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Five Sizzling Questions Facing Indian Tennis
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The Wall Street Journal—at the start of the 2011 Australian Open—published an article titled Five Sizzling Tennis Questions.
The questions were:
Are Rafael Nadal‘s injuries behind him?
What about Roger?
Who are the other challengers on the men’s side?
Is this the year of the Woz?
Is the women’s ranking system legitimate?
The answers to four of the questions are still up in the air.
Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open victory has given doubters more than a hint as to who’s not hanging to the coat-tails of the big guns—Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Using the article as inspiration, I arrived at five burning questions for Indian tennis:
Quote/Misquote: Stanislas Wawrinka,Roger Federer,Novak Djokovic,Rafael Nadal,Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and Na Li (Satire)
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STANISLAS WAWRINKA
"I have no idea. Sorry. I have no idea why."
What he really meant:
I don’t know why Europeans dominate tennis right now. I just play, man, don’t bother me.
What he definitely didn’t:
The Europeans have stolen the Americans’ and Australians’ spinach and will keep popping them in the eye.
(Popeye refrain "I’s bin hornswoggled!” in background.)
Alexandr Dolgopolov’s unpredicted run ends predictably: Andy Murray triumphs in four sets
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So, who is Alexandr Dolgopolov?
WHO IS THIS GUY?
Why did I not know or hear of him?
He’s Ukrainian, you don’t say? Ukrainians play tennis, you say?
Aren’t Ukrainians Russian? They speak the language, don’t they?
But talk to me again about this chap.
Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer progress in contrasting styles: Djokovic, Murray and Soderling lurk in the wings
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Sunday evening and it’s seven days into the 2011 Australian Open.
The spotlight remains focused on the rivalry for the ages. Federer and Nadal are on course for a shoot-out on Sunday, the 30th of January.
That is, if the drama on court plays out as the script their fans envision.
The No.1 and No.2 seeds have taken different routes to the much expected showdown.
Australian Open 2011: Headlining The Rafael Nadal/ Roger Federer Rivalry
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Today—the 16th of January—is the eve of the 2011 Australian Open.
History will be made at the Asia-Pacific Grand Slam if Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal clinch the men’s title.
It will be Roger Federer’s 17th major. It will be a Star Trek landmark—going where no man has been before. If Nadal wins, it will be the culmination of the Rafa Slam—an event much anticipated by players and fans.
Tennis Bytes: Of Grand Slam rivalry,aces for charity and Indian hopes
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Will 2011 see more head-to-head matches between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
The man from Mallorca certainly hopes so.
“I would love to play against Roger Federer this year a few more times because when we play each other it’s in the final, so that’s already a very good result for both of us to be in the final of important tournaments,” said Nadal.
Federer seconded the motion: “We only played twice last year in Madrid and the [Barclays] ATP World Tour Finals in London, which was a great end for both of us.There’ll be huge hype going into the new season with him going for his fourth Grand Slam in a row and me trying to defend the Australian Open title. So right off the bat we’ll have some excitement.”
The recent invitational Abu Dhabi tourney finished with Nadal edging out Federer in two sets 7-6, 7-6.
Here’s a toast to the New Year and more exciting tennis and finals between the supremoes of the sport.
Tennis Bytes: Of wild cards, Sania Mirza’s parivar and reduced body fat
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Two matches for charity saw the No. 1 and No.2 players in the world faceoff in Zurich and Madrid. The matches billed “Match For Africa” and “Joining Forces For the Benefit Of Children” finished with scores tied 1-1. Roger Federer was victorious 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 back home and Rafael Nadal hit back 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-1 in Spain.
The two stars rarely collide on the ATP Tour. The matches were a bonus to their multitude of fans.
Tennis Bytes: Stosur Musters Her A-Game For Doha, Mirza travels to Ranchi
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I love Thomas Muster!
The man has guts! Big time!
From coming back from injury and practising in a wheelchair to making a return to the ATP Tour at the ripe old age of 43, he’s shown that there’s still life in the old dog!
Tennis Bytes: Somdev rises to 94, a shorter ATP tour?
Somdev is hitting his stride and new heights on the ATP tour.
His ranking has risen to 94, his best ever on the ATP tour.
Somdev has been hovering in and out of the top 100 for the past few months.
A ranking within the top 100 will ensure automatic entry into the majors allowing him to skip the grind of qualifying rounds.
Devvarman recently clinched the men’s singles gold at the CommonWealth Games in New Delhi, justifying his top seeding.
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Can Samantha Stosur Go Far At The US Open?
Samantha Stosur cuts a striking, even imposing figure on court with her trademark baseball cap and dark shades.
She brings to the tennis court her unique persona and style.
She started out as a doubles player and was ranked No. 1 in the world with Lisa Raymond.
Samantha Stosur is the Australian No.1. She goes into the US Open ranked No. 5, her highest ranking ever at Flushing Meadows.
If 2009 marked the rebirth of Stosur in her singles avatar, 2010 confirmed her status as a challenger to beware of.
2009 saw her reach the French Open semis and 2010 saw her go one better reaching the finals only to cave in to an uninhibited Schiavone. Ironically, it was Schiavone she knocked out in the first round at the 2009 edition of the French Open.
2010 has been her best year ever on the WTA tour. Her career high-ranking of five has come on the back of her stupendous showing at the French Open. This period also includes seven successive quarter-final appearances, a record of sorts.
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