Rosol who?

The first set was intriguing but by the time it got over, the denouement looked obvious and expected. I hit the sack assuming a few winks were better than seeing another demolition act akin to the first round. This morning, however brought two surprises, one bigger than the other. That Rafael Nadal had been vanquished in the first week of a grand slam for the first time since 2005 has to rank as one of bigger upsets in tennis history. Hewitt losing to Karlovich as defending champion may be along side but then Leyton is not known for his tenacity as the Spaniard is. Rafa losing a five setter against a 100th seeded man in the second round of Wimbledon is stuff that you need to suspend your disbelief for. Lukas Rosol probably played the match of his life but that isn't enough to get better of the man who remains a human tennis ball machine. Haven't watched the highlights or a replay but going by the reports, it doesn't look like Rafa had a niggle to deal with. Grass certainly doesn't afford him the grip and bounce that clay does. He typically wears down opponents with his relentless returns but it seems Lukas did find a way around. I am not sure if this is a blip on the Nadal radar or a harbinger of a change of guard a the top of men's tennis but I certainly don't mind it.  Does Fed have a bigger chance now that his Albatross is out of the way? I don't think so. For him to get to the finals, the Djoker has to be conquered and that is not a distinct possibility. My two cents on a Brit getting to the finals in a long time and giving a good account of himself there against the world number one. However, Murray would still need to wait for his first slam. Novak to defend his title against Andy....and against the center court partisan crowd.

Balotelli putting a spanner in Germany's works was not expected and it nulls my prediction for a Spain Germany finale. Can the Azzuri repeat their giant killing run and put one over the Spanish. I guess not. It  may be another shoot out and not even the footballing gods know what happens there. Italy are probably the biggest over achievers in the world of soccer but its the results that count against fanfare. Hoping for an open and memorable Euro final.

Paying the penalty

Does lightning strike twice? I guess two is a small number when it comes to England and its disastrous luck with the shoot out. Gerrard and Lampard, two of the most celebrated handlers of the football have missed it in the past for the three lions. Twas time for the two Ashleys to fall prey to the horrendous fate that befalls the English once they are asked to step up and settle scores with penalties. Does the fear of the past make them over cook their takes? It certainly looks like so with Young hitting the bar so hard that everything including the English confidence shook like a petal in the storm. Cole tried to compensate and hit his straight into Buffoon's hands. Guess, the next time it goes to the shoot out, the team out in her  majesty's service can just give a walk over. Germany and Spain have been clinical (though not magical) and it would be a fool's bet to go against these two going head to head this Sunday. Ronaldo may have a treat or two up his sleeve but cant see him going one up against the Germans. Its "so long" to the English once again in the quarters and may be they will do well not to have a dead lock again in a knock out game. Win or lose in the 90 rounds of the long handle of the clock. At least that saves the worst possible heart break for their fans.

Its time to get high on grass. Wimbledon is here and I cant wait to see some quick serves and volleys after the grueling rallies on the Parisian red dirt. Lets see whose way the run of the green goes. May the best wo(man) win.

O' Mario

A Ghanaian in the blue colors of Italy should be a first in the history of the Azzuri. Nor is the color of his skin the only stand out feature. Balotelli raves, rants and scores some. He thinks he is a touch higher on the intelligence scale than the average homo sapien. I am not so sure about his top floor but that's certainly true about his feet. His antics though haven't won him too many accolades from his boss at ManCity but I guess Mancini would take that from a compatriot. The heavy weights have pulled through nicely in Poland and Ukraine with the lighter ones turning out what they were supposed to be....also rans. A bit like men's tennis these days where even one of the top four missing a semis spot in a slam would be cause for surprise. With England, Spain, France, Italy and Germany all having booked their spots in the knock outs, its gearing up for tense action. The oranje were given a thrashing and the time for them to rebuild with fresh legs is nigh. If  I were to step into Paul's tentacles, it would still be Spain for me to make it an incredible treble. They control the midfield better than most and Torres seems to have got back touch back. The dearth of goals is probably a blot on the beautiful game. Like most other sports, its become reliant more on physicality than skills but then both teams start and play on equal terms. Hockey has been a revelation since the offside rule was abolished. You get to see a lot of goals, some neat scoops getting tapped and wonderful opportunities on the counter. It's probably not so simple for soccer but a variant which can infuse a little bit of drama to the game would surely be welcome. How about not penalizing a player for offside if he is more than 30 yards from the goal line... or a player is not offside if there are more than five defenders in the D against two forwards. Food for thought...and a little dribble.

"Khelte Raho....Khush Raho"

Or so quips a "legend" of Indian cricket trying to sell an aerated drink. Its probably appropriate given his inclination to keep playing and make himself happy. This on top of his having accepted a much maligned position of MP. Its like me taking up a dozen jobs and going to any one of them as I desired on a given day. So, he wakes up in the morning and looks at the size of his beard....to decide whether he wants to play for India, or to shoot a commercial, or better go to Delhi and sit smug in the Rajya Sabha. Some say he has earned that right by making a ton of tonnes. May be he should be given an honorary and permanent position on the team for that. Life starts at 80 is the tenet embraced by our poilticians and he seems to have subscribed to that even before he became one. He says retiring on top is selfish. Well, one understands that he may be challenged mathematically but a difference in averages of 20 runs between his career numbers and the numbers he has managed to conjure in the last two years surely is blatant enough to be noticed. May be he will consider that he is no longer on top when his five year running average drops to single digits....or may be not. I guess there aren't better ways to sully one's impression amongst the sports fraternity. If there was a better case where the individual became bigger than the system, I would like to hear of it. Why do accolades and achievements rest so heavy on Indians? Its as if they are in a hurry to put all of that to dirt in a couple of years of belligerence just so that they can rest easy. If only gerontocracy was a word and not a glaring reality.

s'il vous plait

Coming back after such a long hiatus asked for a french riposte. Not because the Gallic race makes me stand and stare in awe or that they managed to hold off the three lions the other night in the Euro clash. Its just because the Parisian red dirt threw up a treat so delectable that I coundn't help but serve an ode to the French way of relishing everything fine. Roland Garros has not been one of my favorite grand slams. It puts more emphasis on the physicality of the proponents than the other three and that's not as pleasing to the eyes as a volley on the green grass of SW19 is. Another mighty reason for my dislike may be the fact that my beloved Fed has been fended off so many times by the indomitable Majorcan here that the clay reminds me of my unforgiving struggles with Engineering drawing. Trying hard and getting there but always pipped at the post. This was the first time I ever wished the GOAT didn't win his semi-final against the Djoker. It was clear as a crystal that with Rafa in the form that he was, the only man in the universe to be able to come close to beating him would be Nole. Couldn't bear to see that hooked forehand flying high to Roger's one handed back hand the the ball either denting the net or falling short to be sent roaring at an angle that defies geometry. The final did start on a bleak note (albeit only for people like me who hoped to see some new hands on the three muskuteers cup....and to see all four majors in the very same hands). If spirit and will don't define the world number two, I don't know what does. The top spin that takes the ball so high up the net only to swerve back in like it had a mind of it own is a sight that can send down shivers down the spine of opponents and goose bumps in the stomachs of viewers in equal measure. And then there was Novak, two sets down and trailing by a couple of games, the end looked nigh. I don't think anybody has take 8 games in a row from Nadal in history but the world number one showed us what he is made of. It served only as a tiny hurdle in the way of the man who is nothing short of a one man Spanish armada but it did show us that Novak is getting there....just like Rafa did to Roger at Wimbledon. Here's raising a toast to many such battles and praying that we do see a deciding set the next time around.