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2017 Swiss Indoors Basel...ATP 500...Basel, Switzerland
Another tennis tournament. You know that their days are limited now. The game of tennis as we knew it is winding down. Roger Federer drives closer and closer to the limits of his professional playing career. But as it stands now...he is at a zenith. His form over the past twelve months has been arguably the best in the business. Rafael Nadal stands at number one in the ranking but he has taken five straight shellackings from the Swiss Maestro. Be still my pounding heart. When I think of this fun fact it makes it just a tad easier to accept that real tennis as we know it is coming to a finale. Federer's dominance of Nadal at the end of his career is going to be the icing on the cake of his long and illustrious career. The only stain on his career has been Nadal's dominance of him on clay courts. The bigger racquet has changed everything and I for one will remember exactly what transpired. He should have changed a long, long time ago. But it is only more of a reason to admire his stubbornness. His tenacity. His devotion and his love for the real game of tennis...the classic game.
First round for Roger is Francis Tiafoe. A powerful young American who proved to be a bit of a pest in the first round at the U. S. Open as Roger gingerly moved around the court in his comeback from a back injury that caused him to miss valuable preparation time for the Open. But you can bet your bottom dollar that he has been diligently preparing. Preparation...preparation...preparation...has become the mantra of Federer in his winding down his career as he tries to summon the dragon time and time again to the finish line. Roger knows of all people...it isn't how it goes in the beginning of a match (career) it is how it goes at the end. Tennis is much like life as we metaphor ourselves up the river. The hot hand at the beginning is not always the winner at the finish line. Many have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat...and vice versa.
The unique scoring system allows for some very interesting endings to some very interesting stories. But always keep in mind the value of the seventh game in the set. Keep in mind that the age of forty is a turning point in a man's life. Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote that:
“"The second half of a man's life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the first half.”"
Interesting enough this quote comes from his epic novel about Russia in 1871 called "The Devils" or "The Possessed". Depending upon the translation of course.
I watched Juan Martin Del Potro yesterday play Fernando Verdasco with my wife. She made sandwiches of Chanterelle mushrooms that I had picked out of the forest earlier in the month. Fried bacon bits and two flavors of cheese on some bread ideal for the task. klacr...are you with me. But anyways...Del Potro and Fernando were both pouring it on and it was quite a display of power tennis. Not much in the way of subtlety as you might imagine. Del Potro was crushing his backhand with two hands as he appears to be nearing a hundred percent recovery from the wrist ailments that have plagued him. He plays Grigor Dimitrov..."The Bulgarian Playboy" in the finals of the Stockholm Open today. They will be playing with the "Robin Söderling" ball and this is the only ATP tournament in the world that uses it. Coincidentally Robin Söderling is the tournament director here in Stockholm. It's the "Stockholm Syndrome" you see. Robin has them hostage.
First round for Roger is Francis Tiafoe. A powerful young American who proved to be a bit of a pest in the first round at the U. S. Open as Roger gingerly moved around the court in his comeback from a back injury that caused him to miss valuable preparation time for the Open. But you can bet your bottom dollar that he has been diligently preparing. Preparation...preparation...preparation...has become the mantra of Federer in his winding down his career as he tries to summon the dragon time and time again to the finish line. Roger knows of all people...it isn't how it goes in the beginning of a match (career) it is how it goes at the end. Tennis is much like life as we metaphor ourselves up the river. The hot hand at the beginning is not always the winner at the finish line. Many have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat...and vice versa.
The unique scoring system allows for some very interesting endings to some very interesting stories. But always keep in mind the value of the seventh game in the set. Keep in mind that the age of forty is a turning point in a man's life. Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote that:
“"The second half of a man's life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the first half.”"
Interesting enough this quote comes from his epic novel about Russia in 1871 called "The Devils" or "The Possessed". Depending upon the translation of course.
I watched Juan Martin Del Potro yesterday play Fernando Verdasco with my wife. She made sandwiches of Chanterelle mushrooms that I had picked out of the forest earlier in the month. Fried bacon bits and two flavors of cheese on some bread ideal for the task. klacr...are you with me. But anyways...Del Potro and Fernando were both pouring it on and it was quite a display of power tennis. Not much in the way of subtlety as you might imagine. Del Potro was crushing his backhand with two hands as he appears to be nearing a hundred percent recovery from the wrist ailments that have plagued him. He plays Grigor Dimitrov..."The Bulgarian Playboy" in the finals of the Stockholm Open today. They will be playing with the "Robin Söderling" ball and this is the only ATP tournament in the world that uses it. Coincidentally Robin Söderling is the tournament director here in Stockholm. It's the "Stockholm Syndrome" you see. Robin has them hostage.
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