LINUS FERNANDES

Mats Wilander: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Mats Wilander Pegs Caroline Wozniacki As ‘Mentally Deficient’ at the Slams

What he said:

“She’s certainly not the best player in the world at her best, but at her worst she’s probably the best player in the world compared to the others."

Seven time major  winner and former Numero Uno Mats Wilander questions Caroline Wozniacki’s pedigree despite her finishing No.1 two years in succession.

The Dane has yet to win a major falling short every time in her Grand Slam aspirations.

Wilander said:

The thing is we know she can win small tournaments, what we don’t know is if mentally she can win the big ones. We know Wozniacki has the head to be consistent but we don’t know if she’s got the head to wrap her thoughts around winning a Grand Slam. Her game is not there just yet.

Wilander feels that Wozniacki is clueless at the majors because she cannot access on-court coaching.

To be honest, the mistake that she is doing is that she is getting different treatment on the WTA tour than she does at the Grand Slams because of the on-court coaching. You have to look at the obvious reasons I’m not in favor of it for her because she seems lost compared to when she’s getting coached.

Consistency, rather than brilliance, is the reason for Wozniacki’s ascendancy, says Wilander:

“The ranking is the result of not necessarily being the best player in the world, it’s the result of being the most consistent player in the world. That’s what it reflects.”

Wilander questioned Wozniacki’s commitment to winning Slams:

"Her range is very narrow, very even. But is she playing to be the number one in the world, to win lots of matches and make a lot of money or is she playing to win grand slams. I guess you’ll have to ask her that."

Wilander believes that Czech Petra Kvitova has the weapons and the temperament to dethrone the Dane of Polish origin:

Absolutely. Kvitova is going to be inconsistent because of the way she plays but mentally she is very consistent. She always looks for a way out and looks to come forward and be aggressive, she is happy to go to the net and make her opponents miss.

She is very natural in figuring out what she needs to do with her game. Unlike Caroline she’s already proved she can raise her game to win a slam.

What Mats Wilander really meant:

“The best of Ms. Wozniacki does not quite match the best of the likes of Li Na, Samantha Stosur, Serena Williams, Petra Kvitova or Vera Zvonareva. Her worst, however, is better than their worst. The pendulum swings more in their case.”

What Mats Wilander definitely didn’t:

“How about Ms. Wozniacki  endorsing ‘Cruise Control’?”

India Cricket: Of Young Legs, Heller Pacers and Non-Finicky Squads

The English came, saw and were conquered.

The freshly crowned No.1 Test team were all at sea when it came to negotiating the sub-continent’s slow turners.

A 5-0 trashing might satisfy MS Dhoni and his young brigade ;the true test is to come when Team India tour Australia at the end of the year.

The Indians looked sharp in the field owing to young legs in the side.

A consolation T20 win for Graeme Swann, no little thanks to a belligerent knock by the man he termed not captaincy material in his autobiography, “The Breaks Are Off”—Kevin Pietersen.

The hoi polloi were not impressed; the stands were less than full for the games.

A surfeit of cricket coupled with the dismal surrender in England implies that fans cannot be taken for a ride—surely not all the time.

The squad picked for the first Test in the return series against West Indies at home has three express bowlers, each capable of bowling at 140+ kmph.

Does this mark the dawn of a new era?

Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron are chomping at the bit to have a go and make their mark on the selectors before the crucial tour Down Under.

Harbhajan Singh,however, has been sternly castigated by Krishnamachari Srikkanth and his merry men; he remains out of favour.

Rahul Sharma, Ravindra Ashwin and Praghyan Ojha are the twirlers chosen by the wise men of Indian cricket.

Virender Sehwag returns, Ajinkya Rahane is rewarded for his fine displays and Yuvraj Singh makes it back to the Test side and ‘Grade A’.

Virat Kohli has yet another chance to prove his credentials in the longer format of the game—should he play.

Kohli and Ishant Sharma have moved up in the Indian cricketing world—rewarded with Grade A contracts.

Ashish Nehra is the surprising omission from the list of contracted players. Why is he being punished?

The first Test match is scheduled for November 6, 2011 in Delhi at the Ferozeshah Kotla.

Two spinners and two pace bowlers are par for the course on sub-continent wickets.

Will Dhoni risk a Sehwag without adequate match practice? A similar move did not quite work wonders in English conditions. But then this is home advantage and the Kotla is the Nawab’s home ground.

Can Dhoni leave him out?

The second pace bowler’s spot is a toss-up between Yadav and Aaron—Dhoni’s call.

Rahul Sharma is the least experienced amongst the trundlers. Safe to say, he will not play.

The squad picks itself:

M S Dhoni (capt & wk), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag (Ajinkya Rahane), Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav (or Varun Aaron).

Ajay Maken: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Ajay Maken Cannot Be Mistaken For An Item Girl

What he said:

“I am not a star or a celebrity or an item girl, I am only a sports minister.”

Ajay Maken is atypically humble when asked whether he will be present for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit in NOIDA.

Sports Minister Maken denied promoters Jaypee Group a Rs. 100 crore tax exemption.

Maken said:

“When I rejected their request for tax exemption and custom duty, then why should I expect an invitation?"

The sports minister added:

"Any tax exemption is as good as granting aid. The P T Usha academy does not have a synthetic track, it is such projects which require government support rather than F1.”

No formal invitation was extended by the Jaypee Group to the minister, a move interpreted by sources in the sports ministry as “a deliberate slight”.

The organisers later revealed that two passes had been sent to the minister’s residence.

What Ajay Maken really meant:

“I’m not one of Bernie Ecclestone’s ‘Go-Go girls’. I’m more of a speed-breaker.”

What Ajay Maken definitely didn’t:

“Is Mayawati going to be there?”

Kevin Pietersen: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Kevin Pietersen Wishes He Had Exclusive Copyrights To ‘Palti Hit’

What he said:

"I should’ve taken a patent on that shot… With so many batsmen playing it these days, I would have made a pile from the royalty."

Kevin Pietersen regrets not patenting the “Switch Hit”, a shot in which he switches grips and sides, inverting field placements and befuddling bowlers with his power hitting—equally devastating in his left-handed avatar.

What he really meant:

“The Pepsi commercial doesn’t count, of course.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Definitely easier pickings  than penning an autobiography.”

Graeme Swann: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Graeme Swann Is Not a ‘Character Assassinator’

What he said:

“They would have realised it was not a character assassination.”

Graeme Swann clears the air on the controversy surrounding Kevin Pietersen’s portrayal in his autobiography, “The Breaks Are Off”.

Swann, in his book, dissed the No.4 saying he was not a natural leader and should never have been made skipper.

Swann is skipper of the T20 side and needs Kevin Pietersen to fire on all cylinders to salvage a disastrous ODI tour of India where the visitors were thrashed 5-0.

Swann said:

“My relationship with KP has unchanged. It’s fine. I am afraid people churned out stories that did not exist.”

Swann defended his characterisation of KP:

When I wrote the book it was certainly not a character assassination on anyone. It was certainly not more than myself. So I did not feel the alter the timing of its release.
It was an opinion of mine some years ago. Some people chose that for a headline of me slamming (Pietersen). A few more people could have seen it the way it was and they would have realised it was not a character assassination.

What Graeme Swann really meant:

“And they would have realised that the book is a huge bore.”

What Graeme Swann definitely didn’t:

“Kevin, how about a half-way split of the royalties?”

Roger Federer: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Fedex Meets The Federer Express

What he said:

"I have never named a locomotive before, let alone one bearing my own name.”

Fedex or the Federal Express has a locomotive named after him—The Federer Express.

Roger Federer was honoured by National Suisse with a locomotive bearing his name and image.

Federer is the Suisse’s brand ambassador.

The National Suisse will contribute to the Roger Federer fund for every kilometre the locomotive travels.

Jeannine Pilloud, Head of the Passenger Division at SBB railways, said:

“Our passengers are world champions in rail travel. Now they can look forward to meeting Roger Federer, the best tennis player of all time, on all inter-city routes.”

What he really meant:

“How would you  like to do the Loco-motion with me?”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Why can’t my sponsors be normal and name an airplane or a ship for me?”

Marat Safin: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Marat Safin Hopes To Join The Law Makers

What he said:

“I could be the best looking guy in the Duma. But that’s only because all the other guys are over 60.”

Marat Safin is running for public office.

The former tennis star—winner of two majors—is up for election to the lower house of Russian parliament on December 4, 2011.

Post-retirement, Safin involved himself with the Russian tennis federation and is a member of the Russian Olympic committee.

What he really meant:

“I could be their (Duma’s) fresh-faced poster boy.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“The change (in Russian politics) will be merely cosmetic.”

Women’s Tennis: Caroline Wozniacki lays down the law for Stacey Allaster to enforce (Humor)

That grunting (and shrieking) is really getting on my nerves.

What is that horrible sound?

That is the sound of cheating, according to Caroline Wozniacki:

I think there are some players who do it on purpose. They don’t do it in practice and then they come into the match and they grunt. I think they [officials] could definitely cut it. If you grunt really loudly your opponent cannot hear how you hit the ball. Because the grunt is so loud, you think the ball is coming fast and suddenly the ball just goes slowly. In tight moments, maybe the grunt helps them with getting less nervous.

So whom is the Woz’s remark aimed at?

PT Usha: What she said, really meant and definitely did not

English: This picture is of P. T. Usha, a former Indian athlete. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PT Usha Is Not Sporting About Formula 1

What  she said:

“I feel very bad because such hi-fi business has nothing to do with 99% of Indians. It is a criminal waste (of money). First, Twenty20 cricket spoiled the spirit of Indian sports, and now here comes another avatar which will mostly attract corporate money, who (Corporate) rarely spend for sports promotion. Only God can save the Indian sports.”

Former track and field superstar, PT Usha, is not enamoured with the Formula 1  Indian Grand Prix to be held on the 30th of October, 2011 at the Buddh International Circuit, NOIDA.

Usha narrowly missed bronze in the 400 meters hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and runs an athletic school in her home state, Kerala.

Usha said:

“Till this date I have never and I don’t want to follow any motor business, which I do not want to call as sport.”

What she really meant:

“Neither does the Olympics consider F1 a sport (in cricket’s case—not yet).”

What she definitely didn’t:

“Formula 1 epitomises ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius’.”

West Indies Cricket: The Curious Case of Christopher Henry Gayle

The curious case of Christopher Henry Gayle grows stranger by the day.

Here is a man who has two Test triple hundreds under his belt; his ability to scorch opposition bowlers with his big hitting has the best demoralised and he continues to take the  West Indian domestic league, Regional Super 50, by storm.

Middlesex are yet another team that seeks to have the buccaneer in their midst.Gayle is perhaps the most successful free agent in the cricketing realm.

Following the exit of Brian Charles Lara, Gayle dons the mantle of ‘Entertainer’ with typical Calypso swagger . However, he has no place in the current West Indian scheme of things.

His running feud with the West Indian Cricket Board is well-documented. The West Indian Players Association (WIPA) rallied to his defence but to no avail.

Gayle rubbed the high-and-mighty in the corridors of power the wrong way with his damning indictment of their high-handed ways. His displacement from the national side following disagreements with Dr. Ernest Hilaire of the WICB forced him to cast aside the kid gloves and  slam the board’s idiosyncratic ways.

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