Wimbledon Calling
The Grandest of the grand slams in Lawn Tennis, the Wimbledon Championships, has reached its climax, and tennis fans the world over are eagerly waiting to know who will be crowned the King of grass. No prizes for guessing who will contest the finals, unless the unexpected happens and God takes the forms of Marat Safin & Rainer Schuettler and takes them to the finals. But that is highly unlikely,as God does not poke his nose in such mundane, earthly matters.
Coming to the protagonists who will don the mantle of title defender and challenger, it will be the one and only Roger Federer,against the only man who has given him sleepless nights, Rafael Nadal. One a Swiss, the other a Spanish,they are as different as chalk and cheese.One a naturally gifted player, the other who has made the grade through toil. Federer is elegance personified, Nadal is a marauder on the courts. Federer is charming and gentlemanly, Nadal looks rough and brutal. Federer is multidimensional, having a complete all round game, while Nadal seems one dimensional. Federer plays the backhand onehanded, while Nadal plays it like most, two handed, giving the impression that they are playing cricket.One conceals his powers like an iron fist in a velvet glove, the other displays his, with raw power and exposed biceps. Federer is as gifted in PR as in his game, being comfortable in English, French & German, a result of his Swiss upbringing.(Being born a Swiss,the most beautiful country in the world, is in itself a gift from God). Nadal communicates in broken English and fluent Spanish,but then his actions speak louder than words. One remains without a coach off and on(what can one teach somebody who knows it all) while the other is coached by his uncle.
On the courts, Federer unarms his opponents with talent,accuracy and occasional flashes of genius in a pleasing manner,that even his opponents do not find it bitter to loose to him. Nadal, on the other hand, grinds his opponents into submission with power and precision, that they are figures of despair and helplessness at the end of the contest. As if that is not enough, his stare at his opponent, from the corner of his eye, unsettles even the innocent spectator. In short, Federer plays his game with the precision and style of a Swiss watch, while Nadal subdues his opponents like a Spanish matador controls the bull in the ring.
The finals will no doubt be a fine display of ace serves, fierce ground strokes, superb placements and fine positioning. Given that both are equally good, the one who commits the minimum of errors and holds his serves and nerves will come out the winner. To sum it up, the Centre court on Wimbledon,on Sunday,will be witness to one of the most enduring rivalries in recent years, in human sport.
The Grandest of the grand slams in Lawn Tennis, the Wimbledon Championships, has reached its climax, and tennis fans the world over are eagerly waiting to know who will be crowned the King of grass. No prizes for guessing who will contest the finals, unless the unexpected happens and God takes the forms of Marat Safin & Rainer Schuettler and takes them to the finals. But that is highly unlikely,as God does not poke his nose in such mundane, earthly matters.
Coming to the protagonists who will don the mantle of title defender and challenger, it will be the one and only Roger Federer,against the only man who has given him sleepless nights, Rafael Nadal. One a Swiss, the other a Spanish,they are as different as chalk and cheese.One a naturally gifted player, the other who has made the grade through toil. Federer is elegance personified, Nadal is a marauder on the courts. Federer is charming and gentlemanly, Nadal looks rough and brutal. Federer is multidimensional, having a complete all round game, while Nadal seems one dimensional. Federer plays the backhand onehanded, while Nadal plays it like most, two handed, giving the impression that they are playing cricket.One conceals his powers like an iron fist in a velvet glove, the other displays his, with raw power and exposed biceps. Federer is as gifted in PR as in his game, being comfortable in English, French & German, a result of his Swiss upbringing.(Being born a Swiss,the most beautiful country in the world, is in itself a gift from God). Nadal communicates in broken English and fluent Spanish,but then his actions speak louder than words. One remains without a coach off and on(what can one teach somebody who knows it all) while the other is coached by his uncle.
On the courts, Federer unarms his opponents with talent,accuracy and occasional flashes of genius in a pleasing manner,that even his opponents do not find it bitter to loose to him. Nadal, on the other hand, grinds his opponents into submission with power and precision, that they are figures of despair and helplessness at the end of the contest. As if that is not enough, his stare at his opponent, from the corner of his eye, unsettles even the innocent spectator. In short, Federer plays his game with the precision and style of a Swiss watch, while Nadal subdues his opponents like a Spanish matador controls the bull in the ring.
The finals will no doubt be a fine display of ace serves, fierce ground strokes, superb placements and fine positioning. Given that both are equally good, the one who commits the minimum of errors and holds his serves and nerves will come out the winner. To sum it up, the Centre court on Wimbledon,on Sunday,will be witness to one of the most enduring rivalries in recent years, in human sport.
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