Okay,
so now it has been ages since something really exciting has happened in my life
and that is saying something because it is quite unusual that it happens so.
But
the French open came into the fray with a storm and like it does all the time
it took my breath away! For the past few weeks all I have been talking about
is tennis......much to the agony of my non-sporty friends. (yes, offence!)
After
the disastrous, flashy and tacky IPL got over mercifully, there was this quite in the household, as if there is
nothing forward to look to on T.V, but then the French Open hit all of us with
such a force that they were surprised that they were so much interested in it.
But then again most of my sports mania has been passed onto me from my parents
themselves, so it did not come as much of a surprise.
I
confess that I am a major cricket enthusiast, nothing thrills me more than the
pure adrenaline rush of watching a dive catch or stumps uprooting from the
pitch or watching a close run out, it was probably this passion which got me so
disappointed in IPL, besides the fact that the whole thing was scripted, the
sheer cheapness and the unwanted hype which turned it from a sport to an mere
source of entertainment really hurt me.
Coming
back to the real point, the reason this time the French open was such a hit for
me was because of its freshness. There is something about this sport that
manages to surprise me every time, for
example the fact that the William sisters did not even make it to the quarters
came in as such a shock, to top that they were top seeds. Djokovic reached
quarters in a game where he lost the first two straight sets and struggled his
way through. For the first time, unheard names reached the top in the women’s
section…who will not be blown away?
And
when a forehand is smashed from the baseline, it is a kick in itself. Unlike in
cricket where a while team comes together to pull through, here it is all in
the head of the player. He had to stay strong even when he is losing, not give
in to the voices in his head. That is why every shot, every rally is so
important. You have absolutely no idea what is coming next! I remember watching
this match between Nadal and Nicolas Almagro, both from Spain. It
was obvious that Nadal would be the winner not just because of his supreme
champion status but also because he is king of clay, but there were moments in
the match where Almagro was making Nadal
sweat for the ball, literally making him run between both ends of the court,
and though I was rooting for Nadal, I could not help but admire the guy's skill. And what a fantastic final! Even the rain which pushed the game to the next day could not dull the thrill. The ever perfect Djokovic made 53 whopping unforced errors and Nadal pushed himself like never before and won the final point sinking to his knees in pure joy. It sure was a historic moment as he was the first guy to have seven french open championships, but the best part was watching him jump into the crowds and dive straight into the arms of his coach, uncle Toni!
I
know it is too extreme for me to say that I am switching my loyalties from
cricket to tennis, which would be too extreme…but this sport has been gaining
my absolute respect for quite some time…and in my mind, tennis
is the new gentleman’s game.
Peace
