even then.Those where days when I would ve said "So what?" even if the sky was falling upon me....
19th May to July 22 nd:The days of so called "Training" at the job.I was determined to give my best and do whatever I could to perform well.The days when i enjoyed studying ,learning new concepts and ideas everyday.those were days that i rediscovered my passion for working hard and realized the fruit of hardwork and dedication.
July 23 rd to Sept 12th : Call it fate or anything ,I was asked to be in bench for these days.the days that reminded me of the final semester in colege life.Again I did nothing,not doing justice to what I learnt in the earlier days.Nothing much happened during these days except for the one-of visit to the college to my certificates and seeing my old friends again and got a glimpse of the old times.
Sept 13 th to December 31:Was finally allocated to a project which was a really good team.I began to understand slowly what it meant to be sucessfull in this software life.I was getting a picture how actually the software industry works and was trying to find the missing part of the puzzle to be passionate about it.It was really painful to miss the old careless college life and movies
This year would be there in my heart as the one in which i got my first salary and the one in which i was able to see a cricket match with my childhood heros in it at the chinnasamy stadium.
January to 6th May :The first four months have been the most enjoyable amidst the last few days of my college with nothing to study and everything to have fun.A lot of friends,movies,chatting,sleeplessness(I dont remember a day sleeping before 2.00 am).It would surely be remembered as the best days of my life.How our final year project(There wasn't one actually) turned to be a disaster and how we surrendered ourselves into our project guide during the final month was hilarious even then.Those where days when I would ve said "So what?" even if the sky was falling upon me....
19th May to July 22 nd:The days of so called "Training" at the job.I was determined to give my best and do whatever I could to perform well.The days when i enjoyed studying ,learning new concepts and ideas everyday.those were days that i rediscovered my passion for working hard and realized the fruit of hardwork and dedication.
July 23 rd to Sept 12th : Call it fate or anything ,I was asked to be in bench for these days.the days that reminded me of the final semester in colege life.Again I did nothing,not doing justice to what I learnt in the earlier days.Nothing much happened during these days except for the one-of visit to the college to my certificates and seeing my old friends again and got a glimpse of the old times.
Sept 13 th to December 31:Was finally allocated to a project which was a really good team.I began to understand slowly what it meant to be sucessfull in this software life.I was getting a picture how actually the software industry works and was trying to find the missing part of the puzzle to be passionate about it.It was really painful to miss the old careless college life and movies
This year would be there in my heart as the one in which i got my first salary and the one in which i was able to see a cricket match with my childhood heros in it at the chinnasamy stadium.
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