The last few weeks have been exciting in the world of sports, even for someone who has been on a strange sporting hiatus. The primary reason for the said hiatus is the fact that all the teams, and individuals I support have been suffering from a sad case of loosing.
It has however been a satisfying few weeks, not because my favourites have suddenly started winning, but simply because the excitement and greatness of sports has caught up with me again.
Sports build character and discipline, and sports personalities within their capacities can really move you. Look at the epic moment when Francesco Totti retired: What a moment in the history of sports. I am not a die hard Roma fan, but I am a fan of the Italian National team, and Totti was a huge part of my football fan-shaping years! The sheer emotion around the stadium, and the world over, as Totti stepped off the football pitch for the last time was humbling, and moving.
Suddenly the sports world was calling to me again... and the Roland Garros was right in time to propel me on wards on this now unfamiliar path. Things started well for me in terms of my fandom in the men's draw, but it all came to a mighty crash near the tail end of the tournament. And then surprisingly, there was still a reason to watch - another historic moment, "La Decima," and the crowning of the king of kings of clay courts! Rafa's 10th French obviously came in style; the stats and figures are simply astounding! What a way to win as well - Rafa was ruthless and clinical, watching some of his matches was almost boring because of how one sided it was (and only because of that). Mad respect for his brilliance on clay - every stroke he hit was aimed at maiming any chance the opponent had at beating him!
And the grand slam women's singles was, truth be told, 100% more enticing than the men's draw. Without Serena's presence, there was a promise of an open, highly competitive playing field. And the favourites - statistically and historically, were dropping off like hot cakes. It is interesting that out of the top 10 players - only 2 made it to the semifinals. And it is telling that from the quarter finals on-wards, almost every match played was a three setter: 5 out of 7 to be precise. If we look at this further - 3 of those 5 three set games were played by the eventual winner Jelena Ostapenko, and the other 2 by the runner-up Halep. In the match ups to the final, watching the gritty, energy of these players promised a tantalising game - and it sure didn't disappoint. What a player Ostapenko is! If she keeps up this momentum, she is up for great things! Just watching her go after every ball was exhilarating, and refreshing! Even trailing down 0-3, you simply couldn't write her off! And more history was made of course - First Latvian grand slam finalist, one of the youngest players to win the French open - in fact, the youngest player in 20 years to win it! Astounding!
And then there was some F1, and cricket, and unexpected results! Plus there is a promise of more - Confederations cup, Wimbledon, Champions Trophy, US PGA.. at this rate, I might soon be out of hibernation!
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