What's it about Wimbledon that has the critics and the masses swooning over it? Why is it that it is the holy grail
in all of tennisdom? It should be because of the amazing sense of history associated with it and crucially because there are so few
events played on grass anything which is rare is revered. There are umpteen events on clay and hard court that the Australian, the French and the US open don't seem to overwhelm us anymore. And anything which is British has to have a sense of dignity and pride (Hooliganism apart that is :) ), the strawberry and cream, the lack of irritating sponsor boards on courts and the lush lush lush green courts. When a certain William Renshaw was winning Wimbledon in the 1880's, would he have realised he was the precursor to a long list of truly great champions who would converge in London for a display of 2 weeks of breathaking tennis.
Each tournament, in any sport for that matter survives on a diet of contrasting rivalries and Wimbledon being no different , was blessed with it's own assembly line .Oh, what wouldn't I give to sit on that hallowed courts watching a trash talking John McEenroe pit his wits against a serene Bjorn Borg or the all Australian battle between Roy Emerson and Fred Stolle or the peerless Pete Sampras match the big serving Goran Ivansevic. Goran, doesn't it bring back those tearful and ultimately joyous memories. That was my Wimbledon moment, as an impressionable youngster living and dying with the man from Split,Croatia trying to bring his split personality into unison with that serve of his.
Goran once famously remarked , there are 3 Gorans inside him, the Good Goran, the Bad Goran and the Emergency Goran , all of which could do only one thing in common - SERVE. And boy, did that serve hook me. Eagerly watching him battle his demons in the 1990's but unable to win any of the 3 finals he contested in, we were left wondering whether it would be another case of the Best Player never to have won Wimbledon. And then came 2001, the year the WTC was toppled , the IT boom went bust and my man Goran won. It was potentially the best Wimbledon of all time . When Goran remarked after winning the title against another crowd favorite Pat Rafter, he said he wouldn't mind not winning another tennis match in his life. That is Wimbledon for us. With all the euphoria surrounding Goran in 2001, another young man was taking baby steps towards greatness, Roger Federer when he defeated Pete Sampras in the 4th round.
When Sampras lost rather unfortunately in the 2nd round in 2002, to another Swissman George Bastl, the tennis world wondered whether they would find some one else who would carry the torch and the cupboard did look bare with pretenders like Hewitt winning in 2002. Then, came 2003 and we never looked back . Because it was the age of Roger, Roger Federer. Like a man possessed Roger helped us overcome the lose of Pistol Pete with his class and all round tennis skills.Federer won from 2003-2005 with great ease enthralling the Center Court audiences with a dazzling array of strokes which none of his fellow competitors could comprehend.Here was a guy who could serve and volley and play from the basline with equal felicity. Here was a guy who was virtually unbeatable, winning everything in sight and the audience was left wondering whether he was in fact the
Were we to witness another rivalry or just watch Federer climb step upon step of transcendental glory? Or could there be someone, someone who could show us that it takes two to tango. Finally , we found our knight in shining armor ( or was it a raging bull in ghastly capris :) ), Rafael Nadal. Nadal, we all thought would be another one in the fleet of Spanish Armada Ships that harbored on the baseline and keep winning the French, but little did we realise that here was someone who could match Roger shot for shot. He made the finals in 2006, we thought it was sheer luck, he made the finals in 2007, well lady luck struck twice and now 2008, it's not luck mate it's Rafa's pluck (puns puns and more puns :) ). 2006 was contested in 4 sets, 2007 in 5 sets and 2008, what next?.
Man, I am pinching myself for being able to watch this feast fit for gods . Even Bjorn Borg is back from hibernation to watch them , and so is Sachin (Why Sachin, any sports article written by an Indian has to include him !).
Roger or Rafa - Take your pick. Sparks will fly.
- Ramesh Natarajan
05/07/2008
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