sports

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

“It was jogging shoes with jeans and a practice shirt, now I dress more accordingly to where I’m going and have started taking a joy in putting on suits. Maybe I have 25 or 35 [suits], I’m not sure. I think it’s important to offer something different to the fans and important you enjoy it, and I do.”

Roger Federer lets us know that his fashion sense has matured over the years together with his game and 16 majors.

What he really meant:

“Come on, folks, I have to spend all those dollars somewhere and why not on nice clothes? 35? Is that too much for a multi-millionaire?”

What he definitely didn’t:

“The stuff I wear on court are all gratis, anyway.”

Novak Djokovic: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

“Walkover from Fognini. Bad luck for him, hope he recovers fast. Today I get to enjoy Paris in a different way :-)”

Djokovic marks his progress to the quarter-finals with a celebratory tweet.

What he really meant:

“Party time, pals!”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Let’s pay old Foggy a visit with some flowers.”

 

Rafael Nadal: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

“I’m not playing well enough to win this tournament.”

Defending champion Rafael Nadal feels a bit off-key as gets into the final stretch of the French Open.

What he really meant:

“But then, so are six others. It’s all relative.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Oh what’s winning got to do, got to do with it
What’s winning but a second hand emotion
What’s winning got to do, got to do with it
Who needs one more French Open
When my legs are creaky and broken.”

Rob Steen: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Sepp Blatter: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

“Crisis, what is a crisis?”

Sepp Blatter denies that FIFA is in trouble over corruption allegations in the voting  to stage the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

What he really meant:

“Do you like my impersonation of an ostrich burying its head in the sand?”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’m retiring to run an emu farm.”

Shahid Afridi: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

"There is nothing bigger than a man’s respect, and the way the board has treated me, there is a limit to everything."

Shahid Afridi announces his conditional retirement from international cricket.

What he really meant:

“Power and respect comes from the barrel of a gun and my retirement’s the smoking gun. At least, I hope.”

Sanjay Manjrekar: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

“Fans scream ‘Dilscoop’, and I think, ‘Thank god for the helmet’.”

Sanjay Manjrekar makes it clear that cricketers had it harder in his day, without the protection of a helmet.

What he really meant:

“Dilscoop—without protective gear—is akin to suicide.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Ice-cream, anyone?”

Bishan Singh Bedi: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

“When the players have been bought like slaves at an auction, they just can’t have rights.”

Bishan Singh Bedi minces no words in taking the BCCI to task for its hypocritical stance on the ‘club versus country’ debate.

What he really meant:

“The IPL is no EPL.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“The BCCI functions democratically and IPL franchisees are democracies.”

Daniela Hantuchova: What she said, really meant and definitely did not

What she said:

“I was really unlucky—I always had to face the Williams sisters."

Daniela Hantuchova feels that she was hard done by the draw in her previous majors.

What she really meant:

“I wasn’t good enough on those days to beat the Williams.”

What she definitely didn’t:

“Caroline’s as good or better than the Williams.”

Club Over Country:Insular Indians wake up to dangers of IPL

Let’s go ahead and admit it.

India, as a cricketing nation, is insular.

In the great ‘club versus country’ debate, Indian fans did not blink an eye when Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard figuratively gave the West Indian Cricket Board (WICB) the finger and plonked themselves at the IPL in the furnace-like heat of an Indian summer.

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