Tennis's Finest Hour

As we all try to take in all that happened today in the land Down Under, I cannot help but feel a sense of joy at being privileged to witness men's tennis's finest hour. Engagement with a sport is not just created by the success of a single player but the duels between champions. There is no doubt that Novak, Rafa and Roger are some of the finest to have ever played the game.  I am sure that in any other era Andy Murray would have been a multiple major winner but he seems to have been born in the wrong era! I am sure his time will come soon.  For these four to exist in the same era is a huge treat for fans... and I am sure it brings many more fans into the game. The immaculate performances on court accompanied by their post-match graciousness and exemplary off-court behavior makes these players true champions and role models for the future generations. Tennis, at the end of the day, is the ultimate winner.

It is not a given that at any point of time people on top of the game are legends and the very best to have played the game. One doesn't have to look far. Women's tennis is struggling to find true champions. As Venus and Serena fade away, and Clijsters plays in fits and starts, there is no true champion currently and this will, no doubt, impact the interest in wone's tennis. Hopefully this changes quickly. Till a day back the women's world number one was someone who had not won a single major! 

Golf is struggling immensely as well. In a world here the Tiger-Mickelson duels are possibly a thing of the past. The world is hoping for a Tiger resurgence hoping that Tiger-McIlroy rivalry brings back the fading interest (and ratings) in the sport. In an ironical coincidence, the current golf world number one has not won a major as well.

Back to tennis... In the beginning of the year I had assumed that the effects of injuries would get the better of Rafa and a resurgent Roger Federer would likely re-emerge as Novak's true challenger. However that has not been the case so far this year. Rafa has come back strongly, and how! Novak and Rafa together seem to have taken the game to a higher notch. At Flushing Meadows last year when the two battled for the US Open crown one thought it could not get any better. With the longest Slam final just concluded in Melbourne, they have beaten all expectations!

One can only be giddy with excitement as to what lies ahead this year for tennis and it's fans. This is special.

The Cricket Conundrum

So we see it again... the #1 team playing away from home and looking anything but the numero uno team in the world. I am not talking about India but England playing Pakistan in their 'home' conditions. While technically the matches are being played in the UAE, the conditions they play in are far removed from those in England and likely closer to the conditions that Pakistani players have honed their skills on. Everyone is, again, pontificating on what has gone wrong with the #1 team in the world.

The point is that in a game where ground conditions (bounce in the pitch, moisture, humidity) play a huge role, there is a distinct advantage for home teams beyond the home support in the stadium. Instincts are based on muscle memory created through hours of practice in the nets. These instincts are honed on probabilities created in one's mind in the nano-seconds after the ball has been delivered. Will the ball be low or high? How much will it swing? Obviously the hallmark of a great player is the enormity of the database in their heads, and the ability to pick the right shot taking  conditions into account. Chances are that the database for home conditions are far higher than conditions for different conditions. As far as I can remember, New Zealand has made India look very ordinary every time they have played there and the reverse has happened when the Kiwis have played in India.

Well then, it should even out? Not really. Unlike some other sports, where the schedules are mapped to have home and away games in close proximity, cricket series do not follow a specific pattern and 'return visits' are far apart. As a result players returning from an 'away' series face severe public censure and eventually lose their places in the side. Team structures are changed, captains are removed. 

I think a solution for this is to have series that have an equal number of tests (or one-dayers) at home and away as a single package... and then evaluate the performance of the team and players in it's entirety.This will lead to greater engagement in the series. Years ago when it took months to travel between countries, and the practice of  home and away series was set up, this was not possible. Travel has evolved  and now maybe cricket should do as well?!

I would be much more inclined to watch a 4 match Border-Gavaskar series that is played in Adelaide, Perth, Mumbai and Kolkata, and feel justified in evaluating the talents of Virat Kohli, Mitchell Starc et al after this. 

Let the better team win, but let's level the playing field first.

Milos away from the Ordinary

Tomorrow we head to the first Grand Slam tennis event, the Australian Open, played on hard courts and in searing heat.


One of the 'dark horses' for the tournament is our own boy from Thornhill, Milos Raonic. Milos won his second career ATP tournament last weekend. The tournament was hosted in the country of my birth, India. As I sat in my living room cheering him on every point in the tense final against Janko, a top 10 ranked player, I could not help compare the sporting similarities between Canada and India. In both countries the sporting passions seem to be largely centered around one sport, cricket and (ice) hockey. The stars from these sports are revered and hyped and way too many folks spend way too much time obsessing about it! Yet, both sports are played in a handful of countries and neither can be truly classified as a world sport.


In contrast, tennis is a beautiful game played across the world. A true global sport that has fans in most countries. Names such as John McEnroe, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer are recognized around the world while Sidney Crosby and Sachin Tendulkar may mean nothing in most parts of the world.



Till today Canada focuses on hockey and other games invented in North America. I was rather bemused to see the story of Milos's win last Sunday take second place to some qualifier match in a League invented by and played by Americans (aka the NFL) on a local Toronto channel!


In my mind Milos has the opportunity, and talent, to truly put Canada on the global sports map. With a serve 'to die for' and a pretty good all-round game he could be the next 'real thing'. I will be there rooting for him every step of the way as he continues his phenomenal rise. I hope that everyone else in Canada recognizes what Milos is is doing for this country and joins me in cheering for the young lad.


Go Milos Go!!