Andy Roddick Interviews Roger Federer

Why is Roger Federer Great?

Watch this video to find out...



The greatest of all time ... without doubt .. as he said - its not all about skill, its about sweating it out and loving to win rather than hating to loose. Wonderful words from a great sportsman, role model for young athletes and people in general.

His biggest quality is humility in greatness, so rare in today's world. That sets him apart from the rest by a long way. Perhaps a few more French Open titles and a Calendar Grand Slam missing from his CV. All in all, a great ambassador of the game!

Roger you are a LEGEND!

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Golden Moments: Steffi Graf Vs Monica Seles 1992

Amazing #Wimbledon moments



What rivalry!!

Arguably the greatest rivalry of all time ... had it not been for that idiot who attacked  . What a pity. She's the only player, who not just troubled   but dominated most of their contests until that fateful day!. 

Not a very great final in terms of the result, drama or neck-n-neck points but just the intensity these two brought to the game and tennis overall in that era made it spectacular.

Monica was World No 1, had won the last 5 grand slam tournaments and looking ominous to win her sixth. Her double handed ground strokes and agility being her key strengths. She was the boss of tennis winning almost every tournament she participated in and there were rumours, other top players including Steffi had begun to "fear" her domination on court.

She had a flawless run to the finals except that epic clash vs #Martina #Navratilova in the semi finals where she won in 3 sets. At 18 years age, she was certainly looking to rule women's tennis for years to come.

Steffi, on the other hand, was looking a bit off-color and overwhelmed by Seles on the tennis circuit. She had just lost to Seles in a close match at Roland Garros previous month and not looking as solid coming into the final. She had struggled in the earlier rounds against unseeded players but got the better of #Gabriella #Sabatini in the semi finals with ease. 

The big "issue" in this tournament was hounded with conspiracy theories though. Monica made a huge grunting noise when hitting balls fiercely. Her opponents had started complaining about it and she even received a warning for that. Whether the noise levels were too high or others were trying to put her off her bull run? we will never know but that warning was certainly playing on her mind as she entered the Centre Court for the women's final.

The build up in media about this game was huge!
All tabloids, newspapers, TV, radio (there wasn't "The Web" then!) were anticipating a mouthwatering clash of the titans.
  
As the match started, it became evident that Seles without her grunting was a shade of her usual self. Trying to play safe than her usual freedom, she started making errors and Steffi pounced on that opportunity winning the first set 6-2.

The second set was no different, and Seles inexplicably did not get into her groove at all. What was affecting her? Steffi steamrolled through the second set 6-1. Game Over....

Steffi lifted her fourth Wimbledon crown and young Monica pondered on what could have been an monumental achievement. This kind of rivalry and media hype about it was never seen in women's tennis before. This is what made this moment special and golden!

Both these superstars went to play some memorable tennis matches in their career against each other until Monica was stabbed in the back by a self-proclaimed Steffi fan, in 1993. She did make an amazing comeback from that injury but wasn't able to terrorize other players with her gruesome powerplay and presence on the court. What a pity!

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Golden Moments Jana Novotna Weeping On Duchess Shoulder

#WimbledonMoments

As 2015 edittion of #WimbledonAwaits gets underway from 29th Jun 2015, we bring to you some of the greatest moments from over the years.

We start with an emotional one that broke most traditions at the halo'd venue and captured millions of hearts world over. 

Women's Final 1993
#Steffi #Graf vs #Jana #Novotna
As both ladies cruised into the final defeating their opponents pretty comfortably along the way, the stage was set for a grand finale. World number 1 and hot favorite to win the trophy, Steffi Graf seemed all geared up to add to her Wimbledon and Grand Slam crowns but the crowd favorite was definitely Jana Novotna.

And the match lived up to its billing.
After sharing the first two sets, it was a matter of who blinks first!
Novotna surged ahead in the decider, completely putting Graf off guard, breaking her twice and took a 4-1 lead. Graf looked listless while the momentum and crowd were right behind Jana.

But, what makes sports so enduring and beautiful is the uncertainty factor!
What looked like a straight win, Novotna started making mistakes (perhaps the big stage nerves got to her). She dropped serve. Graf, the ever efficient champion, was sniffing at this opportunity and went for the kill. With awesome power, fine placements and amazing focus she disintegrated Novotna completely and pulled off a miraculous feat to win 6-4 and complete her hat-trick of Wimbledon crowns.

Final Score
7-6, 1-6, 6-4

The real moment was yet to come though.
At the presentation, the Duchess held Jana's hand and said "You can certainly do it again ...". A disconsolate Novotna broke into tears and buried her head on the shoulders of her highness. The wonderful lady, stroked her back and head to console her. What a moment! The show and heart stealer of millions around the world. Wimbledon had never witnessed this and will never do so again probably.

The champion was overshadowed by tears of loser and her picture with the duchess made bigger headlines than Graf's hat-trick!   

Novotna went to win Wimbledon in 1998 beating Natalie Tauziat but this one were her best 10 seconds of fame!

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After French Open History Its Wimbledon Glory

#Wimbledon #2015

From Red hot Clay the Green Soothing Grass!
From vibrancy in colors (did you see Stan Wawrinka's color shorts?? they were talk of the town all through the tournament) to all WHITES
From casuals to ultra formals and etiquette

Yes, we off to #Centre #Court at the legendary #Wimbledon know as "The Championships". The oldest and arguably the best of all #Grand #Slam tournaments (with all due respect to Australian Open, French Open and US Open) gets underway from 29th June 2015.

Its all about history, tradition and glory at the #AELTC Club in #Wimbledon.
The #Championships began way back in 1877 where 22 amateurs (all men, women's tennis was introduced 7 years later in 1884) participated with an entrance fee and had to get their own playing kit (racquets, shoes)! The AELTC only provided green balls as sponsorship. Wow...

Fast forward to 2015 where BBC will be covering the entire event like never before.
Its already being talked as the biggest, costliest and most watched sport event ever!!

The 138 year old tournament has seen it all.
Amateurs turning in legends. Canvas shoes to Nike and Reebok, Wooden racquets to Fiber ones, long maxis to mini skirts, one thing has not changed is the TRADITION and that is why this tournament is loved by everyone.

The rituals, discipline at the venue with time precision make it a treat to watch alongside tennis greats cracking serves and volleys. The Duchess and Duke of Kent don't seem to be old for years as they stride to give away the awards and trophies. the ball boy parades and drills, the only whites on all players, organizing committee member meetups, the rain songs, the covers being pulled to the court, the bow to the royal box and so on.... Its all there for everyone to see, witness and wonder how they do it with precision year on year?

Wimbledon has produced some of the most breathtaking sports moments in history. Magaret Court and her legendary wins, Rod Laver's great rivalry against Newcombe, Smith and Rosewall, McEnroe's outbursts of anger and equally brilliant strokeplay against his great rivals, Bjorn Borgs 5 consecutive titles, Martina Navratilova with 9 titles and her amazing rivalry with Chris Evert, German teen sensations turned all time greats, Steffi Graf and Boris Becker, Pistol Pete Sampras and the every lovable Andre Agassi, the Williams sisters, Yana Novotna's tradition breaking crying on the shoulder of her highness the Duchess of Kent, the epic battles between Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, emerging talents in Djokovic, Murray, Sharapova and the list goes on... 

So what do we have in store for this year?  
A piece of history ... one more time!

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Attention Shifts To Roland Garros - Nadal Vying For 10th Title

#French #Open #Tennis
#Grand #Slam 2
From Paris

#Rafa #Nadal is vying to become the only player to win a grand slam tournament for an unprecedented 10th time. No one has come close. #Pete #Sampras and #Roger #Federer have won #Wimbledon crown 7 times each and thats the second best effort. 

Such has been his dominance on this famed #clay #court of #Roland #Garros, he has lost just one match here in the last 10 years! Isnt that an extraordinary record in an era where technology, skills, fitness standards, lifestyles are rapidly changing making it difficult for athletes to sustain playing any game, let alone dominate it?

Fondly called the #KingOfClay, #Rafa has defeated all top names in tennis including #Federer, #Djokovic, #Murray from the current generation while #Agassi, #Sampras, #Muster from the previous gen to lift this crown year after year. The only time he lost was in a semifinal clash against Djokovic in 2011. Incidentally, Federer went on to win that tournament (his only success at this slam ever)

Plagued with injuries, a string of surgeries, short on match-practice and consecutive losses coming into this tournament, #Rafa was in danger of missing the competition out completely. But, this is his den. He can come and win matches here half-asleep against anyone. That's been his prowess and this could just mark his revival of fortunes!

We hope #Rafa makes is a perfect 10 at #RolandGarros on June 7th 2015!
All eyes on him.

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MI Are New IPL Champs - Decimate CSK To Lift The Cup

#CSK vs #MI
#IPLFinal
#EdenGardens #Kolkata
24th May 2015

In an amazing display of determination and courage throughout the season, #MI completed a fairytale ending to this year's IPL season defeating a lacklustre #CSK by 41 runs to lift the cup for a second time.

Asked to bat first (first of the multiple blunders committed by CSK), they put on a strong 202 for 5 in 20 overs thanks to a stunning blitzkrieg by Lendl Simmons, Rohit Sharma. Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu played the end game to perfection to smash the hapless and hopeless CSK bowling all over the park. At one stage they even looked to get 220-230 but were pulled back a bit.

Chasing this massive score, the one team that had potential to do it was CSK with their batting lineup. But, it looked as if they had surrendered already and their batsman crawled in the initial overs. That was remarkable batting to play steadily when chasing that big a target. No one stood counted and they capitulated to 161 for 8 in 20 overs.

Big celebrations for Mumbai and they will come next year to defend their crown.
For CSK, this was their 6th final. They have won it twice as well but this was abject surrender to some really disciplined and determined Mumbai heroes.

#LIVE #SCORE
MI - 202 for 5
CSK - 161 for 8

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CSK vs MI - Who Will Win IPL Final

#CSK vs #MI
#IPLFinal
#EdenGardens #Kolkata
24th May 2015

After 6 weeks of absolute "dhamaal (fun)" on the field and some scorching cricketing action, its all come down to this day! The day of the #IPL Final...

Two teams, certainly not at their best, have made it there (owing to some poor performances from other teams) and will vie for the coveted trophy at the #Eden #Gardens in #Kolkata tonight.

On the one hand, "Team Consistent" #CSK will be gunning for a hat trick of trophies (they won in 2010, 2011 and finished runner-up in 3 other finals) while on the other #MI will be looking to emulate their 2013 success (they had won defeating CSK)

On a head to head comparison, there is pretty much nothing to choose.
Games played between the two teams: 21
MI Wins - 11, CSK Wins - 10
Its that close...

And while MI have been at best mercurial and topsy-turvy in this tournament, they have gained momentum at the perfect moment to go all the way. What also goes in their favour is they are the only side to trouble and lead CSK on head-to-head contest wins. Something brings out the best in them against the most balanced and consistent team of IPL over 8 seasons!

Having said that, do not discount #WhistlePodu boys. They have been there, done that on many occasions and can change gear very quickly. Skipper #Dhoni has had a silent IPL and these moments brings out the best in him. If that happens, he can turn games around from any situation and inspire his boys to do the same. Such is his aura and capability.

Man to Man comparison is a very interesting read as well

1. Lendl Simmons/Parthiv Patel  vs Mike Hussey/Dwayne Smith
MI hold the edge here. Their opening pair has been instrumental in getting MI to the finals with some amazing consistent performances off-late. Steady starts to lay foundation for the big boys down the order has been MI's recipe for success. Don't discount Hussey and Smith though. Hussey's super innings against RCB in Qualifier2 was a lesson for youngsters. In McCullum's big absence, Smith can "tee-off" from ball 1 as well.

2. Rohit Sharma vs Faf Du Plessis
Evenly matched on form. Rohit more classical but Faf more all round with his fielding abilities.

3. Kieron Pollard vs Suresh Raina
Again, MI hold the edge here on form and all round ability. Raina hasn't played a blinder of a knock this season .. just yet. Could it be his day. If it is, MI will suffer badly.

4. Ambati Rayudu vs MS Dhoni
Surprise, surprise ... MI slightly ahead here too. Rayudu has finished games, MS hasn't but we all know what he can do? and this is his business end. He gets dangerously professional here.

5. Hardik Pandya vs Pavan Negi
Two terrific youngsters vying for the best new comer award, looking to outdo the other. Both have played match winning knocks. Can they withstand pressure of a #IPL Final?

6. Jagdeesh Suchith vs Dwayne Bravo
The calyso guru is at the height of his game. Bravo edges out the youngster by some distance.

7. Vinay Kumar vs Mohit Sharma
Both have struggled really and need to pull up a gear

8. Harbhajan Singh vs Ravi Ashwin
This is going one heck of a contest! Both are in sublime form. Bhajji is the eternal effervescent himself and Ashwin the disciplined tactician. Wow.. this is definitely a contest within a contest

9. Mitch McClaneghan/ Lasith Malinga vs Ashish Nehra/Ravindra Jadeja
Jadeja is the odd one out in this comparison but he seems to be the "odd" one out in the CSK outfit too. Woefully out of form, he has been a liability for that team. The other three have been in super form off late. Malinga has caught up well after a poor start but Nehra and McClenaghan (since he was brought in half way through the tournament) have been good right through.  

Its that close with MI holding slight edge on form and momentum.
Its all to play for today. May the best team win. All the best

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Did Dhoni Cross The Line With Horrible Decision Comment?

"Smith got a horrible decision really...." spoke #MSDhoni (Mr. Cool himself) in the post-match interview after losing to #MI comfortably in #Qualifier1.

The media went berserk ... The public was stunned ... and everyone was talking about the #horrible #decision comment over the last few days. It culminated in a penalty for King Cool by the #ICC.

Will the ‪#‎horrible‬ ‪#‎decision‬ comment by MS Dhoni take away the sheen from Chennai Super Kings' ‪#‎fair‬ ‪#‎play‬ award? ‪#‎CSK‬ have always been the best behaved team in all seasons till date and ‪#‎MSD‬ has been instrumental in keeping that team behavior in check and taken it to a new level.

But, that "comment" in an interview after ‪#‎Qualifier1‬ game againstMumbai Indians (CSK lost that game) about a decision to give Dwayne Smith out lbw by umpire Richard Illingworth has everyone raising eyebrows on his surprising aggressive remark. This led to wild spread speculations about Mr. Cool and his composure to lead CSK to the title again.

For a captain of his stature, the comment did look rough (as was the lbw decision to begin with). I think the media took it too seriously and the #horrible #decision comment spread like widlfire. 

Just looked like it was not his day on that fateful night against MI.

1. He was first seen arguing with umpire Dharmasena over a couple of iffy wide ball decisions when MI was batting. Those two extra deliveries cost Chennai 10 extra runs which seemed to have peeved MS.

2. When he came out to bat, match was in the balance and his innings was going to be decisive. What happened? He moved across his crease to sweep Harbhajan and was trapped plumb leg-before. Golden duck! Dear O Dear!!!   

3. Then the #horrible #decision comment made it worse for him.

Am sure #MSD will take note and make amends as CSK prepare for the mega #IPLFinal on Sunday vs?? you guessed it right ... its MI again!!!

By the way, CSK have won the #Fair #Play award at this years IPL season by a long distance from the other teams. Just goes to show you can behave well and win all at the same time!!

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