Sachin and Federer: My Two Heroes

eat Tennis, drink Tennis, sleep Tennis

I have a secret to share. I have been following the tennis over this week. And not cricket. Don’t worry. Cricket is still my first love.

Anyway, Roger lost. That happens every once in a while, but it usually doesn’t in a Grand Slam. Djoker got the better of him. Good for him. He’s in his prime, and there’s a peak time in every sportsman’s career, however mediocre he may be, when they knock off the greats even. I’m not writing off Djoker, but I still believe he’s no threat to the King. King is slightly out of the zone, I suppose. He’s had to fight his way through the Open, rather than breeze along, which is customary of him. But  it’s good to see new kids take away trophies every once in a while. Kind of keeps the game from getting too predictable.

Djoker meets Tsonga, a young Frenchman, the surprise package of this tournament. Tsonga hits hard, and I’m amused by his motivation. On the ladies front, Sharapova will claim her third Grand Slam on Saturday. When I saw her against Henin, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind who’s going to claim the title. Tell you what, this kind of speed and power comes only after weeks of sweating exactly before a big tournament. This is a totally different Maria from the 2007 US Open.

On to cricket and Sachin: It’s a delight to see another one of my heroes taking the reins this time. Didn’t watch him, but compels me to say again: Old is gold.