Stories

Greg Rusedski: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

"You are talking a 0.5% improvement."

Greg Rusedski is confident that Andy Murray has the ability to win Wimbledon.

What he really meant:

“It’s the small things that matter.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“0.5% will take 99.5% of his time and effort.”

Andrew Hilditch: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

“I’ll just keep doing it until someone wants me to stop.”

Andrew Hilditch, national chairman of Australian selectors, intends to continue as long as possible.

What he really meant:

“Are you telling me, someone wants this job???”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Cricket Australia and I are wedded for life.”

Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal, Interloper Novak Djokovic

Just one Grand Slam final in over two years between the giants that straddle the men’s circuit. Yet fans and critics alike are terming it a revival of the Fedal rivalry.

Is it, really?

It cannot be much of a competition if the duo have faced off just once in the last eight Slams.

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Saurav Ganguly: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

 

What he said:

“"I (would) like to play for some more years in IPL. May be after four or five years, I will think about other option.”

Saurav Ganguly would like to continue in the IPL..

What he really meant:

“I’m suffering from brain freeze. Hence, I cannot consider other options.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’m forming a brand new IPL. Me ,myself and I are the foremost teams.”

Ten reasons why IPL IV failed to capture hearts, minds and wallets

Television viewer’s interest plummeted, ticket sales tapered off and there was a jaded, sleazy feeling to the largest sporting extravaganza on the Indian sub-continent.

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Diego Maradona: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

"This is not a family if no one plays soccer. No one is asking what can be done to improve soccer. There are motorcyclists, swimmers, race car drivers, but there is not one soccer player that can give advice."

Diego Maradona refuses to be part of the FIFA family.

What he really meant:

"At least, I played the game. These guys treat players like we do footballs."

What he definitely didn’t:

"FIFA, live and learn from the BCCI."

(Assuming, of course,that Maradona follows cricket—Indian cricket.)

‘Red, Red Clay’ by Francesca Schiavone and Li Na

 

Li Na finally won her first major at the ripe, old age of 29.

Francesca Schiavone’s hopes of defending her 2010 title were dashed by the daughter of a former badminton player. Li Na was told to switchover to tennis at eight by her coach. 

If there is a theme song for  the two unlikely protagonists in yet another fairy-tale ending at Roland Garros, it can only be ‘Red Red Clay’, a modified version of UB40’s ‘Red Red Wine’.

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Li Na: What she said, really meant and definitely did not

What she said:

“Age just paper.It’s just plus one.”

Li Na says that the age factor in the women’s final is not such a big deal.

What she really meant:

“Hell, Francesca’s just a year older than me.”

What she definitely didn’t:

“Ageism? What’s that?”

Randomly setting off cricketing (and non-cricketing) fires

A few random thoughts:

We are into the second day of the Lords’s Test between Sri Lanka and England. The home side leads 1-0 following a devastating collapse by the Lankans on the last day of a boring first Test. We don’t need T20 if we can have wickets falling like nine-pins in less than an hour.

Now, if only we had a way of figuring out which session of a Test match will have all the excitement. I’d buy season tickets.

The evening of the final days’s play in the first Test was also an occasion to trot out over-used clichés about the game:

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

What he said:

"It’s a good present because he [Nadal] had been struggling against him lately."

Roger Federer plays some mind games before the final claiming that he has done his rival, Rafael Nadal, a favour by knocking out Novak Djokovic.

What he really meant:

“Whom would Nadal prefer meeting in the final? An older foe or a younger one?”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’ll roll over and play dead.”