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.