An eventful day for TENNIS...

Sunday, 1st February 2009

An amazing day for TENNIS; but certainly a depressing day for all FedEx fans.
Just when we thought Roger missed the Wimbledon title by such a negligible margin(considering the manner in which he fought his way back, being 2 sets down), little did we know we were going to witness a similar result in the Australian Open.

And to add to the distressing result, all his fans had to witness something even more painful. Watch him CRY! :-( SOB!
"He cried and it was hard not to cry with him. The sight of Roger Federer’s lower lip trembling would have been enough to start most soft-hearted observers off, but by the time his tears started flowing, a far proportion of the 15,000 at Rod Laver Arena and the millions watching around the world were probably reaching for the tissues too. If that had not done the trick, then the sight of Rafael Nadal, his conqueror, putting his arm around him in friendly consolation, would have set off a worldwide outbreak of sniffles."

Australia being a nation which values mateship to such a great extent would not have got to witness an embodiment of true sportsmanship with a champion comforting another.

Roger was going great in the initial sets but faultered drastically towards the last set. Rafael blazed through the game like a lightening streak. He undoubtedly displayed a scene-stealing performance; broke Roger's serve on plenty occasions; made fewer unforced errors; the guy was simply at his BEST!

And then came the end to yet another final of the two most incredible tennis stars the sport has ever produced! Tough time for all Roger fans (including me) and it just got worse during the presentation ceremony. Being the runner-up he was called to the dais first. With all the adulation and applause from the audience, he exclaimed in absolute grief “God, it’s killing me" ; and the sobs took over! :-(

Fans all over the Rod Laver Arena were shocked; shocked to see their champion display a public outburst of emotion for the first time. And it was painful to see him struggle for words.
And then as Rafael was called to give his speech, the true sportsman that he is, he went up to Roger and reassured him with a hug.
Rog, sorry for today,” said Rafael, turning to his friend with genuine compassion in his voice. “I really know how you feel right now. Remember that you are a great champion and you are one of the best in history and you will beat Pete Sampras’ 14 titles for sure.”

Roger mustered a weak smile and nodded his appreciation, but the pain was still there on his face. It wasn’t long before the tears began to roll again.

Certainly one of the most eventful grand slams I've ever seen; and it really reflected on how passionate a champion is of his game!

Cheers to the champion(S) and to TENNIS!