England

Underwear, one-way streets and Central European champions

“Bjorn Loves John”—that’s what will be emblazoned on Bjorn Borg’s new line of underwear.

Mac the Mouth disclosed that he has donned the Borg name under his pants for the past 10 years. Now, he has a chance to get his own back.

The former champs are serious.

But John, why wear those undies beneath your clothes? Wear them over  like a modern-day superhero where those labels are visible to all and sundry.

A better idea would be for Bjorn to launch a special edition of ‘Borg loves Nadal’ when the Spaniard equals Bjorn’s record of 11 majors.

For a man who is immensely flattered to be compared to the inimitable Swede, there could be no bigger compliment.

But then, Armani might not be too happy about it.

For now, it’s merely a ‘Perfect 10’  for the Mallorcan.

Rafael Nadal was on his way to a third Wimbledon title and his 11th major, until he turned into a one-way path—‘Djokovic Street’. Unfortunately, traffic was not flowing his way.

The Serbian knocked out the defending champion in four sets, a thorough demolition of the man who would be ‘GOAT’. Is there a chance that we might soon be saying the same of Nadal, that he is the best ever except he was not the best of his generation?

That’s assuming the Djoker can sustain his spell of excellence and attain a stranglehold over his senior—by a year.

We shall see.

Did you know?

Petra Kvitova is the first Czech woman since Jana Novotna—in 1998—to win Wimbledon.

Jan Kodes was the last Czech man to triumph at Wimbledon in 1973 representing the erstwhile Czechoslovakia.

Novak Djokovic is the first Serbian to win the men’s title. He is the first man from a Central European country to win the title since Croatian Goran Ivanisevic in 2001.

No Central European ‘pair’ have lifted the singles title in the same year.

Quote of the day:
In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to be understood by everyone, something that no one ever knew before. But in poetry, it’s the exact opposite. – Paul Dirac

Andy Murray: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

‘It’s hilarious. It happens three or four times a match. I don’t find it amusing.’

Andy Murray is not amused that some fans think it a gag to start a ‘Come on, Tim’ chorus whenever he plays at Wimbledon—an obvious reference to his predecessor Tim Henman, who made four Wimbledon semis without making a single final.

What he really meant:

“Aw, come on, chaps. Tim’s retired, besides he never got to a Slam final. I have three appearances.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Now, you know why I grew a beard this year. I was hoping they wouldn’t recognise me and leave me alone.”

“You do know, it’s not called ‘Henman Hill’ anymore.’Murray Mound’, it is!”

Andy Murray: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

"I think it’s about time she stopped that nonsense. Makes me want to throw up. It’s disgusting,"

Andy Murray is disgusted that his mother, Judy, named his hitting partner and quarter-final opponent, Feliciano Lopez, ‘Deliciano’, a moniker that stuck. Murray embarrassed his mother by then telling Lopez that his mother thought him ‘beautiful’ and asked for a picture of them together.

What he really meant:

“You’re embarrassing me, Mother. Stop.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Why couldn’t she come up with a nickname like that for me or Jaime?”

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?”

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.”

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?”

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.

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

What he said:

"It’s not to do with just being overweight, it’s the reluctance to buy into the discipline of it that was his downfall."

Graeme Swann is less than enthusiastic about Samit Patel’s return to the English squad. The off-spinner believes that the unwillingness to control his weight pointed to disciplinary issues which earned the all-rounder his teammates’ approbation.

 

What he really meant:

“If you can’t keep off the food and keep off the kilos, mate, get off the gravy train.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’m a huge Ramesh Powar fan.”

Hugh Grant: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

“Women do love a cricketer.It’s one of those things. It’s like Aston Martins. They just love it.”

Hugh Grant is convinced that cricketers have sex appeal and that women are immensely attracted to them. The veteran thespian is no mean cricketer himself and represented his school, Latymer High School, as a youth. The actor adds that his aunt said that it was difficult to dislike a man who likes cricket except for wicket-keepers whom he terms “weird, chippy, lippy”.

What he really meant:

“Cricketers don’t just appeal to umpires—they appeal to members of the opposite sex, too.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’d rather drive a cricket ball than an Aston Martin.”

“Crikey! My director wants a cricketer to star in his next film.”

Scott Styris: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

“Seeing Southee open the batting for Essex tonight and score 74 off 34 balls is enough to drive anyone to give up the game!”

Scott Styris is jocular about his reasons for quitting the game.

What he really meant:

“If Southee can play better cricket than me, I might as well quit.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Tim Southee is so much better than Virender Sehwag.”