Djokovic haunting Nadal
Novak Djokovic has certified himself as one of the greatest players of all-time courtesy his maiden US Open title. The 2011 season alone is sufficient for Djokovic to establish himself in the tennis folklore. The numbers are daunting – 64-2, three majors, five ATP 1000s. It is, hands down, the greatest run in the Open Era and with three ATP titles still up for grabs, Djokovic can make his streak inaccessible. A lot has been made of the Serb’s ascendancy over Nadal: 6-0 this year, all finals – Djokovic has reigned supreme all year long. And, it’s not just a psychological edge.
The bottom line is that, as things stand, Djokovic has the arsenal to down Nadal. The overall head-to-head stands at 16-13 in favor of Nadal, but if No-Djo’s recent run continues the numbers could seriously be distorted. While the World Number One has his closest competitor in his pocket, the fact that Nadal has not been at his best has also affected the rivalry. Rafa was clocking 130-135 mph bombs at Flushing Meadows last year, au contraire he was struggling to even hit the 100 mph mark in Monday’s final.
The disparity between their serves and the return of serves is the basis of the contrasting fortunes between the top two in world tennis. They have shared the last seven majors between them, and if Nadal can replicate his 2008 or 2010 form and Djokovic maintains his current brand of perfection – we could be in for the greatest tennis rivalry of all time.
Vettel dominates intra-team rivalry
F1’s foremost open secret is that as a driver you must beat your team mate – the guy who has the same material as you. As a result of the vigorous Vettel-Webber rivalry Red Bull profited last year. The two finished in the top three as the team lifted the Constructors’ Championship.
Vettel hasn’t given any one a sniff this year, as he masterfully completed his Italian Job at Monza last week to win his eighth Grand Prix of the season and eighteenth overall. While Alonso and the McLaren duo have been downplaying their chances of catching Vettel for over a month, Webber’s has arguably been the sole voice challenging the World Champion. The rivalry had a flaring point in Turkey last year, as the two drivers collided and blew a gilt-edged one-two finish.
There were concerns about the rivalry being too aggressive for the team’s liking, but the team got their act together and won the Championship with Vettel victorious in the Drivers’ equivalent. The Red Bull drivers lack the harmony that the McLaren twosome Hamilton-Lewis have, however it seems to work for the team and Vettel. The question as to whether or not Webber can tilt the profits in his direction has been shelved till next year.
Catalonian grip over El-Clasico
After the umpteen million or so El-Clasicos that we’ve seen over the past year and a half, Barcelona’s hegemony in Spain is as firm as ever. Having won their third Champions’ League crown in five years last year by knocking Real out in the semis, Barcelona completed a hat-trick of La Liga titles last season as well – with the 5-0 drubbing of Madrid being a conspicuous high-point.
Although Barcelona lost the Spanish Cup final in an intriguing contest last year, the Catalonians demonstrated their authority again last month with the two-legged Super Cup conquest. However, the Madrista sports daily “Marca” has been reading too much into the Spanish Champions’ recent imprudence. Having let a two goal lead uncharacteristically slip at Sociedad at the weekend, Barca once again switched off in the initial and final 30 seconds on Tuesday against Milan to come out with a 2-2 draw at home.
The paper claims that Barcelona lack the motivation to keep going – the vociferous clamor from Madrid is a little premature. Who can forget that shocking 2-0 defeat at the hands of newbie Hercules at the same time last year – it just shows that even the best can have a hiccup or two, as Barca’s back-clash was there for all to see last season.
England embarrassing India
How can you make your fans put a World Cup Triumph out of their system within six months? Simple: you tour one of your closest rivals for global domination and make a mockery of yourself. Taking nothing away from England, who have been absolutely seamless throughout the rubber, the glaring chinks in the Indian armor were exposed brutally in English conditions.
India’s bowling relies heavily on the exploits of Zaheer Khan, and once he was wounded in the early skirmishes, competing became a lost cause for the Indians. India’s much venerated batting lineup typically came unstuck in swinging conditions, with Dravid providing the only meaningful resistance. It’s not much of a rivalry if the two teams at the apex of Cricket are horrendously exposed in each other’s conditions.
And, as things stand, England have a much better chance of performing in India than vice versa. Cricket needs a stimulating rivalry at the top. Honestly, the Shastri-Hussain rivalry provided more action than all of the cricketing action put together. P.S Don’t mention the D-word in front of the Indians, it flips them off and their brain detonates beyond repair.
Messi’s accolades beat Ronaldo’s
Messi won the last Ballon d’or and FIFA World Player of the Year before the two awards were merged to formulate Fifa Ballon d’or last year – again, secured by the Argentinean. Couple the personal accolades with Barca’s inflating trophy cabinet, and the Messi vs. Ronaldo debate has long been slashed to meager remnants of its 2007-09 heights.
However one begs the question whether the team’s trophy tally should be the predominant gauge for greatness. How good a player someone is, should be judged by deciphering his skills in isolation. While Barcelona as a team are a cut above the rest, would Messi still be as effective without the unparalleled creativity of Xavi and Iniesta behind him? Ronaldo’s dexterity makes him less dependent on his team-mates, and hence he often borders on selfishness.
On the contrary, Messi is the quintessential team-player who functions as a cog in a well-oiled machine – the best cog there is. While Ronaldo carries Portugal on his shoulders and displays his complete gamut at the international level as well, Messi struggles to reach his Catalonian heights in Argentinean colors – even with the likes of Tevez, Aguero and Higuain around him. Hypothetically, if the two were to play for the likes of Levante in La Liga, Ronaldo would in all likeliness manage to capitalize on set-pieces with his heading ability, score humdingers from 35 yards and maraude on his self-centered runs.
Conversely Messi’s passing, movement and dribbling will not be as effective sans the possibility of finding a pass for Xavi, Iniesta or Busquets. Messi plus Barca equals total domination, but if the little maestro wants to add substance to the claims of him being the best the game has ever seen, he’ll need to do it in another league and at the World Cup.
Indians outdoing us in hockey
India’s nail-biting victory in the final of the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy has capped off a gleeful run over their archenemy. We have only got the better of India once in the last six contests during the last 18 months, and that was in Azlan Shah Cup in May. On paper we have the stronger pool of players and we should be outplaying them with our quality. Having clearly the superior of the two attacks, and with defending not being either’s forte, it is the midfield that has been the vanguard of Indian dominance.
The dynamic duo of Ravi Pal and Gurbaj Singh stamped their authority in last week’s tournament, and their robust box-to-box play was never matched by our stagnant midfielders. Nevertheless, we have a stronger group of youngsters blending in nicely, and one hopes that we translate our pre-eminence, with our squad-strength a cut above our Indian counterparts.
Aleem Dar tops Simon Taufel again
Sporting rivalry is not limited to the participants. A healthy competition exists between those who officiate and ensure that the game is played by the book. Who will officiate over the Manchester derby, the US Open Final, the Rugby World Cup final – there are intense contests within the umpiring realm. Cricket is fortunate to have two extremely competent men at the helm, with Aleem Dar and Simon Taufel being recognized as two of the greatest umpires of all time.
However recently it’s Aleem Dar who has topped the umpiring charts as the best umpire in the cricketing world. For the third consecutive year our man has been awarded the ‘ICC Umpire of the Year’ trophy. Aleem Dar’s impeccable run in this year’s World Cup, when none of the DRS Reviews against his decisions proved to be correct, was arguably the pinnacle of his career. Taufel had a five-year award-winning streak as the top man in his job, but it is Aleem Dar who has firmly supplanted him with a hat-trick to assert his credentials as the best in the business.
