Pheww! Finally, a change at the TOP!

Then, I was still struggling to cope with the delight that I was a graduate finally. Then, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee led-NDA was still in power. Indian cricket was still being led by Saurav Ganguly in both (T20 was not a reality then) forms of the game and Shilpa Shetty was not yet more famous in the UK than she was in India. Then, the year was 2004!

Fast forward to August 2008!

Things do change and move with breakneck speed in the 21st century what with people willing to give it their all to have their five min of fame under the sun. I'm convinced that people would quickly need to come up with a more emphatic word than "cut-throat" competition to describe the madness and mayhem around and across careers at that! Be it the corporate world or be it sports, competition reigns supreme and individuals need to be on their toes 24*7 to survive at the top, leave alone thrive!

But despite all that, there was one person who defied all odds and did something that can only be marvelled at. For 237 consecutive weeks (not a typo) a Genius from Switzerland ruled the roost in a Sport which would be rendered much poorer the day he decides to call it a day. Tennis was never the same before. A game that was fast becoming into some sort of slugfest dominated by "power hitters" suddenly had someone who was "grace personified", in the true sense of the word. Moreover, the grace was not just on-court but also off it. 1997 saw the release of the classic "Life is Beautiful" which went on to capture people's imagination across the globe. Suddenly you had a champion who could have forced anyone who understands the game to release a new flick by the name "Tennis is Beautiful". Indeed, the game seemed so beautiful and artistic and graceful and all that, thanks to that one man who'll most certainly go down in the history books as the "Best Player to have ever held a Tennis racquet". That one man; the one, the ONLY, Roger Federer!

An irony this though that I've chosen to create this blog today, when he finally gives up his grip over the no.1 ranking that he's held over the past four and a half years. Today, his nemisis from Spain, Rafael Nadal will finally and (much deservingly) climb to the top of the tree. However, this also gives us all who love the game so much to look back and admire the man who's given all of his fans around the world so much to cheer about.

As stated earlier, it just wasnt about the way he handled his genius on the court. It was also about a man who knew he could make such an impression by being a great ambasaador for the sport off the court as well. And boy, did he do a good job at that or what! Respect for opponents is something that Roger took to a new level altogether, even if it was someone against whom he held a 15-2 "head-to-head" record. Respect for the history of the game is something that the man had in abundance and anyone who saw the Post-Final presentation of the "Australian Open 2006" will have a hard time forgetting those scenes which saw a tearful RF hugging the Aussie great Rod Laver. His contributions as a goodwill ambassador of UN is pretty well documented and even in a country where cricket continues to remain the no.1 sport [Abhinav Bindra's outstanding feat @ Beijing '08 notwithstanding] his visit to bring relief to the victims of the deadly Tsunami drew many people even mre close to him. His forehand that's argubly the best that the game has ever seen, his reliable serve especially during crunch situations, his down-the-line passes, his knack of winning even when's he clearly not at his best; these are all known to everyone. But then, as Lance Armstrong quite rightly puts it when he says "Its not about the Bike", so is the case with the SwissMaster. Its that something extra that he brought to the game and its followers that endeared him so much to all of us.

He's had a bad year allright and a few of the pundits have even started writing his obituaries. Sad to see that really coz people fail to see things in "perspective". Heck, at the end of the day, RF for all the "tough times" that people are talking about has gone on to reach 2 Grand Slam finals and 1 Grand Slam Semi-Final. Think about it, it really hasnt been a "pathetic year" by any stretch of imagination. Its just that Rafa has struck rich form, and Federer surely seems to have fallen victim to the "monster that he'd created over the past 237 weeks".

I aint no soothsayer but I hate to write off champions. They are anyway few in number and when you have one, its only right to give them respect and be a little patient with them during times that are obviously "comparatively tougher" for them. My best bet is that we'll see a response from the Genius sooner than later and the final GS of the year starting in a week's time at NY will be interesting to say the least. Boy, just as the commentators will take some time to get adjusted to saying "World no.2 Roger Federer", fans like yours truly too will find it awkward, to say the least, to scroll down to the bottom of the page to find his name in the "draws".

Nonetheless, its time to cheer and congratulate the new World no.1. Rafael Nadal, you've deserved every bit of the success achieved this year. Hearty congratulations. And Roger Federer, well, you'll continue to rule the hearts of everyone who understand even an ounce of the game! All the best for the remainder of the year!!

Brij.

P.S. This was my 1st post on the earlier blog that I'd had to discontinue...Stay assured all, no plagiarism this :)