Make Time For Sports.
LINUS FERNANDES
Wimbledon 2011: A tale of four finalists
Two finals. Four finalists.
Two have won Wimbledon before. Two have not.
Three of the four are 25 or nearabouts. The fourth is 21.
The 25-year-olds have 15 majors between them. The fourth has none.
The 24-year-olds have 15 majors between them. The fourth has none.
Three insiders , so to speak. One palpable outsider.
The three champions’s names are B/R keywords. Petra Kvitova’s is not.
The former champions are favourites in their respective match-ups. One more than the other.
Their challengers are similar, yet different.
Novak Djokovic is the World No.1. ATP rankings on Monday will reflect his new status.
For Czech Petra Kvitova, it is her first major final. She reached the semis last year.
The Djoker has a better chance of upsetting the odds and dethroning current champion, Rafael Nadal.
Kvitova, however, can only hope that Maria Sharapova will leave her A-game in the locker room to stand a chance of clinching her first ever major.
Sharapova has not dropped a set in her march to the finals.
Rafael Nadal has not been as dominant but he is yet a formidable force.
Novak Djokovic regained the momentum of his 41 match unbeaten streak.
To lose just once, this year, a loss to Roger Federer in the French Open semi-final takes some doing.
Knocking over the Majorcan in a Wimbledon final will require some more mojo.
If anyone can dismantle the Spaniard, it is the Serb.
An old champion in the women’s draw is predicted; a second Wimbledon title for Maria Sharapova beckons.
The stage is set. Let play commence.
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Andy Murray: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
What he said:
“If I’d known they were coming, I would have shaved (smiling). I was thinking to myself as I came off I was sweaty and very hairy. I said to them, I’m sorry, I’m a bit sweaty.”
Andy Murray was unaware that the Royal Couple, Prince William and Kate Middleton, would grace his fourth round match against Richard Gasquet. He would have have shaved his straggly beard—had he known.
What he really meant:
“Grimy, sweaty, beardy, and now I have to curtsey?”
What he definitely didn’t:
“Where’s my Gilette razor?”
Daryl Harper: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
What he said:
“It’s about as common as Indians eating beef burgers."
Australian umpire, Daryl Harper, takes a huge swipe at Indian cricketers— simultaneously defending his track record, following the criticism directed at him by the Indian captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. In a series of caustic remarks—interpreted by some as having racist overtones— that included “I should never have applied the laws of cricket to Indian players.", the Australian let fly letting Indians know how he felt about their accusations. Harper says that the ICC proved that 94% of his decisions were right and that his mistakes were as rare as Indians eating beef.
What he really meant:
“That’s how strongly I feel. So there!”
What he definitely didn’t:
“I’m a vegetarian.”
“McDonald’s have offered me a job—in India.”
Roger Federer: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
What he said:
“Sports is good. Any sports. Just not boxing maybe. I struggle to watch that stuff in the first place. Even though it’s a nice sport…”
Roger Federer believes that all sport is good, except maybe boxing.
What he really meant:
“Sports has been kind to me.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“I’d rather box Nadal.”
Serena Williams:What she said, really meant and definitely did not
What she said:
“I’m more devastated than ever.I’m just a much better actress now."
Serena Williams is a reporter’s delight despite her early loss to Marion Bartoli in the fourth round at Wimbledon. The only thing that could upset her on a tennis court is facing “Nadal at the French Open. That would drive me insane.”
What she really meant:
“I’m better at masking my emotions now. Isn’t that what grown-ups do?”
What she definitely didn’t:
“Where’s my Emmy?”
Andy Murray: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
What he said:
"No, because you get sort of attached to them.Like, if you always go into the same shower, and then one day someone’s in it, you’re obviously not going to jump in there. Well, you could, but I choose not to (laughter).I heard Tim (Henman) used to always go in the same shower.Maybe he should have changed when he got to the semifinals."
Andy Murray is not too superstitious about his pre-match and post-match rituals.
What he really meant:
“Rituals are not worth getting oneself in a twist about. You can attribute both positive and negative events to them.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“Where’s my Sony Playstation? Don’t you know it relaxes me?”
Saurav Ganguly: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
What he said:
"When I played, I loved hitting sixes."
Saurav Ganguly—at a clinic for young players at the Kowloon cricket club in Hong Kong—dwells on his penchant for hitting the ball out of bounds.
What he really meant:
“I always went for broke on small grounds.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“A quick single to third man—that’s my preferred batting style.”
Jo Wilfried Tsonga makes Roger Federer look ungainly in thrilling comeback
Let’s ask the question: Did Roger Federer lose or did Jo-Wilfried Tsonga win?
It was, perhaps, a bit of both.
For the first two sets, it seemed as though it was to be yet another cakewalk for the Swiss. The motions were smooth; the serve was chugging along like a Rolls Royce. The Frenchman was sleepwalking his way out of the tournament.
Then suddenly, something changed. It was, as though, the Ali-lookalike realised that this was his best chance—his only one. He had nothing to lose, so why not go at it full-tilt like the gladiator he is?
The first break of Roger’s sublime service fuelled this belief. That, maybe, there was something to be gainsaid from it all.
Women’s Semis Preview: Sharapova overwhelming favourite, Lisicki immediate threat
Has women’s tennis turned the Williams corner?
The quarter-finals dawned with not a Williams in sight. No Serena, No Venus.
Yes, they had both returned from injury. They had adequate warm-ups before the championships but not the desired results for bookies to up the ante.
Yet it all seemed business as usual, past the first week.
The odd-makers re-installed Serena as queen over the weekend.
It was not to be. Serena could not stop a rampaging, charged-up Marion Bartoli.
Matthew Hoggard: What he said
What he said:
“The best way I can explain how I felt in New Zealand is to liken it to when you are a small child and you cannot get your own way. You burst into tears, and that is what I wanted to do – on the field, during a Test match.”
Matthew Hoggard—in an article in The Independent—describes his struggles with depression in an attempt to make the general public aware of the disease and its effect on the person affected.
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Make Time For Sports. 