MEN OF HONOR, WIELDING THE RACQUET

The title is self-explanatory; It is about the two tennis players at the pinnacle of men's tennis (really, you now cannot choose one over the other); two players, who have already reserved a place for themselves in tennis folklore, and yet have some years of tennis ahead of them;two gentlemen, who can be called "model celebrities", for want of a better word.They are thoroughly ground-to-earth and have a good friendship off the court, yet, on the tennis court, they have given us the best exhibition of tennis in history.Salutations to the great guys!!!! Given below are my opinions about these players, and the profound effect they have had on the game.....

ROGER FEDERER:
Never count out the great man!!!You may say he has had a pathetic season, but tell me, from the viewpoint of a normal player, are 2 runner's up finishes and a semis appearance in this year's three grand slams bad??But FedEx is no ordinary tennis player. Indeed, we view his season in such a light, because the man has set such superhuman standards for himself, that "very good" is simply unacceptable. As Roger himself put it, after losing to Novak Djokovic in the Aussie Open Semis:"I have created this MONSTER myself, so people expect me to win everytime I step out."There have been doubts cast on the fact whether he is the greatest tennis player of all time. Thinking sensibly, every great tennis player has won in his own different way, in different conditions. So, each legend deserves to be respected, not subjected to unnecessary comparisons.In any case, Roger's place in history has been cemented. People will point out that he has never on the French Open, but the, who can do so at the moment, with Rafa at the helm at Roland Garros. I would like to ask, which player has ever taken tennis to such unfathomable heights?Which player in tennis history has dominated the scene as Federer as?Indeed, the word "dominance" is an understatement.
He is a great champion.And great champions always bounce back.Great champions always write their own endings, a la Pete Sampras.Expect to see more of FedEx in the years to come.He is not gone yet!!!

RAFAEL NADAL:
When Rafa first stepped onto Roland Garros in 2005 and won, many were quick to dismiss him as just a "prodigious clay-courter", in the line of other Spanish clay-courters such as Carlos Moya, JC Ferrero,Albert Costa etc..However, the muscular "Bull of Majorca" has gone on to a stratospheric level on clay.As yet, he remains undefeated on the French clay.He is 22, and looks invincible, to say the least, on clay.You never know, this way, he may end up undefeated at Court Phillippe Chartrier for the rest of his career, thus racking up a dozen French Open titles[:O].
More importantly, by reaching 3 consecutive Wimbledon finals, he has safely dispelled the notion that he is all at sea on grasscourt and hard courts.He gave Federer some semblance of a fight in the 2006 Wimbledon final, stretched him all the way in 2007, and this year, first he won at Stella Artois, and then finally got his hands on the trophy, after being denied by a Federer masterclass in the 5th set in the 2007 final.The next few months will be crucial, because Rafa has shown a tendency to fade into oblivion after Wimbledon.However, Rafa is a constantly improving player, in all aspects of the game.Infact, we can attribute his Wimbledon triumph to his rigorous practice, and the way he tweaked his game to win.He has constantly added new skills to his repertoire, he has worked hard on his shortcomings on faster courts.His serves have improved, and in tune with "traditional Wimbledon style" comes to the net more often.This, coupled with his tenacity on-court, amazing stamina and a tendency not to make unforced errors,has helped him dethrone Federer on grass.So, knowing Rafa, we can expect him to get better on hard courts as well, do well post-wimbledon, and eventually take over the numero uno positon from FedEx.This race to greatness will be close.


These two gentlemen are "model celebrities". Fame and success has not gone to their head.Indeed, we have never seen them in the limelight for the wrong reasons.They remain thoroughly professionals, feet firmly placed on terra firma.They would prefer to spend their holidays with family and friends at their respective homes in Basel and Majorca respectively. Both seem to be approachable and of a pleasant demeanour.There is no semblance of cockiness or arrogance in them.I can go ranting on and on about these two gentlemen, but well, my arms are aching.Rafa and FedEx share anamazing cameraderie off the court.Indeed, after every match,no duel, they hug each other. I have become tired listening to each player praising the other. Infact, Rafa, after walloping Roger this year at Roland Garros, kept his celebrations to a minimum, out of respect for him.This speaks volumes for the respect one has for the other. This off-court friendship is matched by an equally ferocious attitude on court. The Wimbledon final of 2 weeks ago is still fresh in our minds, and is testimony to the way these two players slug it out oncourt.

Not a flaw that you can find in either of them, is there???
We are lucky to be watching them create history....
Cheers to Rafa and Roger....You are an inspiration to all, whether it be budding tennis players or your huge legion of fans all over the globe, in all respects.