After thoughts of my epic 49-day adventure #9

#9: King Federer

If you have read my past blog entries, you will know that I am a big fan of Roger Federer. For me, he is a great ambassador of tennis simply because of his grace and temperament on the court. 7.5 years ago in a hotel room in Vietnam, I saw him played a few matches in the build up to the finals when he played Nadal but lost. However, the love for the sport and his determination to succeed truly earned my respect and since then, I have been a faithful follower and decided to pick up the sport. The French Open eluded him for many years despite his success in all other Grand Slam tournaments. At 33 years of age, he is still making to Grand Slam Finals and Semi-Finals and this shows how technically adept he is that he can make up for his fitness through his talent and technical abilities.

Some of my friends think that he is aloof because he has no emotions during matches but I feel that all individual sports require the players themselves to maintain calmness in their hearts. You might be one match point away and you are feeling a lot of adrenaline rush and anxiety. What are you gonna say when you win the trophy? Have you finally done your team proud? What next for you? Many questions start to float in your head and it is important that you stay composed and hit a good ball to win the game. So RF is that kind of a player.

RF is definitely at the end of the peak of his career. No one knows when he will retire but it is not far away. Thus, I have always wanted to watch him play live and hear the crowd roar behind him before he retires. So I went to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and caught the game between Wawrinka and him. Though it was indoor tennis, the determination and brilliance of both players definitely made the ticket worth its value. RF may have lost the precision that he has in his younger days, his feet are not as quick and agile compared to when I saw him on TV in the past and he has to use a bigger racquet these days to sustain his level of play. However, he still has the crowd behind him and edging him on against his opponents. He is still the inspiring tennis player that I saw on TV 7.5 years ago. So I am really glad that I managed to catch him live in action. ü See RF live in action. 

Credits to Wawrinka, he definitely played well and even had a match point against RF but the crowd was hardly on his end. Hopefully he will have a better season in 2015.

RF

Goodbye 15. The 2010 season begins with salute to the unquestionable. Congratulations, Roger federer, on grand slam no. 16, a stunning fourth australian open and taking tennis history further than it's ever been.

-RF-

Take Me Home United Road

2 Sweet Victories over the weekend, Federer + ManUnited.

Sunday was a full day of Sports action!

ManU beat Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium to sit comfortably in 2nd place, and a point behind the leaders Chelsea. It will be really nice to be able to win the Premier League for 4 seasons in a row, ain't it?

Last weekend, I caught a match with Brian @ the ManU Cafe @ Boat Quay. It was a really joyous occasion as we upset Hull City at home 0-4 and Rooney scored all 4 of the goals. All of us there were singing right to the tune and beat of "Take Me Home United Road" outside the bar at 1 a.m. I never foresee myself doing that in Singapore at least. It is common per se in United though. :))

This is my favourite chant among all the United Songs, much more than Glory Man United. I had picked it up when I went to Old Trafford almost 2 years ago. The chant is actually being sung to the tune of Take Me Home Country Road by John Denver. I am missing the Old Trafford pitch, missing the chanting and rowdy fans around me, missing the game, missing Europe.

Two versions, first for the upbeat lads like me who love a faster tempo and the second goes the ballad style.

The full lyrics go like this but at matches, we usually chant to Chorus I only:

Verse A:

I was born to be United,

Daddy told me, when I was just a baby;

When I was five, I went down Warwick Road;

Now I'm addicted to the only place I'll go

Chorus I

Take me home,

United Road,

To the place I belong,

To Old Trafford,

To see United,

Take me home, United Road

Verse II

All my memories,

Bobby Charlton,

Georgie Best and Cantona,

They came to us from heaven;

And at the Nou Camp in 1999,

On Matt Busby's birthday,

Oh it was party time

Chorus

I watch the Reds,

I feel the noise,

The crowd is roaring;

The Stretford End is singing

And the fans are going wild;

And when I'm gone I get a feeling

That I should've been home yesterday,

Yesterday, oh!

Love United Like WE all DO :))

Mighty Fed IV

Honestly, there are only two major sports in this world that can make me, an "ADAH" look-alike kid glued to the TV for hours and they are none other than FOOTBALL and TENNIS.

As usual, the past two weeks were packed with tennis action. Everyday at work, I will pull on my earphones to listen to the live radio on australianopen.com and after work, I will rush home to watch the evening games. :))

A year ago at the Australian Open, we witnessed Federer's disappointment, being pushed to the edge of the cliff by Nadal who was at his peak. A year later, things took the turn at the corner. Nadal is plagued with one of the most destructible and undesirable injury any sportsman can face, knee tendinitis - inflammation of the knee tendon - and his career is put at stake. However, Federer had a bad start to 2009 but ended it with achievements, glory, and joy. Bagging two Grand Slams back to back, Roland Garros his first and Wimbledon his sixth, and his wife giving birth to a pair of twin daughters, it is indeed triple bliss.

I am really glad that streak of luck was brought forward to 2010. He started the year by bagging the Australian Championships for the fourth time in his career, taking his Grand Slam tally to an amazing 16, 2 ahead of all-time champion Pete Sampras. And judging at his streak of luck and consistency during play, it doesn't seem like his streak is gonna bottom out any time soon. :))

He cruised through the Australian Open having only dropped two sets and his play was once again flawless, revealing the true champion that he is and always will be. I do not deny that Murray accumulated better statistics in the past two weeks. Having only dropped one set in the entire run-up to the finals to Cilic and beating Nadal two sets and eventually Nadal had to retire when the scoreline was 3-0 in favour of Murray were fantastic and signs of a champion emerging. However, he was still one class below the Mighty Federer.

Murray ran after every ball possible in the three sets, defended tirelessly, played a few superb backhands down the line, and even broke Federer's serve several times in the game but he just could not gain control of the match. Federer was the dominating in an apparent manner throughout the match. Vijay and Alan both commented that both players have a similar style of play, with the beautiful forehand crosscourt shots and backhand slices being timed to perfection. So, if there is anyone that can beat Federer, it has to be someone of his calibre or at least style of play. Nonetheless, I hold opposition views. Roger is the Master of his style of play and no one can challenge him hitherto. Nadal is unique because he is a counterpuncher and plays a completely different style of tennis from Federer. Nadal simply runs after every ball possible and his style of tennis requires him to work out every single organ, muscle, tissue, and cell of his body. This is also why injuries are knocking on his door at only 24. But I do not deny Nadal does have the qualities to be a true champion.

Murray has the burden of the expectations of the whole nation, the Great Britain on him, and also his own desire to win his first Grand Slam. However, lady luck is not shining on him, is she? Like what he said on stage, "I can cry like Roger (did in the 2009 Australian Open), it's a shame I can't play like him." I really wish that Murray can get his first Grand Slam title soon because he is one of the few young stars that I truly admire, not even Djokovic, Nadal, or Del Potro can hold a candle to him, to me. I wish him better luck in the next few Grand Slams (provided Federer decides to retire?)

But for now, let's all hail Federer for his achievements. He is still my favourite player of all times. To be able to move around the court with such ease, speed, agility, and gracefulness truly deserves my greatest respect and sincerest admiration. I do not care how others compare him with Nadal, like what they do between Ronaldo and Messi, and that until he beats Nadal in one Grand Slam final to finally settle their scores, he is still not exactly a champion of Roland Garros. Nadal was at his peak when he won the Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles back to back in 2008, and the Australian Open in 2009, where he beated Federer in all three of the Grand Slams Finals. He was this promising 23 year old kid who is crowned to achieve big things in his tennis career and life, to dominate on clay and eventually becoming the King of Clay at this young age. In contrary, Federer was facing some kind of psychological illness and was going through rock bottom of his career when everyone was questioning his ability to compete at the top level, beat Pete Sampras's Grand Slam record, and also be part of the elite team that won all 4 Grand Slams. So it isn't exactly fair to Federer. I would really love to see the two battling out at a Grand Slam again soon, probably the Roland Garros this year, and to see Federer beating Nadal hands down and shut the mouths of the nosey parkers and critics.

For me, he is the reason why I think tennis is such an elegant sport, why I watch tennis, why I enjoy tennis, why I love tennis, why I play tennis, and why I will never give up tennis.

"A crown for every achievement."

"An angel that kills."

"Having the precision of a surgeon."

And these labels will only continue to flow. :)

Fabulous Federer, King Federer, and now MIGHTY FEDERER! :))

He is King Federer, born to be a Champion.

WE LOVE FEDERER! :))

If only I were.......

At times I really wonder......

If only I were a professional sports player.....

I guess I am someone who is very inclined towards freedom, regardless of freedom of speech, freedom of rights, freedom of diet, blah blah blah... In return, you get freedom to do what you love most professionally. On top of that, I adore the power and responsibility that accompany the profession of a professional sports player.!

Just look at people like Roger Federer and Cristiano Ronaldo. They are doing so much for the world, for their country, for their families, for Africa, for the poor, for the under-privileged, etc. These are things that I would really like to accomplish in life but I guess it ain't easy and hitherto, I am not empowered to do these things yet or at least heading in that direction.

Cristiano can bring much pride and glory to his country and family, a comfortable life for his family, much entertainment to the soccer fanatics worldwide, much inspiration to kids who aspire to be as good a soccer player as him, much happiness to the underprivileged kids whenever he visits them, much revenue and sales to the various products he endorses, much donations and money to help the poor and Africa, and most importantly, much sense of satisfaction for himself.

Likewise, Federer does the same. He has done so much for the tennis scene, creating milestones after milestones, helping the victims in Haiti, encouraging the many out there to pick up tennis as a sport, doing his country and parents proud, blah blah blah.

If I were to become a professional sports player, YES I will lose all of the freedom which I currently enjoy. Furthermore, I am someone who lacks discipline. Even basic stuff like getting my hair properly dyed for school is more trying than scoring an A for an examination. However, I get empowered to do the many things that I have listed above. The trade-offs are only fair and just. Nothing beats being able to play the one and only sport which is the love of your life. At least for me, someone who sees sports as one's life's work.

It is not as though I will not be able to do these things unless I become a professional sports person. However, being a sports person is just so COOL and EXTRAORDINARY. Your capacity to do something is entirely different from a normal OL or a CFO or even a CEO. I don't exactly enjoy sitting in the office bossing people around. It sounds extremely boring to me at least.

Perhaps the high utility I attach to sports could be due to my failure to fulfill my dream of playing a sports competitively for at least once in my life. Somehow they always end up in flames.

And so what if I am an EDUCATOR of LIFE and MORALS and ECONOMICS now? I feel so inadequate in terms of completing the tasks that have been on my checklist since time immemorial, and I see no light at the end of the tunnel that will enable me to successfully cross out the various items. I need to find the strength to convince myself to continue this journey of life.

KING FEDERER III :

Match Result: 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14

Yoohoo~! I can't believe I am typing the third sequel of Federer's post! :) Yeah, he made it straight into the records books once again, after less than 2 months from my last post. When I heard of Nadal pulling out of the tournament 3 weeks ago, I was already contemplating how to write this post. Nevertheless, it is not because I ain't got any confidence that Federer can't beat Nadal but that the latter is honestly a true contender for any Grand Slam tournaments. Gladly, Roddick put up the best match in his life today and still, he was short of Federer's class. Like what my bro used to tell me,

Form is temporary but CLASS is PERMANENT.

Despite not being able to break Roddick's serve during the first 5 regular sets that they played, the long awaited break did come ultimately. It was a crucial break I've to say.! Come to think of it, Federer did have a psychological advantage over Roddick in the sequence of the serve aspect. He was the one to gain the 1-set advantage during the final set so psychologically, he had the upper hand. You could see that Roddick didn't felt deserving to be merely a runner-up. He gave his life for the match, having slipping twice, running all over the court, playing all the winners, counter-punched Federer a few times as well. I watched him play Lewitt a few days ago and was truly amazed by his performance but he completely won me over today. Nevertheless, I felt it was just FORM. He played consistently and was indeed a completely changed man from what he was barely a year ago but whether can he hold up to his performance today remains a question.

For Federer, I especially liked the commentators' 2 comments -

"He runs across the court effortlessly, without you hearing his footsteps."
"He's like an Angel who kills."

I absolutely agree! I'm really glad that he won his 15th title and is now labelled as the best tennis player in tennis history! :) He is part of the elite team who won all 4 Grand Slams and the man in tennis history with the highest number of Grand Slams under his name. Further, he's only 27 years of age. He could still play a few more years of tennis and honestly, only Nadal can upset him from the throne, hitherto.

I was extremely nervous during the first few sets of the game but the presence of my bro did help me relax quite a fair bit. Why do I say so? We were merely couching on the sofa coming up with jokes and likened the tennis match to our everyday life and football.

First - Positioning.
Whenever one party came up for a volley against the opponent, with the latter standing in the centre of the baseline trying to defend, we termed it as a PENALTY. The defending party mimicked a goalkeeper waiting for the striker to place the ball and deciding where to run so that's how the term arose. Hilarious!!! If the defending party was at either sides of the baseline, it was considered a free-kick.

Second - Breaking the set.
If you watched the match, you will know that Federer failed to break any of Roddick's serve. He did come to deuces, or even to the extend of gaining an advantage. However, he was always one step away from the deserving break. So we commented that the situation resembled the typical "Larbi" game that my siblings and I love to play. When Roddick serve an Ace under a deuce situation, it's as though he got a joker or a wild card. When Federer fails to return a Roddick serve, it is then equivalent to Roddick getting the right card to successfully enter the game without paying a penalty fine. There were many many other jokes and I was laughing my ass off throughout the last set..Not forgetting the Lacoste.Crocodile.My sister joke but I'm prohibited from blogging about it. :)

I always enjoy watching Federer play tennis. We all love Federer and TENNIS!!

King Federer!

Fab Federer II

Yay! Federer finally won the Roland Garros title!!

Read the full story report on the finals by clicking on me.I!
Read the full story report on the finals by clicking on me.II!

4.5 months ago, I was very bothered by the fact that he might not win another grand slam again to meet Pete Sampras's record of 14. Today, he made history by being the 6th man to win all the 4 Grand Slams and also to match up to PS. Extremely euphoric over his win now!

I came to know about this legendary figure back in my Polytechnic days when I was not still not a big fan of tennis yet. Though I was amazed by his achievements back then, I still was not into the sport myself and did not follow up with his news that often. However, on 10 June 2007, things took a turn when I happened to caught him on tv playing against Rafael Nadal. I was heartily absorbed into his fantasy world of tennis in that compact hotel room in Dalat, Vietnam during the afternoon break from all the tour and walking. Despite him eventually losing out to Nadal on that clay court, the elegance and class that Federer showed on the court was unequivocal. I agreed with what Soderling said in the closing ceremony just now, "He really give me a lesson on how to play tennis today." So did I take home a precious tennis lesson 2 years ago. I became determined to follow tennis to witness this legendary player make history some day and told myself to pick up tennis at all costs.

Roland Garros 2007

After he lost...

When something means the world to you, you break down when you do not get your hands on it. Ironically, when you finally get to plant your kisses on it, your tears start to mimic a sky tap. Those were emotions that I picked up from Federer's face on two occasions this year, Australian Open in January and the Roland Garros just half an hour ago. Ever since he lost to Nadal in the Wimbledon in 2008, feelings of anguish and disappointment had embraced him and many critics spoke about him losing his champion aura already. Today, he has successfully made a comeback and truly deserves the title like what the other fans and players commented. The applause, cheer and adulation that he gets from fans all over the world (from Australia to France) only proves one statement - he is still the best in the world, hitherto, even though Nadal surpasses him in the rankings. Out of the last 20 Grand Slams in the past 5 years, I think he made it to the semi-finals in at least 14 of them! I truly admire him from the bottom of my heart.

"I've had a tough draw," Federer said. "Of course, it's not Nadal on the other side of the net, but I beat him a couple of weeks ago on clay [in Madrid], so I really feel like I really deserve it."

Roland Garros 2009

Knowing that he has won it.!

Hence, I hope his accolades continue after he claim his first French Open. After all, he has put in so much sweat, effort, and hardwork all these years. It would have added icing to the cake if Nadal had been his opponent hours ago instead of Soderling. That would silence critics that he can beat any other guy except Nadal. Yet, do not forget, he triumphed over Nadal just weeks ago in the Madrid Open in two straight sets.! Now, after all the fanfare and history-making, I believe the pressure to lay his hands on the Wimbledon title again (preferably surmounting Nadal if possible) and write his name in tennis history once more will mount for him again.

But I have faith in him that he will live yet another magical moment in his life... We all love Federer! :))

Fab Federer

My heart goes all out to the Legendary FAB FEDERER. I was totally filled with disappointment and anguish when I realise he lost yesterday. He was controlling the game during the 2nd & 4th set, wasn't he? How could he possibly have lost the 5th set 6-2?

ARGGH.. Other than soccer, tennis is my 2nd favourite sporting event. I love his strokes, his postures, his serves, his aces. And I am still anticipating his signature moves like planting a kiss on the camera then placing his signature and vice versa, rewarding the supportive crowd with his wristband & his smiles, and the competitive and Winning-AURA that surrounded him when he lifts the cup. I am anticipating his 14th Grand Slam. He is deserving of having his name on the honorary roll as someone who has the most no. of Grand Slams in his career.

As I was watching the trophy presentation, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes too when he lost control of his emotions and tears on the stage. The anguish, the disappointment, the inability to live out the expectations that others and he himself had was just too much to bear. He was the man that dominated the tennis scene, that created so many wonders, that impressed the crowd. Yet now, his dominance in something he love most and excel in was diminishing and he simply had no control over it at all! If I were him, I'd break down too.

I don't deny that Nadal is a deserving contendent and champion too. But he just doesn't grace the game as much as Federer does. French Open 'sup next and that's Nadal's territory of dominance once again. I am really looking forward to seeing Federer beating him once again, maybe in the Wimbledon or US Open.

You can lose your ranking, lose to your opponent, lose the prize money, lose the cup, lose the moment but you should never lose your dignity and fighting spirit. Honestly, I think the applause for Federer was much much more overwhelming than that for Nadal, despite him being the champion. I believe that it is, should be, would be and will always be for someone who brings out the best in the sport. We all love TENNIS & FEDERER.!

Of course, back to my own life. School's pretty much settled with me finally registered for my 5th module and having tutorials on the go already. Nonetheless, the festive mood is still lingering in me and I haven't got any work done at all. Just a gentle reminder, it's week 4 and a quarter of the semester has flown by without me realising once again. I am supposed to be working much harder this semester considering that it's my Honors year. Yet, it's always a zombie self that goes to classes. An attentive outer-shelf with a hollow soul. LOL.

And I played tennis with Shawny today. It was a random occurence. Both of us decided on it on Sunday night after watching Nadal & Federer play, at 1245 am. I am taken aback that I managed to pull myself out of bed at 715 am for an hour of tennis. There's the burning desire in both of us to have a game. LOL. It's been about 4 months since I picked up tennis. There's still an unspoken and unidentified element that seems to be missing from my game. On the surface, I'm able to play the balls and serve decently. Shawny reassured me that I was doing ok but somehow I just don't feel good. I need the touch like when I play badminton, the feeling of security and confidence that I could control the game. Now, I am thinking how I should up the level of the game. Perhaps, I need to play with different people so they could give me more opinions. And I definitely need a female to stroke with me yeah. Shawny's balls are too forceful. Oh yeah, and my BACKHAND still sucks. I am caught in between using single backhand and double backhand. I started out playing the single backhand but our fat and rotund coach insisted that me as a girl, should use double backhand coupled with the fact that double-backhand prevents the ball from flying in all directions if we do not integrate the supposingly top-spin into the stroke.

I must now put in a little bit more focus into studies as well, perhaps, maybe. I should quit playing Pet Society and facebooking every single day. I can feel the workload mounting already but I've yet to push the panic button. Lol. Typical last-minute buddha leg hugging semester re-enact. :))

Bestow!

Bestow my DAD the Hand of GOD.
To cure my "ILLNESS".
Illness OF?
-Challenged Movement-
Free me from stagnation and
Unbound me from the state of torpidity.
I need to GET BOUNCING and HOPPING in the twinkle of an EYE!

"It antagonizes me when I can only watch Federer claim the US Open Trophy with his magical tennis skills and not get into the game myself."