The back(b)log...

Been a while since I have sat down and penned things down. Maybe another series of retirements has prompted me to put pen to paper, rather fingers to keyboard, mind to matter.

The news of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath retiring is circling the cricketing world and is greeted with 'oohs' and 'aahs'. Well for me, it was always round the corner. But a golden generation for Australia is parting ways...and its time for the Aussies to live the fear and try and dominate through it as they have dominated 'cricket' for the past decade.

The history of Australian cricket is proud and their present rides on it. And they have found a system to throw people with attitude to succeed. They have been blessed with a generation of players to take their pride to an extent that it tends to ridiculing. A complement to them in their own ways.

When we talk about the great Australian players, if Don Bradman’s left aside, they are still a band which stands tall. This present batch has surpassed these 'legends' so comprehensively that one has to stand and ask: Is this time to redefine the term legend? Just in 2001 the world record for highest wickets in tests stood tall (and by tall I mean it looked tough to surpass) at 434. In six years it has risen to almost 700. To think further, Muttiah Muralitharan is just 24 wickets behind and has a good 5 years of cricket in him! A thousand seems like a reality!!

Comparisons in cricket are aplenty and in my opinion its these comparisons that run the game rather than the governing body. The statistics play such a huge role in arguments and to top it, one sentence starts it all over when one of the participants comes up with the rant, "Stats don't reveal the true story". And the debate continues...
But, what these stats do is to compare different genres, different styles, different oppositions putting them in the same balance and reach at a conclusion that more than solving the enigma, stirs up the mix to make it more complex.

All in all, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne have been stalwarts in modern day cricket and the void from their departure is one that the world champions are going to face in the coming years, such has been their contribution. I cannot stay away from the statistics to say that the partnership of Warne and McGrath has claimed most of their victims together. They have cashed on the traditional predatorily instinct to hunt in pairs and corner the prey to succumb. They have truly signified the importance of perseverance. They have crowned themselves the tags of 'living legends'.

To their credit they have been heroes, marshals, champions...but where they have failed is in the humility. I have been a firm believer in the phrase: Champions are known by their humility and these are the ones that haven't. Mind you, this does not put a cover on their achievements in any sense, because as marking them as role models, their achievements are the ones that should come to the eye.

My salutes to the duo! Thanks for the entertainment!

My Champions League Diary

The Champions League 2006 kicks off tonight with the Groups Stage.
For the first time in India, ESPN is not the home for CL and has been moved to Ten Sports. That means we lose out on all the CL extras to be telecasted on ESPN with John Dykes. But fine, have got to be satisfied about being able to watch it on TV rather than the internet! Plus, its really questionable how much really I am going to be able to watch it considering CL is from 1am to 5 am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays! Cutting the crap, here's a look at the eight groups and some sort of previews. Exciting times lay ahead!

Group A: Bracelona, Chelsea, Werder Bremen and Levski Sofia.

Barcelona are the defending champions and have had a decent start in the Premera Liga with a close 3-2 won over Celta Vigo and a 3-0 over Osasuna. They will be playing Levski Sofia, quite an unknown to European Football. Chelsea would be facing Werder Bremen who were second in the Bundesliga last year behind Bayern Munich. They depend a lot on Klose but he has an injury scare and Chelsea has a lot to prove.

Chelsea and Barca have been drawn together for the third consecutive time though luckily for them this time its at the group stage rather than the knockouts! I am sure Mr. Jose Mourinho will mince no words at UEFA if Bremen do manage to cause an upset and qualify ahead of them in the group. But on the whole, I do feel its a little improbable.

My First round predictions:
Barcelona 3-0 Levski Sofia
Chelsea 2-1 Werder Bremen

Group B: Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Spartak Moscow and Sporting Lisbon.

A far closer group than the first. Bayern I think are still shell-shocked about Ballack's move to England and I think they have a punctured wheel on their vehicle. Inter have bought in a lot of players cashing on the scandal in Italian football. Ibrahamovic, Vieira, Crespo, Grosso to add to Figo and co. Spartak and Lisbon are definitely the dark horses. Expect some surprises here!!

My First round predictions:
Bayern Munich 1-1 Spartak Moscow
Sporting Lisbon 0-2 Inter Milan

Group C: Liverpool, Galatasaray, Bordeaux, PSV Eindhoven

If I called Group B closer, just look at this one....mouth watering clashes all over. Not a happy Liverpool fan in me. Scared if I may rephrase.

Liverpool has had a poor start to the season, not gelling in the way they did for the last couple of seasons, but I guess the European stage should bring the motivation to perform higher, better. Facing PSV at home is quite daunting and you know who's the coach? Guus Hiddink! I hope Liverpool can get a result. Galatasaray is not match to what they were in the times of Georghe Hagi, but still the turkish team cannot be written off and Bordeaux will find out just why. I am hoping Liverpool and Bordeaux manage to squeeze out of the spot in the end.

My First round predictions:
PSV Eindhoven 0-1 Liverpool
Galatasaray 1-2 Bordeaux

Group D: Roma, Valencia, Shakhtar Donetsk and Olympiakos

Hmm...Not so interesting. Nearly read to say - boring but maybe I'll reserve that word for later. Let me call it Dull.

Roma has had a winning start to the season, but on the whole dont quite have the package to star in Europe. Valencia is exepected to sail and someone will 'have' to join them.

My First round predictions:
Olympiakos 0-1 Valencia
Roma 0-0 Shakhtar Donetsk

Group E: Real Madrid, Lyon, Dynamo Kiev, Steaua Bucuresti
Real Madrid's worry about lack of silverware got a boost by the announcement of this group. Lyon along with them will easily go through.Kiev isnt expected to do any harm and I had to look for the spelling of the other.

My First round predictions:
Kiev 3-2 Steaua
Real Madrid 2-0 Lyon

Group F: Manchester United, Celtic, Benfica and Copenhagen.

First thought: Not too bad for United. But they got to be wary. Celtic always have an extra motivation against their cross border rivals. Copenhagen have sent Ajax home in the qualifiers and Benfica is always dangerous...ask Liverpool. Certainly, no stroll in the park here.

United have messed it all easily in the past. Giggs is in the form of his life right now and Scholes and Rooney would be raring to go after serving their sanctions but United will be without Christiano Ronaldo.

My First round predictions:
Man United 3-0 Celtic
Copenhagen 1-2 Benfica

Group G: Porto, CSKA Moscow, Hamburg and Arsenal

I will politely use the word boring for Arsenal and no more. Not expecting any cake walks for anywhere, but do expect a lot of mishaps on the way.

My First round predictions:
Porto 2-0 CSKA Moscow
Hamburg 1-0 Arsenal

Group H: AC Milan, Athens, Anderlecht and Lille.

AC Milan lucky to be here after last year's scandal. Read an article about Filipo Inzagghi being a great! Well, was expecting the revelation of a sarcasm somewhere and not found one in my scrolling across to find one!
Hope Kaka can spur some magic. But they are lucky to find an easier group, though Anderlecht and Lille are quite capable of surprises. Greece won Euroopean Championships the last time around so wouldn't predict the Greek side to be left far behind.

My First round predictions:
Milan 1-0 Athens
Anderlecht 2-2 Lille

signing off till I hope to add the post match comments if not analysis.

A Season of Goodbyes...

Last week or so has been quite an eventful one in the sporting world.

Three 'legends' have retired from their respective sport leaving behind a legacy that will be admired and remembered for ages and ages. Three cherished champions namely Andre Agassi, Martina Navratilova and Michael Schumacher announced their retirements. Though Schumacher's retirement does not get effective before the end of the season, its announcement this weekend brings to dawn the sport without his presence.

Schumacher has given a lot to the sport of Formula One. He has gained rewards, awards and criticism for the last 15 years he has been in the sport. I did not even know what Formula 1 is when he won his first two Championships is 1994 and 1995, but I have read about it a lot over the years and everywhere I read, I get the following statements: "Had Ayrton Senna survived in Imola in April 1994 what would the world of F1 be with Schumi and Senna battling it out!" I think it spells a theme of the Schumacher story: the talent, the vision, the courage, the achievements and yes, there is a dark side of the moon!

His Seven and maybe Eight World Championships (if he manages to dislodge Alonso in the next three races) have been a success Formula1 might not witness again.

His 1994 victory in Benetton powered by Ford was overshadowed with two events - Death of Ayrton Senna which F1 still mourns and remembers vividly after 12 years on; and His famous clash with Damon Hill in the final race at Suzuka to win his First Championship with a solitary point! A champion and a chapter in Formula 1 controversies was born that day. 1995 in Benetton that was powered by Renault, he kind of walked away with the Championship for a second year running to silence the speculation of whether he deserved the first. And they say when people were gazing at his abilities; he shocked them by signing to Ferrari which was then literally known for its failures. Ferrari had not won a championship since 1979 and were desperate to find a winner. Can you imagine the Monza crowd going berserk in 1996 when he won his first Italian GP in the Maranello's home circuit? What a fitting way to announce his retirement after winning the same Grand Prix 11 years down the line. 1997 was the year I got introduced to the World of Formula One. The year that was the most spectacular according to a lot of viewers as the rivalry of Jacques Villenueve and Michael Schumacher 'revved' into forefront culminating into another crash in the final GP and ruled against Schumacher to be eventually stripped of all the statistical records for the year (after finishing the year as Second behind Villenueve).

In 1999 British GP he collided into a wall (and broke his leg - hence was out of the sport for 6-7 months returning for the final three races) and the scenes of Imola 1994 were revisited but thankfully not quite. The next year was definite for Schumacher and Ferrari when Schumacher won the Driver's Championship, the first Ferrari had seen in 21 years, though they had to wait a year longer to get the Constructor's trophy a season later from McLaren. Then started the Ferrari legacy for five years bludgeoning their way through, turning opposition into snails in a cat race.

Winning five consecutive World Championships and setting a record that would stay for a while. There was something to Schumacher that attracted mass appeal. This can also be gauged by the familiarity his name has in households that have no idea about the sport whatsoever. His flamboyancy, readiness to bend and stretch the rules to suit his requirement attracted public interest and criticism just the same. But I admired Schumacher because of his abilities and the power to convert ability into performance! Quite contrary to Villenueve’s remarks made recently, I don’t believe he will be forgotten in a jiffy. Hope he can bow out in style in a very typical Schumi way by winning the Championship this year aged 37!

When you talk about age, there comes a champion who has defied the belief that age has anything to do with sports. Martina Navratilova won her 59th career Grand Slam at the mixed doubles event (with Bob Bryan) at the age of 49, soon to be 50! Having already announced that it was her final tournament, it was a fairy tale ending to a story that is more like a dream. Martina is a cherished champion, the best women’s tennis player in history; the best volleyer to be seen on the tennis court. To have a desire to fight at the very top at that age is beyond imagination requiring much more than bravado and courage. To achieve success after that is just divine. Imagine: The first Grand Slam Martina won was in 1978, 28 years ago!! Roger Federer would be born 5 years after that.

Record books will have her name repeated the most for her achievements (maybe another record for that!) but one she notably missed out was a Grand Slam year (though she had four Grand Slams during a time from French Open 1984 to Australian Open 1995). Steffi Graf will be remembered for her Golden Grand Slam in 1988 which included the Olympic Gold. But heavy salutes to a living legend in the truest sense!

Another crowd favorite, someone by the name Andre Agassi announced his retirement from tennis a week back. I think the sport owes him a lot and he got some of his due as he entered the locker room and got a standing ovation from his fellows. Playing in his 21st straight US Open, he achieved something unique and incredible considering the rigors of men’s tennis.

The earliest memories of tennis I have as a viewer are the Becker-Edberg rivalries dueling with the Steffi-Navratilova ones. The exuberance of Boris Becker with his diving volleys and temperamental attitude were too great for me as a kid. Then as I grew, came across Andre Agassi and the tennis world changed. There was another man called Pete Sampras who was catching the eyes of the greats and the experts, but Agassi was catching the eyes of the spectators. Which one is more important or crucial is a matter of argument, but yes the bandana made a revolution on its own. Agassi revolutionized the outlook of tennis. He brought in much needed glamour to the sport. He had rejected the idea of playing at Wimbledon for the All England club demanded players in white apparels! Ironically his first Grand Slam win came at Wimbledon in 1992. The players he beat: Boris Becker in the Quarters (3 time champion), John McEnroe in the semis (another 3 timer) and Goran Ivanisevic in the Final. I loved Ivanisevic. What a character! Had gotten emotional when he eventually won in 2001. He had served a record 206 aces that year beating Becker’s record of 85! But on the other side of the net was a short man, baseliner style that was considered a useless skill at Wimbledon, but he had something special: “The return of serve” – the best a sport has seen. When everyone would play the blast service a couple of steps beyond the baseline, Agassi would step in and bank on his supernatural reflexes hit the return ‘on the up’ getting the reverse momentum before the server recovered his balance.

He also refused to go down under to the Australian Open till 1994 for whatever reasons, but when he did, he did in style winning the Grand Slam four times in years to come. The Kangaroo land jumped up to take notice of the Phenomenon.

But the record that will etch Andre Agassi in all record books and will always puzzle the purists/experts is the career Grand Slam winning all four majors. A record only shared by four other men remembering that when those four achieved it, three of four Slams were played on grass!

Andre Agassi does owe a lot to his rivalry with Pete Sampras, who owes it back equally. The duo gave life to tennis in the 90’s when the tennis world was short of heroes and players to match the generation of the prior decade. Agassi came from Las Vegas and knew what publicity is and the ways to win hearts, may it be by wit or by emotions and he won a lot of hearts in the way that he bid adieu sobbing in front of a full house at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. He definitely would be the Elvis of the tennis world.

Time!

Have got no time to write a blog for the last week...Had so many thoughts to prompt me into it but no time!

Weekdays are absolutely occupied by work and more importantly the travel to work! And all the household chores are to be done on Saturday! That leaves me Sunday, which can be easily basked away sleeping or 'doing' nothing at all! Lets hope I can utilize some of my 'nothing' time.

Pune traffic is one of the reasons I am not having time on weekdays! I mean I am so dead breaking(more truer that braking) my bike about a zillion times to avoid from killing someone on road! Plus the most important factor in the exhaustion is the noise...People honking away at will. If this goes on and on...I am surely going to need a hearing instrument in a while. As soon as the traffic light turns green, all vehicles start hooting like its a mass raid! I mean there's absolutely no man on the road who actually wants to stay on the street! Plus, how's your honking going to matter? I blame it to the lack of traffic sense though. Consider for example Mumbai traffic: way too large in size. But because of the traffic sense of the drivers, you might take time to reach home (which is maybe 10 min extra) but you are not mentally dead! The huge number of two wheelers on road and the ability of three wheelers especially...And to add the quality of four wheelers to drive like a two wheelers just ruins the pleasure of a 'drive'.

For me at least, my company is starting a bus, so I might take more time but way less of mental stress! Plus, I might utilize the good little ipod of mine for more time that it deserves!

Sachin ala re...

As the long wait for the return of the batting maestro comes to an end, the hopes and expectation rise for his success. Nothing new in a country where careers are made or destroyed within battling of an eye.

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, an idol, a beyond divine status but still palpable approach to life making him very human and his down to earth persona reflecting what makes him a great champion. Started his career, what seems ages ago, in 1989, in a memorable series against Pakistan. I was very young, but still remember the scenes at home when everyone was expecting very little from the youngster, disregarding the choice voicing him too young to play. He was soon to prove his critics wrong. And, proof after proof, 35 test and 38 One-day centuries later, accumulating more man of the match awards than anyone in the history, is still doing it. Criticism has come his way aplenty, as much as he has received undying adulation from his fans. But a figure stands tall, etched in the memory, as the pride of the nation along with a handful few in the nations history. He has had his failures, but the most endearing part of the little man is to stand tall and learn every lesson with an infinite capacity to take the pain and work hard. His success has to be attributed to his talent, but chiefly to his acute intelligence and keen mind.

He admits, that he is a cricketer of the 'One day' age, when test cricket was taking a battering and the pajama cricket was taking over the mantle. Just as the Kerry Packer circus was doing a grand gala opening, there was an outburst of the 'hit out or get out' mantra. There were only a handful few who could still do well with the orthodox cricketing ways and methods. A select few who could exhibit all the shots from the teaching manuals. Then there were others who got so stuck with the teaching manual that they could not adapt to the rigorous requirements and changes in the game. Tendulkar succeeded because he had the approach of not only modifying and building his own technique when need be but keeping his foundations strong.

He loves the one-day format, where he can dominate the bowlers at will and baffle the crowds with his oomph, excitement and positive approach. But he thrives in the longer format too, scoring runs after runs and keeping the country's heart beating. There was an age when the entire country depended on his performance and he would rarely fail to deliver. When you have 10 players failing so regularly around you, your team facing defeats on a regular basis, it becomes hard to maintain that will to succeed. Though it is equally challenging to succeed any way, but if success comes to the team without your contribution, there is that extra impetus to do well yourself. He did not have that in the definitive part of his caree -a lapse of pressure that if you fail one time, there is someone else to do the job! But he marched on, carrying with him the spirit of the team which has now come to a stage where it no longer relies only on him. Its a transformation, a change that people don't understand to easily. Not only attributed to the rise of other players but also the advance in age and wear and tear of the body.

A machine that has become old, but still has in it to thrive extra to achieve the same output as the newer ones. A person after achieving success that might not be surpassable by anyone at all, stands as the most humble champion to have graced the cricket field. Very few critics can take that away from him and that alone is the biggest tribute to arguably the greatest to have played the game!

Terror Strikes...

As we hear about the series of blasts that ripped through the local railway transport system across Mumbai killing more than 150 people and leaving more than 500 injured, the first thought that comes to mind is - what a shame! It leaves you wondering about the similarity of the attack to the 1993 blasts – the first of its kind in the entire world. Mumbai, being the financial capital of India, the base of the underworld and being the largest city of the country has drawn attention of these ‘terrorist organizations’. Local trains are lifelines of the city and hitting the trains at prime rush hour takes huge planning and coordination. It’s the biggest failure of the Intelligence services of the country not to have inkling about such organized attacks.

Though Kashmir sees terrorist activities on a day to day basis, the impact of such well planned and orchestrated attacks on a cosmopolitan city leaves you wondering about what the Security and Intelligence systems of the country are adhering to. As today itself we saw another series of blasts across Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir. Though on the casualty score has been low there, a new trend that has been seen off late is the attack on tourists. Earlier the Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed or the Hizbul Mujahideen were seen attacking the residents (more prominently the Hindu Pundits) now they have taken on the tourists in what seems to be an act to acquire media attention.

Are these attacks linked? Is there a single factor behind Srinagar and Mumbai? As for Srinagar is concerned, the terrorist organizations have always been able to convince local goons to carry out their ‘operations’. In Mumbai, the 1993 attacks were carried out by the underworld nexus lead by Dawood Ebrahim and co. Can these attacks be linked to such gangs again?

While one can only sympathize with the victims and those affected, the thoughts of ‘how?’ and ‘why?’ hover around the mind. India has always been a target of these militant groups.

The strength of people around such occurrences gives you some relief as they stand together in these times of distress. The signs of normalcy settling in are a sign that we are getting immune to such acts. Is that the correct way out? Is there a solution to the problem? Can terrorism be controlled? What are the roots? All these questions spring to life. The root for terrorism is undoubtedly hatred and ill faith. But the true question is where does this hatred come from? How can the life value of fellow humans lose down to such low? Is the government taking all the necessary steps for such actions to stop?

Is Gandhi faith going to work or is the US way the solution or is there an intermediate solution? Can terrorism be stopped by terrifying? By killing a few people of the organizations, or bombing some hideouts, can these inhumane acts be stopped? For a first, the Indian economy and power is not strong enough to carry out what the US did in Afghanistan. According to me, what US did in Afghanistan against the Taliban was a farce, just to show that some action has been taken, but what was the result. The objective was to terminate/capture Osama bin Laden in which the US completely failed. Can India, hypothetically, go about doing the same in PoK? For me that’s not a solution. Not giving attention to these groups and not paying heed to their threats can give a sense of insignificance to these groups which could be interesting. But the Intelligence Services have to work doubly hard to make sure that such things are not repeated to incorporate security in the public mind.

Media has a very important role. Media has to be more careful in choosing the perspective to be portrayed out of a situation. Instead of showing panic, if a positive outlook is borne, giving a sense of strength and maturity, the effects can be serene instead of severe and can avoid repercussions like the riots in 1993.

Whatever maybe the way, the system needs a vision and perseverance to handle the situation and let us hope the proper vision gets support from all aspects of the society.

Azurris Rule in Berlin...

Italy are the World Champions for the fourth time in history, a repeat of their 1982 performance. Interestingly, just before the 1982 edition, there was a big match fixing scandal for the Scudetto just like the four Serie A teams have been under the watch eye. Well, the public will not complain about it much the next time the scandal hits the scene...

Zidane headbutted out of the final...not the first time he has been involved in such behaviorial felonies. For a player of his stature and position it was an absolute disgrace. Ironically, he has been awarded the Golden Ball, as the player of the tournament. For me, it was Fabio Canavarro. He has been the heart and soul of the Italian team and led them like a general in war. The World Cup was about defenses, highlighted by the fact that only 143 goals were scored compared to 161 in 2002 and 171 in 1998 in 64 games each, 141 scored in 1994 in only 52 games.

It was the efficasy at which the resolute Italian defense denied the opposition anything at all. The only goal they conceded was an own goal and one in the Final through a penalty that was 'earned' with all the theatrics. But flamboyance wins easily over tenacity. I dont say this because I hate France because they are cheats (same to Portugal- why cant they play a clean game!)...for me champions have to come across with humility and truth. Anyway, here summarizing a few best and worst moments of this edition...

Best players:
Fabio Canavarro(ITA), Zinedine Zidane(FRA), Andrea Pirlo(ITA), Ricardo(ESP), Gianluigi Buffon(ITA)

Worst players:
Peter Crouch(ENG), Pauletta(POR), Mark Viduka(AUS)

Top entertaining teams:
Germany, Argentina

Most boring teams:
England, Netherlands

Dramatic teams: teams that believed it was not football match, but WWF match
Portugal, France

Big let-downs:
Frank Lampard(ENG), Ronaldinho(BRA), Ruud van Nistelrooy(NED)

Stupidest people:
Zinedine Zidane(FRA), Sven Goran Ericsson(ENG-coach), De Rossi(ITA)

All show- no play:
Crsitiano Ronaldo(POR), Theirry Henry(FRA), Arjen Robben(NED)

Fed Ex delivers on time...

Federer Express marches on in style...

And thus, Roger Federer emulated Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras by winning four consecutive Wimbledon crowns by beating Rafael Nadal 6-0 7-6 6-7 6-3 at the All England Club for Tennis and Croquet. Prior to that, the pair of Nadal and Federer made it a first in the Open era and first since 1952 to play back to back French Open and Wimbledon finals...an outstanding feat by the two focii of the tennis world today. These true champions of the sport are as different as chalk and cheese. One has dominance on clay continuing a 66 match unbeaten streak on clay courts and the other making it 48 on the trot on grass with this win. One has flamboyance and exuberance written all over his charismatic endeavor; the other has a sense for tradition and has striking love for etiquettes. One sports a sleeveless vest and three-fourths; one sports a formal jacket on court.

But one thing they share is humility and respect for each other's abilities. The rivalry will definitely bring dividends and love from tennis lovers. Rivalries have always been great for the sport like Borg-Connors-McEnroe, Becker-Edberg, Edberg-Lendl and Sampras-Agassi. Just when the Roddick-Federer rivalry seemed to be building up with two back to back Wimbledon finals, Nadal has literally burst onto the scene with scintillating displays of committed tennis.

The final began with Federer running over his rival with such ease that it almost seemed like a first round match up. But Nadal soon raised levels to match Federer stroke for stroke which started to force errors from the Federer returns. Nadal broke Federer in the crucial 6th game of the second set to gain a 4-2 lead and just as he looked poised to get the set: serving at 5-3, Federer broke back and held his own to make it 5-5. As the set moved into the tiebreak, Federer clearly had to fight it out to win 7-5. That must have given Nadal much needed confidence going into the third which displayed fantastic tennis of the highest level. Eventually the set reaching another tiebreak without any break of serves and Nadal's will to perform got him the set he much needed. But then the World number one raised his game a notch and got two breaks on the trot, serving 5-1 for the Championships. Nadal showed great determination and grit to not go down without a fight and broke back but not for long as Federer sitting pretty
on the double break served out the match 6-3. Nadal has to beat it out another time to get a cherished championship. He does have to improve on his volleying ability to stake a claim.

Federer though, just proving to be the best Wimbledon champion in years to come. Next in line is motivation to equal Borg's record of 5 in a row!Guess its not as much trouble for Federer to change his jacket to bear 4 racquets on the pocket!

While keeping space for adding a few more...

A Beginning...

A very interesting moment to start my blogging career, if I may - a day which ends a month and half long period of sporting ecstasy.

It all started with the year's second tennis Grand Slam at Rolland Garros where World numero uno Roger Federer was vying for an all illusive French Open crown to become a proud conqueror of all four Grand Slams at a time. The only obstacle seen and one eventually proving invincible for him was the Spanish phenomenon - Rafael Nadal. After breezing past Nadal in the first set 6-1, Federer lost concentration and Nadal muscled him out in the bout

This was accompanied by India's tour of the West Indies, Critical Formula One Grand Prixs - ones which could decide if the championships might last a little longer. But then started the biggest sporting event along the years - FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany. An event that has sparkled unseen fan-following across the world. Today's the all important Final between Italy and France a repeat of the 2000 Euro Championships as about 2 billion viewers watching the fight for the most coveted and recognized prize in sport.

But before that comes another defining moment when Roger Federer takes on Rafael Nadal again, this time at the All England Club for the Championships at Wimbledon 2006. Federer eyes a fourth consecutive title to match Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras in the open era. Nadal leads 6-1 head to head between the two a feat only he can boast over his opponent referred as 'the Archibald' for the artistry he creates on the tennis court. Notable statistics being that they have played 4 times on clay, considered Nadal's backyard and none on grass, easily Federer's best arena. Three times on hard courts have gone 2-1 in favor of Nadal. But today, Nadal has nothing to lose as he's considererd a strong underdog while on the other hand Federer has ample at stake. More to prove to himself against the Spanish about his ability to beat him.

The match starts in a while and I will add the match report soon...till then happy viewing...