Vamos Rafa
I go for Roger Federer but the US Open Finals was not to be missed. Circumstantial or otherwise, there are instances that we can't get to our destinations or appointments on time and last Tuesday was one of those times, although it was more on the intentional side.
The match between the world's number one and number two in lawn tennis, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, did not disappoint and for four hours, I was witness to one of the greatest tennis matches.
When the smoke of the battle cleared, Nadal, getting inspiration from the presence of the Queen of Spain, defeated Novak in four sets. Bad knees? Looks like Rafa has gotten wickedly better from the long lay-off.
The highlight of the match was the 54-shot rally won by Novak. Nadal brought him from side to side with Djokovic defending well. A long standing ovation from the crowd greeted them after the point was made.
Nadal, at 27 years old, is 22-0 on the hardcourt, his personal best and is tops among ATP World Tour players. The US Open is his second Grand Slam this year following his French Open title.
Djokovic, 26, for the first time since 2010 failed to win at least 70 singles matches and 6 tournament titles in a season. In 2011, the year he won his first and only US Open title, he won 70 singles matches and 10 tournament titles. In 2012, he had 6 titles and won 75 matches.
Between Novak and Rafa, of the past 15 majors, 12 titles belong to them. This only shows that they are dominating the competition, and that includes Federer, Andy Murray and other like species.
Novak, Rafa, Andy and Roger - the big four of tennis. In the past 35 majors, 34 are won by them. Nadal and Federer both have 13 titles, Djokovic has six and Murray won two.
Nadal is number three all-time with 13 majors and he needs only one title to tie Pete Sampras at number two. At his age and with renewed energy, he is on course to overtake Federer's record of 17 titles, unless of course Roger defies logic and makes 2014 a vintage Federer year. Oh, yeah. Just do it, Roger! Bing on the Aussie Open.
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I haven't been to the CESAFI games lately but I get my updates from newspaper reports and sometimes live streaming on the internet. The quality of the games have improved, maybe because of the invasion of the African players and some guys relocating back from Manila. Sadly, there are games where officiating really sucks that it has gotten from bad to worse.
Paragraph 3.5, Section F of the CESAFI by-laws declares that "any act that will put the Foundation and its members in a bad light is punishable by a minimum of one year suspension."
Bad light? Hello? When we say bad light, there's still a bit of light but what's happening now is that the league is already groping in the dark with the way some games are handled by the referees. Just in case they haven't known, a pall of gloom is cast on the CESAFI because this problem was and is not addressed.
Yes, refereeing is a thankless job and mostly calls are judgemental and this is where the fun begins. As per experience, teams who have the most influence get the better end of the calls and woe to the team whose coach is better at complaining than coaching.
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Wat da eff is P-Noy waiting for by not declaring a state of emergency in Zamboanga? What does he think is happening there, Balikatan? But considering his callousness on the plight of the flood-stricken citizens of Luzon several weeks back, what does he care about the trouble in Zamboanga. Anyway, there's Ricky Carandang and his minions to blow his horn.
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