When Champions Get Their Due!

It’s a cold and chilly evening at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille, France. The French team, having gone down 1-2 the previous night, nominate veteran Richard Gasquet as their messiah for the third singles rubber. Some consider it France’s desperate attempt to stay in the competition by handing the wheel to the most experienced driver. Others see it as an act of tactical brilliance adding to the meticulously chosen clay court in order to foil the opposition’s plans of celebrating their first ever Davis Cup title.

At the other end, the hopes of a whole nation are resting on the one man they believe is habile enough to gift them what they deserve. Some fans have travelled close to 700 kilometers to watch him create history. Others are natives who can’t help but cheer for him considering the aura he exuberates. At a moment when a country stands on the verge of being ‘crowned’ into an empire, who better to steer the ship than the man with the most majestic persona. Roger Federer! Could there be anyone else?

Switzerland are in the final after 22 years and who knows when’s the next going to come. It’s already been decided that the match will go down in history despite the outcome, but for Federer it is just another match. It is just another obstacle. Non-playing skipper Severin Luthi, as cold as the wintry winds outside, gets his team in a huddle. They might be from a country with 8 million people, but right now it’s just that one person who matters. They leave him to it. Fingers crossed. “Time,” the chair umpire says!

At almost around the same time, some 6700 kilometers away, the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi is ‘marinating’ to host a desert duel that has the makings of an absolute classic. Lewis Hamilton, sitting in his polished and unrivalled Mercedes, is thinking about the penultimate corner of the race track that literally derailed his pole position contention the previous evening. Failing to win the title would hand the Brit the unwanted record of becoming the first driver to win four races in a row and not win the title.

His teammate, title-rival and pole-sitter Nico Rosberg, meanwhile, is venerating F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone for introducing the double-points concept that gives the German a fighting chance to steal the title from Hamilton’s grasps despite winning just 5 races in the season. There are a gazillion permutations and combinations that could decide the title, but all Nico is thinking is to lead the race from start till finish and hope Lewis squanders second. Either that or he’s hoping for Lewis to crash.

The universe, on the other hand, seems to be in Hamilton’s corner. For the last two years Abu Dhabi has witnessed rain on November 23. But not today! Not when a personage like Lewis is in title contention. Not when the United Kingdom has eyes on its ‘favorite’ son. Not when Prince Harry is in attendance.

Oh! The audacity if it rains! The track is cleared off. All support staff, friends and family make their way to the paddock. The cars line up after the formation lap. Nico looks back at Lewis. As if to say, “It’s been one helluva ride mate.” Lewis looks at him and then up towards the sky. The instinctive devil in him says “All right, bring on the rain.” The conscientious pilot says “Let’s keep it simple, shall we?” The engines roar. The drivers wait for the five lights. One! Two! Three! Four! Five! And it’s “Lights out in Abu Dhabi!”

Meanwhile, Gasquet, who’s 2-2 head-to-head record against Federer on clay was probably the biggest catalyst for him being nominated ahead of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils, seems to be digging deep to stay alive in the first set. Federer’s all over him and in no time has taken a 3-2 lead that too on a surface that has been baptized as ‘legend killer’. Gasquet calls for his towel. The ball girl stares into his eyes as if to say “It’s not your fault. You’re just up against a freight train.” Richard Gasquet says nothing!

The Frenchman walks over slowly to his side of the court. His racquet dragging behind him as if to manifest an image of an old man being tormented on a football field by bunch of expeditious ruffians. At 28 years of age, he’s neither the oldest nor the fastest on the court. Both of those titles belong to Roger tonight. Back that up with some immaculate volley angles and some gravity-defying drops shots and somewhere in Spain Uncle Toni, with his dropped jaw, tells Rafa to start practicing for Roland Garros.

Federer to serve! His “Pirlo-esque” approach to the game is what makes him, at 33, a man possessed to set the records straight. He looks up once. Looks back down. Throws the ball in the air and Boom! Ace! 15-0! Gasquet can’t believe it. The comprehensive master plan of using clay as a surface to stave off the Swiss Maestro has been effectuated. But why is it not effective tonight? No time to think. Federer looks up again then back to the ball. Just one look is enough. Boom! Ace No. 2! 30-0! Two more times & 4-2 it is.

Back in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton has done just what was expected off him. As the cars head into the first corner, the 2008 world champion’s adept driving helps him vroom past Rosberg in no time to take the lead. There’s a reason why Lewis deserves the title this year and he’s just showed a glimpse of that. Probably the only driver on the circuit today who’s conjured the amalgamation of speed and braking to serene brilliance. His theory is simple – “master the speed, brake late on turns and kill those chicanes.”

Lewis lost the title in his ‘rookie’ season by a single point to Kimi Raikkonen due to technical snags in the last race. He won it a year later though by maneuvering a tranquil overtake on the last turn of the last lap of the last race outstripping Felipe Massa. Both Massa and Kimi are racing in Abu Dhabi tonight. But none can curb the prowess that Hamilton has. The Brit takes a 1.2 second lead on Rosberg after the first lap. Make that 2.7 seconds as he heads into his first pit stop 10 laps later. This one might be over soon!

Toto Wolff, Executive Director of Mercedes, looks at his screen under the setting sun and just can’t help believe what has happened. “Will people put this event to another conspiracy theory?” he thinks. Not so Mr. Wolff. Not this time. Maybe if Nico had tried to back Lewis into the Williams of Bottas and Massa. But the world saw what happened. The world knows Lewis, who’s used lesser fuel that Nico and has preserved his tyres better, deserves the championship and therefore no one is going to question you.

In the meantime, Federer is unveiling one of his greatest performances on clay. Like an opera singer enthralling the audience amidst the unruffled moonlight, Roger too is giving the Lille crowd a night to remember with staggering virtuosity. The 17-time Grand Slam champion wraps up the second set in spanking fashion and a historic title seems inevitable. But wait a minute. Can Gasquet come back in this one? Can France still win? All he needs to do is win the next three sets. Nah! Not tonight! Not any night!

Rosberg has better chance of winning the title though. He’s on fire with two successive fastest laps and, in stunning chain of events, is reducing the gap on Hamilton. Fox Sports commentator Alex Yoong has just been interrupted by a Mercedes team radio message. Who’s it for? Rosberg, of course! “All right Nico, you need to conserve your rear brakes. Too much pressure on the energy unit.” “What? Conserve energy?” Nico thinks. No way. Not when the race of his life is on. And then suddenly, disaster strikes!

Elsewhere Gasquet is praying to the heavens above to end his affliction. He’s splitting into pieces as Federer, who’s moving around the court like a gazelle, is taking the whole of France to the cleaners with his sumptuous play. He’s a game away from possessing the extraordinary feat of winning all the Grand Slams and the Davis Cup. Laver, Agassi, Nadal and now Federer! A league of extraordinary gentlemen indeed! “Time to finish this,” Federer tells himself. 15-0! 30-0! 40-0! Three championship points! Death serving at its best!

“I’m losing engine power!” exclaims Nico Rosberg in the interim. Guess pushing too hard has not worked in the German’s favour. The gap between him and Hamilton is now 7.1 seconds. “Nico, your ERS has failed,” comes the reply from his team. "Can you investigate that now, please? And then tell me what to do,” domineers Rosberg. His team is all but helpful. “It’s not a computer that can be restarted,” they think. Rosberg looks to his right and sees Massa pass by. Then Bottas! Then Ricciardo! It’s over for him!

Federer serves out the match and falls to his knees on the orange surface in similar manner he did at the 2009 French Open. Tears roll down his cheeks. It was special back then and it is equally special tonight. Back then he had equaled Pete Sampras’ “inviolable” record of 14 Grand Slams. Tonight he completes his trophy cabinet for every tennis title possible. He looks over to his wife Mirka in the stands and then to Stanislas Wawrinka in the corner. The feud a few weeks ago seems futile now. History has been made! Switzerland are the 2014 Davis Cup champions. Time for the fireworks! Time for the confetti!

Hamilton, on the other hand, starts the final lap of the 2014 Formula 1 season with a 3.3 second gap over second-placed Felipe Massa. His title is indubitable now. He’s on the verge of becoming only fourth Briton after Sir Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill and Jim Clark to win two world titles. “Where’s Nico?” asks the commentator. “Down at 14th!” comes the reply. One can’t help but feel sad for Rosberg. So close yet so far. But that is how life goes. Alain Prost lost the title to Niki Lauda by half a point in 1984. Hamilton crosses the chequered flag for his 11th season win. But it’s the one that matters the most!

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. An apt phrase to describe the events in Abu Dhabi and Lille on the evening of November 23, 2014. Not only have Roger Federer and Lewis Hamilton gone through adverse circumstances in their careers, but both have also had to withstand the test of time and fend off critics. When they were at their lowest lows in life, the only thing that kept them going was the passion of the sport, the limitless talent they possess and the determination to take what’s theirs.

One might be going through the toughest of phases and there might be times when the light at the end of the tunnel might just be a mirage. At the end of day, however, persistence pays off because no one can stop champions getting their due. “Cometh the hour, cometh the man.” Well said Gladwin, well said!

Why Rafa can never reach Roger’s greatness

If there’s one thing that really gets a debate started in the tennis fraternity, it’s the ardent topic of who’s the better player – Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. And seeing that I’ve written Federer’s name before Nadal’s, one can easily make out who I’m going to side with. It’s plain and simple actually. When it comes to handling tennis, no one does a better job than Federer.

I know what the Nadal fans might be thinking at this stage – WTF is this guy talking about? Nadal has a better head-to-head record against Federer; he’s on 13 Grand Slams titles and has all the chances in the world to go past the propitious number of Federer’s 17; and of course who can forget that Nadal was the youngest player to have completed the career Grand Slam.

Top all of that with the fact that Nadal’s grit is probably the most ruthless on the circuit today and he, without a shadow of a doubt, is an epitome of a defensive tennis player. It’s really strange to bring a “football” terminology into the sport of tennis but no one can argue with the point that to win a point once against the Spanish Matador, one has to win the point 3 times.

Also let us not forget that Nadal did make one of the most impressive comebacks in the sport last year when he went on a title-winning spree to bag eight titles, including the French Open and US Open, after an injury lay-off of seven months. However, keeping all of the above facets in mind, the element that is of essence is that he is starting to show signs of cracks in his armor.

And that is where the answer to the whole “who’s the greatest ever” squabble starts taking shape. Because, as a rule of thumb, the thing that matters most in a sport that is as grueling and gruesome as tennis is fitness. Therefore, a tennis player can be said to be an embodiment of greatness if he/she can maintain a perfect blend between the playing technique and fitness.

Consequently coming over to Rafael Nadal’s pattern of playing, it is clearly visible that he struggles with injuries and has always writhed to implement the desired balance that creates a tennis player’s character. In fact the world no. 1 has spent quite a lot of time being strangely disoriented, and that too on a surface that he’s been given credit of dominating like none other.

Let’s start with the Barcelona Open, shall we? I can’t call myself an expert but when a man who has won the French Open a record 8 times falls victim on clay to a player like Nicolas Almagro (No offence to Almagro. For what it’s worth, he’s been in good knick lately) it is a matter of concern. But let’s give credit to Nadal on that one. He could have been jet-lagged or something.

But then came the Monte Carlo Masters. Another clay court tournament, another Spanish opponent, another reprehensible exit for Nadal. This time the honour of being called the “Nadal-slayer” went to David Ferrer. A worthy opponent perhaps for Nadal to be losing to. Losing to a top-10 player is possibly a little less shameful. (Seriously no offense to Almagro)

Soon after, Rafael Nadal perhaps was given some solace when he lucked out at the ATP Madrid Masters. A laborious defence for his title gave him little consolation as the “elusive” victory came at the expense of Michael Chang’s latest prodigy Kei Nishikori being forced to retire in the final. Oh and before I forget, Nishikori did manage to win the first set before his back gave out.

I guess the Nadal-bashing is becoming a little too much considering after all that he is the world number 1. The world’s best player at present as some might like to delicately put it. However, let me remind those Nadal loyalists the forlorn truth that I still have not pointed out the worst. Because what followed Madrid Masters was a record shattering that was just waiting to occur.

Nadal’s loss to world number 2 Novak Djokovic at the ATP Rome Masters final marked the first time since 2004 that the Spanish Matador failed to win three clay court clashes in the same calendar year. There’s always this heated discussion when it comes to comparing the power games of Nadal and Djokovic; but Djoker clearly showed that he intends to dethrone the king.

So, having said all of that, now comes the time when I start putting things into perspective. The point that I was trying to make by pointing out Nadal’s recent results is that there is an interesting point that needs to be perceived. That point is that 27-year old Rafael Nadal is struggling more than the 32-year old Roger Federer when it comes to “handling” tennis.

For instance, if Nadal had never been born, Federer would have added 7 more Grand Slams (4 French Opens, 1 Wimbledon, 2 Australian Opens) to his extraordinary number of 17 thereby taking his record to a staggering 24 Grand Slams. However, the same can never be said about Nadal. In fact, Federer had won 15 Grand Slams by the age of 27 as compared to Nadal’s 13.

Secondly, a record that will stand the test of time and can never ever be touched by Nadal is the dominating fact that Federer has played 23 Grand Slam semifinals in a row. The closest that anyone is to that astounding number is Ivan Lendl, who reached 10 in a row. Therefore, to put it in years, Roger Federer reached atleast the semis of every Grand Slam for six straight years.

Leaving aside the semifinal pointer (which is probably an understatement of the term “consistency”), Federer stamped his name in the record books at the ongoing 2014 French Open when he set the indomitable record of being the only man in the history of the sport to have played in 58 consecutive Grand Slams. Meanwhile, Nadal’s consecutive streak at present is that of four.

Now that I’ve started with Federer’s mettlesome records I guess it’s going to be very hard to stop. Mentioning records like holding the world no. 1 spot for 302 weeks and holding it for 237 weeks straight won’t even make sense as Nadal is not even close to that unsurpassable figure. To top it all off, for 3 straight years the Swiss Maestro walked home with 3 out of the 4 Slams.

Another record that will cement my claim of Rafael Nadal never reaching Federer’s greatness level is that FedeX till date remains the only tennis player is history to have been seeded number 1 for three consecutive Olympics when he competed at the 2012 London Olympics. Not that it’s worth mentioning, but Federer (then 30) also managed to win the silver medal there.

Hence, If I was to sum it all up in possibly the shortest manner plausible, Roger Federer’s immaculate discipline when it  comes to handling his body for sustainability and his passion for creating an impeccable blend between his majestic inventions and his vintage techniques is what leaves Rafael Nadal miles and miles behind on the “greatest-ever bandwagon”.

There’s no doubting the fact that Nadal is a great player. In fact, his stupendous records speak volumes when it comes to establishing his aura as a fighter. But let’s get one thing straight shall we? Rafael Nadal is, was and will always be second to a phenomenon called Roger Federer.