Who let the brats out

Niceties make an appearance on the tennis courts every season in the English summer. An almost indignant white dress code, curtseys of yore and the draw in the name of "gentlemen" and "ladies" are the hallmark of SW19. You almost feel this anachronism in the days of fluorescent dressing and heckling crowds at the other show piece tennis grand slams. However, Wimbledon remains a first amongst equals, the crown jewel cherished  more by those who take the green lawns than any other title on offer. While history is something that embellishes the tourney, a few players, champions and otherwise have gone against the norm of keeping the peace. "You cannot be serious" made its way into the tennis lexicon when a certain John McEnroe squealed that line on a contentious line call. That he followed it up with "You guys are the absolute pits of this world" is stuff of folklore. McEnroe's rants help provide that tinge of color to the absolute white fabric that defines Wimbledon. Then there was Jeff Tarango who forfeited his match after walking out on being denied an ace followed by a warning and a penalty point. "You are the most corrupt official in the game" is something that you will not hear in ages on a Wimbledon court. Then there are assorted tantrums from the likes of the Romanian great Ilie Nastase and the defending champion Djokovic. The rarity of these outbursts and melt downs is what makes them stand out in a competition known for being a stickler for the manners. Will we see an entertaining chapter being added to this list starting Monday? Its  statistically improbable but certainly not impossible.

Shooting from the racquet and the mouth

We have Murray, Nadal and Federer in the same half of the draw with Murray slated to meet the Spaniard in the quarters. Novak should have a free run to the finals if he negotiates a tricky first few rounds without a stutter. He has been drawn to play the dangerous Kohlschreiber in the first round and his ranking of 33 does not bear out the quality that the German can display. A third crown for Nole would be the perfect healing touch after the despairing loss in Paris. He still remains the man to beat and with Becker at his side in the stands, he would not be lacking in motivation to match his mentor's title wins. All of the "big four" are prior champions and so the biggest incentive would have to be for the Swiss master to own the record of the maximum number of singles titles just for his own. An eighth has been in the beckoning for some time and the loss in last year's title match in the final set after doing a Houdini in the fourth would still rankle. The watching masses would again get behind the man who gave them reason to celebrate after eons of disappointment. Andy's play has been assured in the season and his steady rise in the rankings is testament to that. Nadal started off with a win in Stuttgart but followed it up with a shock loss to the Dolgopolov at the Queens. He has a nightmarish draw with a possible match against all the other three in line to win the title. But that is the price to pay when you slide down the rankings. Stan Wawrinka would want to land another blow in his now burgeoning career and if he can string together a set of impeccable matches, he can be the dark horse to look at again. Last year's revelations, Raonic and Dimitrov don't come in the tournament looking good for an encore but the former's serves and the latter's touch play are suited to the grass and if they do manage a run deep into the second week, it won't be entirely unfathomable.

Serena, Sharapova and Kvitova would be the names to contend against on the ladies' side of the competition. The two time champion Czech would want to bag a third title after running away with the final last year. Serena would want to put the drama aside to erase some bitter memories from recent performances on her favorite surface. Her booming serves are the most potent in London and unless she self destructs, (another game with 4 double faults on the trot should certainly not be on show) number 21 would not be a surprise. The usual challengers in Lucie Safarova, Simona Halep and Bouchard may find it a tad difficult to breach the aforementioned trio's power on the grass. A fortnight of grass court marvel is about to unfold and if that's not fodder for thought, what is.

The World hockey league semi-finals is a qualifying tournament for the Rio Olympics. While the Indians have already qualified, a match against arch rivals Pakistan is always a coveted one. The change in hockey's face has been so dramatic over the years that the two traditional super powers now bow to European and Australian hegemony. 4 quarters of 15 minutes each, no offside and TV referrals mean a fast paced slick game with very little leeway for error inside the D. Defensive techniques have improved tremendously leading to a stark decline in the number of penalty corners and poached goals are a common sight. All good for the viewing public. The match ended dutch with 2 goals a piece with both for Pakistan coming from set pieces while India getting theirs from field moves. Sardar Singh remains India's talisman marshaling his troops from the midfield.  While it was an exciting contest, both sides showed deficiencies before the goal and that is something they would need to rectify soon to be able to mount a challenge for the likes of the Aussies, Netherlands and Spain.  The game looks to be on the upswing for the two Asian giants and that is worth celebrating.

WOWrinka!

The form book (and the draw) suggested a Serb and a Swiss would be on court Philippe Chatrier come the third Sunday of the Roland Garros tussle this year. While the Serb kept his date with destiny, the man flying the white cross did not bear the Federer name. Instead, it was the man who has stepped out of his illustrious compatriot's shadow for good. Stanislas Wawrinka may come across as an unassuming proponent of tennis when compared to the flamboyance of some of the other leading lights but when he unleashes that single handed backhand, its poetry on the court. His Aussie triumph last year was in many ways the proverbial flash in the pan. He won it at an age considered ripe for retirement in these days of power tennis and then went back to being the usual casualty in the second week of grand slams. A first round exit at the clay courts of Paris last year was drowned at a popular coffee joint. Keeping his head down for a string of matches proved as difficult as it was easy showing flashes of brilliance. In the meantime, the child of war carried on with his all conquering ways. Another five setter in the Melbourne semis  this year against Djokovic ended in heart break for the pink tinged Swiss. Even a collision course with the indisputable king of clay was not enough to stop the Serb's march to the finals. His cabinet misses this one trophy that would consummate the career grand slam and the stars seemed aligned to write another chapter in this glorious era of men's tennis. Nadal was at his vulnerable worst and proved no match to the world number one's consistent and probing aggression. A straight set hiding on clay is not a regular occurrence for the man from Mallorca. Till the man who goes by the moniker of Stan, if you may pardon my attempt at rhymes turned up with a weapon good enough against the top seed's arsenal. Roger was blasted off the court in the quarters and while many saw that as a result of the higher ranked Swiss being off color, Stan's game was indomitable. As creditable as the win was, he still entered the finals a firm under dog and things seemed routine when the first set went along expected lines. A break of serve for Novak and he seemed on his way to the last leaf of glory to be added to his crown. And then came the assault. Watching those back hands slice the court with the efficacy of an adept knife through butter was as much exhilarating as it was satisfying. Here was a man who fought with one hand against an armada of two handed backhands and aced them all. That he did not flinch in the face of a determined effort from Nole is testimony that the mind was in as good a place as the game was. Following up on last year's break through and a Davis cup triumph, this would have tasted all the more sweet for the genial Swiss. Would he carry on and do an encore on the Wimbledon lawns? If the back hand fires like it did in Paris, i won't bet against the "Stan gun".

All in the head and the back hand

Serena Williams fought against grueling three setters, an unsettling illness mid way through the tournament and came up with number 20. She is the grand old lady in the times of teens but carries on with her feats in a way only she can. She was down and out at least a couple of times but rose like a phoenix to land a chance at winning only a third title on the coveted red dirt. While three may sound like a dear accomplishment for most, Serena's triumphs at the other slams made her performances on clay pale in comparison. She made sure she took a step in correcting that record. Lucie Safarova is a late bloomer and is the nice girl on tour. Though that belies her determination on court and her fight back after being a set and couple of breaks down would have stirred the imagination of many a connoisseurs. It proved to be a bridge too far to take the fight to the trophy but it certainly provided the watching public an engrossing battle. Grass is the American's favorite surface and with just a couple of more trophies to be hoisted to meet the incredible Steffi's record, a grand slam at Flushing Meadows in August would crown her the greatest of all time.Watch out for some fireworks.

Barcelona completed the anticipated treble with the La Liga, Copa del Rey and most importantly the Champions League titles. A strike force of Neymar, Messi and Suarez would instill fear in any team and the old lady proved to be no match to the onslaught at Berlin's Olympic stadium.Two of the three aforementioned stars got on the score sheet and the fact that all the three who scored including Rakitic have been signed in the last two years shows that the money has been well spent. While compact and precise passing is a hall mark of the continental giants, it was the counter attacks that earned them their fifth European title. Unsurprisingly, the biggest casualty of Barca's exploits was Carlo Ancelloti who had go make way for Rafa Benitez at the Bernabeau. Real Madrid ended the season empty handed in the wake of their bitter rivals' incredible showing and for the galacticos faithful, a change of guard was inevitable. Their talisman remains with them for another season but can Ronaldo lift them to some silverware before he moves on is a question only the football turf would answer.