As I was just about to say goodbye to a hectic day, I saw a
mail in my mailbox from a tennis fan who has been watching tennis since 1971.
After reading the mail, I realized: One thing that binds millions of tennis fans all over the world is the way
tennis has inspired and affected their lives in a positive manner.
I really thank God to have shown me the path of writing down
my thoughts on tennis and how it can inspire us. In this small journey, I have
received a lot of mails from tennis enthusiasts who share the same thoughts and
it has been a privilege and honor to be in touch with each and everyone of them. So today I would like to introduce one of those pen
pals (Samir M) with whom I have had such a discussion, his thoughts on his
favorite matches, how tennis continues
to inspire him and why he is a huge fan of Roger Federer:
Samir M : “I have been watching slams since 1971 and rate Pete Sampras
and Roger Federer as the greatest ever sportsmen across all sports. Roger's conduct on and off the court says a
lot about the person. Following tennis
has been a passion, interest and a great stress buster. I can recall two
matches as my favorite and inspiring.
1980 Wimbledon finals
between Borg and Mcenroe was a classic. Those days tennis relied more on
skill, serve and volley with sheer power taking a back seat. Points were short
and players rushing at the net following the serve was the norm. Mcenroe was
the next world no. one while Borg was in the hot seat having won the Wimbledon
from 1976 to 1980. Borg essentially a clay courter had adapted brilliantly to
grass and was hitting from the baseline while Mcenroe was considered to be one
of the greatest serve and volley player of all time. There were long rallys and approaches to the
net with Borg winning the fifth set at 8-6.
This match was remembered because of Mcenroe's artistry shown via
control over angled and stop volleys; his second serve with lot of spin was as
effective as the first and Borg's sheer athleticism demonstrated through
excellent court coverage and relentless hitting from the baseline.
Second match,
which I still watch was the 2008
Wimbledon finals between Federer and Nadal. It had a reflection on Federer
the person as well as the admired tennis player he is. Barely a month ago, he
was virtually destroyed by Nadal in the French open final with the score
reading 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. With that frame of mind, he reached Wimbledon and
regrouped himself to reach the final again. Nadal riding high on confidence won
the first two sets. Never in the history of Wimbledon final since the open era, a player down by
two sets won the match and Federer almost made it by winning the next two.
Decider was a cliff hanger with Nadal winning at 9-7. As Federer rightly said
after winning his latest (Dubai open - 2012) that there is no substitute for
confidence. These two months of watching
Federer demonstrated that a super human like Federer can go low on confidence
but he is so well equipped to forget his losses and come back on track in the
minimum possible time. A lesson for the youngsters and others who get so
greatly impacted by small failures in life."
After reading these nicely written thoughts by Samir, I wondered how much tennis has changed over the course of
time and how I wish sometimes if we can switch back to those old times of
serve, volley and skills of player the deciding factor rather than power! And
then coming to Federer, I think Samir’s last 3 lines sum up this great champion's dedication and LOVE for tennis so beautifully that I will like to end my
article with the following quote:
“Success is not
final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
(PS: Thanks Samir
for sharing your wonderful thoughts on tennis.)
If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com, http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA or http://on.fb.me/pouTOy
Very Well Written Article: Go Roger!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteMr. Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteMy emphasis was on how tennis was being played in the yester years(70s and 80s) and now, lessons one can derive from these absorbing matches and relate it to day to day experiences of life. Yes I agree that 1980 Wimbledon finals which Borg won was mentioned as 1981 while trying to explain my point of view. By the way, there is no change in the macro picture and your criticism could have been less harsh. I talked about a tennis match and sportsman like reply would have been appreciated.
Warm Regards,
Samir M
I don't know what the comment was but I liked the way you have written Samir. I too have been following tennis since the 70's and was deeply touched by your thoughts. I totally agree that those are the times we all miss. and Federer is no doubt a great person on and off the field.
ReplyDeleteThanks Samir M and Apeksha for sharing such wonderful thoughts!
thanks mr. samir for such nice thoughts about tennis and federer...i have so much in mind to talk and write about him that i cannot start anywhere...will love to discuss more on it with you..thanx
ReplyDeleteviveksisodia03@gmail.com
Removing my comment was a bit harsh too. You also got the score wrong between Nadal and Federer in the French Open Final 2008 it was 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. As for your comment that never before in the history of Wimbledon had a player come back from a two sets to love down deficit to win, that is also incorrect. It happened in 1895, 1899,1909, 1921 and 1927. If you cannot take criticism when your writing is riddled with factual errors, then you really should not publish your thoughts. The factual inaccuracies undermine any other opinion you may hold. Opinions based on a lack of knowledge are worthless.
ReplyDeleteYou are entitled to have your opinion and there is nothing wrong in pointing out if you think there is some factual error. Infact thank you for the same as it can help us to rectify the error. I believe criticism is good but using derogatory or harsh remarks for others on this site is not permissible. This is a simple site with no personal agenda but to use tennis and sports to motivate people. In my opinion Samir has written down some wonderful thoughts with the intention of sharing his experience and the lessons we all can learn from tennis. The intention is what matters in life. Does the scoreline as suggested change the fact that Federer willingness to fightback after a tough loss serves as A lesson for the youngsters and others who get so greatly impacted by small failures in life?
DeleteI wrote 6-3,6-1,6-0 and you mentioned 6-1,6-3,6-0. Does that change the one sided nature of the match ? No player in an open era, since the time professional tennis was introduced has won Wimbledon finals after being down by two sets. Above scores were taken from an article written by a well known tennis writer.
ReplyDelete