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by Philipina A. Marcelo
I know, I know, I just put my money on Novak Djokovic to grab the Numero Uno spot in Men's tennis ranking within the next three Grand Slams two days ago, and here I am proclaiming RF as "the best". No, no, I'm not contradicting myself here... I'm just offering two separate arguments while I insist on looking at one subject matter on men's tennis in two different ways.
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The hotness of the Djoke is no joke
Forget "red hot"! Novak Djokovic is a ball of raging flames, ravaging everything in its way, regardless of ranks and stature in the tennis world! He's already destroyed the Number One Man in men's tennis today, Rafa Nadal - four tournament finals in a row... twice in hard courts where Rafa just successfully asserted "ownership" by winning the US Open for the first
time last year, and twice in clay courts where Rafa is King. Unheard of? Totally! Scary? Definitely! Exciting? ABSOLUTELY!I think it all began from that five-set epic of a semi-final megabattle with Roger Federer in Flushing Meadows last year, which he won! Although, initially I thought it was just another one of those growing list of "megasigns" of a Federer "decline" in the rankings rather than the beginning of The Djoker Era. After all, there's still that fiery warrior from Mallorca who was picking up where El Maestro left off in the Tennis History books... and he's only just begun. We were yet to see the "Nadal Years" where
the limelight of tennis will be solely on Rafa, weren't we? Perhaps, I was just all wrapped up in my "approaching" post-Federer "active worship" that I set aside the impending Djokovic domination as an I'll-deal-with-you-later-please-wait issue... especially after El Maestro emerged victorious in the ATP Season Finale in London in November 2010 where he battled the rest of the Top 8 in the Men's ranking. I was like, "Whoa, the man's libido for winning was revived! Yowser!" Of course, I was ecstatic! The other thing is, I'd like to give Rafa his time of day... okay, a few years, actually. I
think that after those many years of patiently playing "Robin" to Federer's "Batman" in the Men's rankings, he deserves longer time at the top, too. He's worked so hard to improve his game - his serve, making adjustments in his phenomenal clay court game to adapt to grass and hard courts, steadying his overall physical health to put injuries to minimum so he can participate in year-long tours to accumulate ranking points. He did whatever it took to deserve the top spot. And so, when he did ascend to #1 in the World, it was a delight to see as well. But, after Novak Djokovic captained and carried his Serbian National Team to Davis Cup victory in December 2010, he became this ball of fire that kept raging, and raging, and raging! Now, he's on an incredible 37-0 run in 2011 so far, with all the ranking greats actively running with him - Nadal, Federer, Andy Murray and Robin Soderling to name a few... all have
been playing at the very top of their game to quench the Djokovic fire, but their efforts seemed to have fanned the flame to bigger fire instead! He's unstoppable! He goes down on points in the court, but he pulls himself up over and over again... and goes on to win each time! He's in-form for complete domination - physically and mentally. Who can stop him when he believes that he can win it all? And he's winning 'em all, too! Incredible! Therefore, it is inevitable that Novak Djokovic will rise to the top. It's only a matter of time now... sooner than the tennis world could have ever expected or imagined. After all, Rafa Nadal has barely warmed his Number One in the World seat. And, yeah, I'd bet on The Djoker, too... regardless of my wanting for a longer Nadal reign. But is Novak Djokovic the best now? That remains to be seen.
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The best... although not the top guy
Is that possible at all? Sure... said I! :)
I was just watching again the semi-final match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in Madrid two weeks ago, and it still sent my heart pounding! Fantastic match! Federer may have been surpassed in the men's tennis ranking, but the most incredibly beautiful tennis he still plays today is unsurpassed - not even by the longest reigning King of Clay himself, Rafa Nadal! And for me, that's the basis of being the best. Okay, okay... I know, I need to explain this.
The reason why Federer is not on top in the rankings today is because of the growing frequency of big match losses to his name lately. But, does that diminish his greatness as a tennis player. I say, no. But does that remove him as the best tennis player today? Maybe, but only maybe. While the ability to win matches is one measure of being the
best, it isn't the only one. RF still refuses to compromise his beautiful game to beat raging bulls like Rafa Nadal, and now that ball of fire called Novak Djokovic, who both figured out that the best way to beat Roger Federer is to force him to abandon his beautiful tennis... because chances are, he wouldn't, and he'd fight to keep it... and that's how he loses the match. On court, RF fights to keep his tennis rather than try to beat his opponent. He asserts his beautiful game rather than asserting himself to his opponent. While it's painful to see him lose, it's still fantastic to see all those wonderful shots that come from his racquet - those that could only come from his racquet. I'm not sure if he cared about losing as much as he used to though. As RF's mother, Lynette Federer, who admitted that she used to not able to withstand watching RF play tennis on court because it was nerve-wracking for her. But she admits now
that she can watch RF play on court and enjoy it, too, because "he doesn't have to win every match anymore."And so, El Maestro still weaves the Federer genius spell on court. He "accelerates" his graceful glides on court to return shots, but he rarely breaks into a savage "sprint" to scavenge for points. If it was an "ugly point", he'd let it go. He is always looking for that dream-like perfect shots that only his genius mind could conjure, patiently sets up a play to make them happen, and execute them when opportunity arises, while his opponents - who look for a win - take every shot, and all sorts of shots, to gain points from him. And this is the reason why, when you watch him play (and you listen to commentators, too), the loudest clap of appreciation and the loudest ooohs and aaahs of fascination are from the Federer racquet... that, to me, is the bigger measure of being the best. Who can make tennis a sport worth loving? Who can make moves that leave spectator breathless and make tennis such a unique sport because of those breathtaking shotmaking? Who can make those shots that register in the mind and resides there for a long, long time... even in the minds of other
players, who unconsciously copy them in their own game? Example: tweener winners. And he does all of that in a quiet manner that belies the genius behind all his moves.However, these days, the score board shows RF at the losing end, especially when he is battling Nadal - the point scavenging machine, or Djokovic - the hungriest for winning to finally deserve his time of day, too. But Nadal has never been described as "genius" or "maestro" or "a sublime talent"... instead he is often called a "fighter"... because that's what he is. He "fights" with all his heart to win. A Nadal game on court has never been a display of "genius", but rather an exciting "struggle", a heart-thumping "fight" for winning. Is that enough to be called "the best" though? I don't think so... but that could be enough to bring one to the very top of the rankings, and even on the pages of sports history books.
And, perhaps, my fascination for Federer-like lyrical moves on tennis court is the reason why I am inclined to support Novak Djokovic, next to Roger Federer. He plays with a touch of beauty in his shots and a kind of
grace in his glides that are similar to Roger's. The difference is that he adds a little more power, of the Nadal variety, to his shots that compromises some of the beauty, and runs with a tad of ruggedness that chips off some from the grace... but the combination of which effectively gets the job done... and the score board shows it, too. At this early stage of the top-spot-snatching point in his career though, perhaps the compromise could be excused. One has to reach the top first before orchestrating a symphony of shotmaking beauty. Ask Roger, he knows! And, maybe he's the only one who does! As for our Mallorcan Warrior, unfortunately, it seems that that day may never come for him... he seems to have
reached his peak chasing RF in the rankings rather than when he took his seat at the very top. It hardly is fair, too. While you may argue that the guy who gets things done to win is the best, I'd say the best is not quantifiable by points or ranks. The guy who accumulates the highest point is the "top guy", but he isn't necessarily the best. But Djokovic has a lot of potential... and he is showing now that he is capable and willing to fine-tune his game to perfection. So, who knows, he might get to be "the best" at some point, too. As for now, El Maestro is still the best - for me.
***
RF should learn from Pep Guardiola and Barҫa
Because I am usually 99% passion and 1% human being... I like romantic guys. :) Uhmm... yeah, we're still talking sports here! =) This is why I support Pep Guardiola and FC Barcelona, and Roger Federer, because they all play their respective sport with a vivid touch of romanticism - too beautiful, too breathtaking. Aaaaah.... sports, sports, sports - we're talking sports! :)
When Barҫa plays, they "dance" on the pitch in a beautifully Pep Guardiola-choreographed tiki-taka, with Xavi leading, and everyone else
following his lead. There is no savageness in their movements, there's only grace and awesome coordination that result in blinding speed of play and usually unforgettable goalmaking care of Lionel Messi and David Villa, or Pedro Rodriguez and Ibrahim Affellay, or Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez himself. They are that all-skills and genius lot, and just a little bit of muscular strength. And it leaves you in awe how those diminutive figures of theirs could afford win after win on the pitch against physically towering opponents of massive muscular arsenal!With his encyclopedic mind that could spew tennis records and history highlights faster than a ball machine could, you can tell, Roger Federer loves tennis. When he plays on whatever surface, his feet touch the
court in featherlike softness. The beauty by which he twists his body in mid-air to send the ball down the line in a blinding speed with not so much as a quiet swoosh is mesmerizing. The beauty by which he bends his knees to get his body on a graceful angle to scoop the ball from the ground and then power it for a perfect blistering one-handed backhand shot is unbelievable. Without him, people might mistake tennis as a war of amply clothed medium-sized wrestlers who looked akward as they wield their racquets in a seemingly savage fury. Federer makes "finesse" synonymous to tennis in a truly classy way - a total brilliance. When Pep Guardiola talks about his La Masia "upbringing", he glows... and its beautiful to see. When he talks about La Masia's products in the likes of Xavi Hernandez, Andrés Iniesta and Lionel Messi, he ascends somewhere high and beautiful, and he takes you there with him, and it renews your love for football to an even higher level as well. But
Pep is a brilliant manager, too - practical and wise. Playing beautifully is his second nature, and it's plain to see how he's passed on that DNA to his players. But Guardiola also understands that winning is the passport to allow his side to keep playing beautifully. And so, while he asserts Barҫa's brand of beautiful football in all their matches, he makes sure that he takes care of business first - winning. And he makes use of his beautiful football to claim victory rather than just an impressive display of pure genius on the pitch. He understands that for the world to appreciate Barҫa's beautiful football, he has got to show that the beauty is a mighty weapon that can cut opponents to pieces as well. And so, the beauty becomes brilliance, and brilliance becomes a phenomenon... a phenomenon that his Barҫa is today.Roger Federer's love for tennis is undeniable, and his insistence to play beautiful tennis on court is unmistakable. However, these days, he seemed
to have relegated winning to layers of folds below his priorities when he steps on court. Like Lynette Federer, maybe he believes he doesn't have to win matches anymore. And maybe that's reasonable, too, after all he's set so many records already... the ones that Nadal, Djokovic and the others have set out to surpass. But, where's the fun in that? If winning becomes a "non-goal", then the beauty of his tennis gets marred by the ugliness of losing... until it no longer is recognizable for the beauty that it is. Therefore, if Roger Federer is no longer as interested in winning the way he used to some years ago as many suspect, he owes it to tennis fans to
preserve the memory of the beautiful tennis that he created, and allow tennis fans to savor in their memory that breathtaking symphony of tennis pure brilliance that he has orchestrated when winning was still a practical business... by finally hanging his racquet on the wall. To just sit back while others try to reach the mark of greatness that he has set so high, even he is finding it quite a labor to reach when his mind is not 100% into competitive tennis. But if he decides to keep playing, he should do as Pep Guardiola and his Barҫa does: business first... winning first. ***
Another example of best vs. top
Forgive me, but I just have to do this: Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo in best vs. top.
With four more matches to play in the La Liga title race three weeks ago, Lionel Messi had accumulated 31 goals, helping put FC Barcelona in an almost-victory situation, with 8 points above second place Real Madrid FC in the points tally. Ronaldo had 29 goals at this stage. In the latter part of the season, both Barҫa and Real Madrid got into the
UEFA Champions League where they faced each other in the semi-finals. In the first leg of their tie, Messi scored two magnificent goals, one of them of absolute brilliance that wowed the whole football universe! Uhm, ahem, ahem... with the exception of Pele, maybe. But more importantly, the brace almost ensured Barҫa's advance to the finals with a 2-0 score card ahead of the second leg. Messi didn't score in the second leg, which they drew at 1-1, but neither did Ronaldo score. And yet, Messi's brace from the first leg brought Barҫa to the final with a 3-1 score on aggregate. With the La Liga title almost in the bag now, the Catalans then shifted greater focus on the UEFA final. Messi lied low on goal scoring in La Liga, even made "to rest" a couple of times, perhaps, to avoid injuries in preparation for the Champions League final... after all, all they needed was to draw all four remaining matches to win the title,
making Real Madrid's hope next to impossibility. It was at this stage when, curiously, Cristiano Ronaldo started going on goal rampage, accumulating 9 goals in three matches, and effectively leapfrogging Messi by 7 goals after three matches. Some of the 9 goals were from free kicks as a lot more in his previous 29 goals. On the other hand, with two more matches to play, Barҫa sealed their hold on the La Liga title, claiming the third of their three-in-a-row La Liga Primera Division title under Pep Guardiola. With Messi's 31 goals, Barҫa moved on to lift the La Liga Campiones trophy, and with the record-breaking 38+ goals of Ronaldo, Real Madrid had to settle for second place... but Ronaldo will surely go on to win the individual award, the Pichichi, as top goal scorer in La Liga for the season.
Ronaldo may be winning the top individual prize, but it didn't bring victory to his team. He may have scored the most number of goals
(many of which are from free kicks, I must stress again), but their impact is nothing compared to Messi's spectacular goals at critical moments that helped win his squad the championship. Ronaldo gets the job done to ensure being at the top of individual glory, but Messi consistently brings on his individual magic to blend with that of Barҫa's collective brilliance to help carry his squad to victory, which matters more, because football is a team sport. Therefore, being on top, is not always a guarantee of being the best. It is the critical points you earn, the manner by which the points were earned, and the quality of the points you earn that make you the best.***
Photo credits: All photos were grabbed from Zimbio - thanks.
