MUMBAI OPEN

So The Mumbai Open Tournament has started like it had last year. The only difference for me is now I'm a Sports Reporter. and well, This is my tragedy. I\m not going to cover it atleast for first two- three days.

Reason: The Twenty-20 World Cup.

Anyways, sometimes we're supposed to do what we are supposed to do. Not always one gets what one wants...

leave it. :)

I wish This Tournament to be as hit as last year- well, I wish it becomes "Bigger and Better" like the organizers are saying.

But I doubt. (sorry, I'm not a pessimist, but still I doubt) I doubt whether it'll be a great Event as there are players pulling out from the tournament this year as well.

There's forecast of rain this year as well....

Still I hope it'll be a great event And I'll get a chance to cover it. Mumbai! It's your time....!

Montreal Monster

Just checked the results of Roger- Djoko match. It's finished. Defending Champion Roger lost the Final.

But he lost to Novak Djokovic, The new monster on the court. He's s0 funny to watch! A man with character. He's beaten All top threes in this week now- Andy Roddic, Rafael Nadal and the number one- Roger Federer...

I always believed Djokovic is a better candidate for No.2. And I'm frustrated coz on his way to be no 2 he's beaten Roger. I... Don't know what to say... This match Roger Fully- deserved to win it. look at the aces and double faults both the players made. It's clear that Roger played much better. He lost the two sets in TBs, where luck can swing to anyone's way... This time, luck favoured Djoko But I'm sure It'll Swing back To Roger during USO. Go Roger!

About Sports...

I came across with this very interesting blog today, and I want to share it with the world....

"In today’s society, health and fitness are the craze everyone seems to be riding. From starting a pick-up game with friends to kayaking in the ocean, people are doing everything under the sun to get in shape. While pondering the topic of exercise, I began wondering what differentiates hobbies and sports. Why are certain activities considered sports and other are mere hobbies? The following is a checklist that must be fully addressed before a hobby can be considered a sport."

This is just opening para, for rest of the post, here is the link to the original blog.

http://www.robbinssports.com/sports-blog/2007/06/12/what-constitutes-a-sport/

Another Final Another loss to the Same Man: Roger still far away from French Open Dream..

I was so upset when Roger lost.. but to be frank, I'm not that sad like it was last year.

I feel "OK! he has lost .. but he has many more chances to win it. He has something still on his 'Thisngs To Do' list and that'll keep him motivating... Better Luck next time! Allez Roger!"

And I must say that he has lost to a player who's really well on clay. I won't say Rafa is all-time great on clay, it's still too early to say that. But equalling Bijorn Borg's feat, whom I really admire, says that Rafa does have something special.

I can never like Rafa. NEVER. But I'd like it if he keeps playing well- because that'll ensure that Roger has a nemesis, and then nobody in future will say that Roger won it for he didn't have anyone to stand against him.

(BTW the fact is, all Roddics-Hewits-Safins are good players as well, but over the time, Roger has made them look too below him. )

OMG, Sania Won!! She has beaten Alberta Brianti of Italy in straight sets: 6-1,6-1. That's two breadsticks! I watched the match and she was really unbelievable.

Till this morning I thought she won't do well with her comeback from injury and Clay being her worst surface. And also she was beaten by Brianti on their previous meet. But she was so full of confidence and was hitting really well. In her last two attempts at RG, she had failed in first round itself.

So this might be a new beginning for her.And now she'll play Anna Ivanovic in Round 2.

"Goldfinger" Samresh Jung has sealed the Quota place for Bejeing Olympic 2008 after a nerve-cracking shoot-off for the fouth place at the ISSF World Cup at Munich.

He's become first Indian Pistol Shooter to win a quota place for Olympic.

Congrays! :D

French Open is starting...

The Dust will be in the Parisian Airs again... The Clay will be hot again..
The French open is starting tomorrow.

While Rafael Nadal will be aiming a hat-trick, Roger Federer will be eyeing for the Title as well and considering the recent victory he has got over Nadal, This time the battle is believed to be very tough.

In Women, Justin Henin will try her luck for a hat-trick. And there is Come-back queen of the year - Serena Williams.

Then there are also ,many others including Fernando Gonzalis, Carlos Moya, Novak Djokovic Maria Sharapova, Nico Vaidisova, Anna Ivanovic, and many more..

Indian Stars- Sania, Mahesh and Leander will also be trying their luck in Rolland Gasross.

I can't wait for the matches to start..

Mahesh Bhupathi: Eyeing the Future of Indian Tennis

The Indian Express might be back on the Court at least for Beijing Olympic, 2008.
Mahesh Bhupathi today indicated that it’s logical that he and Leander Paes join hands for the country once again, although it’s nearly impossible on the tour. After a bitter War of Words, the the most successful pair of Indain Tennis had declared their final split when they won it in Doha Asian Games.

"Olympics is far, there is still a long way to go. Ideally, we should be playing together if India has to have a chance of winning a medal (in tennis) at the Olympics,"
"That's the logical choice. On today's ranking, we would be seeded high. It would give us the best chance to win a medal."
"That's the logical choice. On today's ranking, we would be seeded high. It would give us the best chance to win a medal."
On if he had spoken to Paes on the subject. "It is still 15 months away from now," "It is still 15 months away from now,"

-Bhupathi said at a press conference.

Bhupathi has said that their partnership gave India "the best chance" of winning a tennis medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

This is of course a good News for the Indian Fans as together the duo always give rise to the hope of an Olympic Medal- something for which the Country has dreamt a lot.

However this also shows, that at present, we don’t have anyone to perform at that level and so we have to go back to the veterans again.

So don’t we really have anyone better than or at leas equal to these two? We might have, but the problem is that we are not able to find them or even if we find them, we are not able to train them and provide them the facilities matching the international standards.

We are a population of over a billion. And I am sure that the talent is there. There are many great junior players in India however they fail to deliver the performance at the senior/professional levels.

Also, in particular with the Game of Tennis, it’s a bit costlier than some other sports. Considering this and the increasing popularity of tennis, the Government of India has shown willingness to improve the condition of Tennis in the country. The efforts are thus being made at administrative levels. But beyond this, many Tennis players in the country are doing their service to the game by means of coaching, private Tennis academies, etc.

Latest addition to these efforts comes from Mahesh Bhupathi, who besides playing on the professional circuit, runs a Tennis Academy and a sports-management company-“Globosports”.

Now he has taken another step by successfully convincing “Apollo Tires” to invest a sum of Rs. 100 Crore (1 billion) towards his efforts.
Indeed, it’s a very welcome gesture for the future of Indian Tennis, not only Tennis but Indian Sports where it’s hard to get sponsors except for Cricket. (well, after the dismal show at the World Cup even BCCI found it hard to get sponsors.)

Regarding this, Bhupathi has said that he aims at nurturing the potential players who can bring a Grand slam Title or Olympic Medal in India, and the deadline he set is around ten years henceforth.

While he made the announcement of this new beginning, Bhupathi spoke about the possibility of his pairing again with Paes for the Olympic.

He also spoke about Sania Mirza:

"She is coming back from an injury and it will take time for her to find the rhythm. When the grass court season starts, she should be back in form. She is playing well."

Indian Tennis has enjoyed some glorious moments in the past. But right now, Ramesh Krishnan has retired. Mahesh and Leander are reaching the final stage of their careers on tour and Beyond Sania, there isn’t any Indian women performing at the highest level.

In light of this, the initiative by Apollo Tires and Mahesh Bhupathi will bring new hopes, I believe.

Sania's really back!

Sania Mirza and her American partner vania King have won the Doubles Title in Morrocco to mark a nice comeback to the Professional Tennis after an injury gap of three Months. Considering the fact that not much time is left French Open, this victory should proove a great boost to her.

Congratulations Sania!

Sachin Saurav Hit Centuries

Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly hit Test-Centuries toady agaions Bangladesh in Chitgaon.

So the old horses emerged strong again, and scored highly against the ponies. That’s how this will be described by many people.

For me, a Century is a century, and there is nothing as special as getting a Test-Ton, no matter against whom it’s scored. So let's Celebrate it.

Yes, this pitch is meant to be a batting pitch but considering the yough time these guys have been facing, this should be seen as a fresh beginning.

Welcome Back Sania!

BTW, Sania Mirza made a comeback after she was away for three months because of her injury. She's playing in Morrocco open- "Grand Prix SAR Princess Lalla Meryem in Morocco".

It's a Tier- IV event and as you know, she's become the first Indian to get the Top seeding at a WTA event.
She's first seeded for both Singles and doubles. She's won her first Doubles match to advance to the second Round of the doubles event alongside American Vania King. but she lost her Singles match to Maria Emilia Salerni of Argentina 6-2, 7-5.

Anyways, Welcome Back Sania!