Tennis is one of my favorite sports.Cant play it yet but love to watch it .Several wow-inducing tennis rivalries over the decades have helped in sustaining that interest.
I loved Steffi Graf but hardly watched her matches unless she was up against Monica Seles or Arancha Sanchez or Martina Navratilova .Keenly contested and evenly matched games bring a whole new level of interest and dynamism to the game of Tennis.
Though the current lineup of female players is not producing many nerve racking grand slam finals,the men's draw is filled with pure class .If Djokovic or Nadal or Federer were born a couple of decades earlier,they would have each ruled the tennis world undisputed for at least a decade.
Immense talent,sublime shot-making ,sheer force coupled with panache put all three of them right at the top of the Tennis hall of fame.Federer on song is like poetry in motion.Nadal's never say die attitude is infectious and Djokovic's aggression is exhilarating.Federer may have moved beyond his best years but Nadal and Djokovic are in no mood to slow down.
I was reading Rafael Nadal's biography "RAFA" last week.Reading about what goes through a elite professional player's mind during games makes it clear that they are as vulnerable and sensitive as the rest of us are.How they overcome their fears and anxieties is what sets them apart from the rest of the crowd.
Tennis is as much a psychological contest as it is a physical one.In tense moments of evenly matched contests,mental strength is what carries champions through.The best example of that would be the 1993 Wimbeldon ladies final when Jana Novotna was 4-1 up in the final set but eventually lost the title to Steffi Graf. Novotna was the better player almost throughout the match but lost the battle of nerves when victory was within reach.
The big French open men's final 2012 is coming up tomorrow.No matter who wins,I hope the match is as exciting and close as the Australian open final was .
I loved Steffi Graf but hardly watched her matches unless she was up against Monica Seles or Arancha Sanchez or Martina Navratilova .Keenly contested and evenly matched games bring a whole new level of interest and dynamism to the game of Tennis.
Though the current lineup of female players is not producing many nerve racking grand slam finals,the men's draw is filled with pure class .If Djokovic or Nadal or Federer were born a couple of decades earlier,they would have each ruled the tennis world undisputed for at least a decade.
Immense talent,sublime shot-making ,sheer force coupled with panache put all three of them right at the top of the Tennis hall of fame.Federer on song is like poetry in motion.Nadal's never say die attitude is infectious and Djokovic's aggression is exhilarating.Federer may have moved beyond his best years but Nadal and Djokovic are in no mood to slow down.
I was reading Rafael Nadal's biography "RAFA" last week.Reading about what goes through a elite professional player's mind during games makes it clear that they are as vulnerable and sensitive as the rest of us are.How they overcome their fears and anxieties is what sets them apart from the rest of the crowd.
Tennis is as much a psychological contest as it is a physical one.In tense moments of evenly matched contests,mental strength is what carries champions through.The best example of that would be the 1993 Wimbeldon ladies final when Jana Novotna was 4-1 up in the final set but eventually lost the title to Steffi Graf. Novotna was the better player almost throughout the match but lost the battle of nerves when victory was within reach.
The big French open men's final 2012 is coming up tomorrow.No matter who wins,I hope the match is as exciting and close as the Australian open final was .
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