Showdown on clay

Roger Federer will head to the French Open to fight for the only Grand Slam which has eluded him while Rafael Nadal will be aiming for his fourth consecutive title, writes Ivninderpal Singh

WILL Rafael Nadal be Björn again? In 2007, the Spaniard scored a hat-trick of titles at Roland Garros and became the second player in the Open era after Bj`F6rn Borg to do so. This time he has a chance to equal Bjorn’s record of four in a row in Paris. But the genius on clay will be challenged by Roger Federer, who will be looking for the elusive title on Parisian clay.

One of Federer’s objectives is, of course, to beat the Grand Slam title record (14) held by Pete Sampras (the Swiss already has 12 to his name), but he would not like to finish his career without ever having prevailed in Paris. In fact, in the last three editions of the tournament, he has been prevented from reaching his grail by just one man — Nadal.

And just a week before the French Open, beginning on Sunday, Nadal stamped his authority yet again by defeating Federer in the Hamburg Masters, thus avenging last year’s defeat by the Swiss, which snapped his 81-match winning streak on clay. After this victory, Nadal has become only the third player since 1990 to win the three ATP titles on clay – Monte Carlo, Rome and Hamburg, in his career. Other players to accomplish the feat are Gustavo Kuerten and Marcelo Rios.

But there is more to this contest than just Rafa and Roger. Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, a semifinalist in last edition of the tournament, and Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko, a two-time semifinalist (2005 and 2007) will surely add more personality to the event.

Djokovic had made his presence felt in the game when he defeated world No. 1 and defending champion Federer in the semifinals of the 2008 Australian Open ending the grass-court master’s streak of 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals. Davydenko, too, has tasted victory against Nadal when he outplayed him in the final of Miami Masters this year.

Former world No.1 and three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten has been given a wild card for the tournament. The 31-year-old Brazilian has said the Roland Garros might be his last tournament.

Spain’s David Ferrer and his compatriot David Nalbandian have time and again proved their ability on clay. But the zenith for them might be a few seeds away.

Maria wants more

Is the world’s highest-paid female athlete, Maria Sharapova, ready for the final frontier? A semifinalist in last year’s edition, Maria will be determined to scale the summit as this is the only Grand Slam missing in her trophy cabinet after winning Wimbledon in 2004, US Open in 2006 and Australian Open in 2008.

And this can be a reality as defending champion Justine Henin, who completed her hat-trick of titles here in 2007, has called it a day. Serena Williams is nursing an injury and her sister Venus, too, is not in great touch.

But the Serbian duo of Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic will pose a serious challenge. Sharapova fell to Ivanovic in the semis last year. However, Ivanovic, currently ranked world No. 2, lost to Sharapova in the final of Australian Open early this year. But on clay it might be a different story as Maria is not very comfortable on this surface.

Among the strongest contenders is Jankovic, who made her intentions clear by clinching Rome Open just a week before the start of action in Paris. Many tennis fans consider Rome Masters to be the second most prestigious clay court tournament in the world, after the French Open.

Often regarded as one of the fittest and toughest players in recent years, due to her great defensive abilities and footwork, Jankovic has the allround game to excel on all surfaces.

Maria’s compatriots Svetlana`A0Kuznetsova, a finalist here in 2006, Elena`A0Dementieva, a finalist in 2004, and Anna`A0Chakvetadze are among others capable of adding spice.

India’s Sania Mirza is set to miss the French Open as she is still nursing a wrist injury, that she had picked up earlier in the year. India’s only representation will be in the form of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati, who are playing separately, in the doubles format.

First step forward
Vaibhav Sharma

INDIAN hockey has somehow survived too many tumultuous events in the recent past. The men’s and women’s team failed to qualify for the Olympics; the IHF was suspended; its secretary caught ‘accepting money’... and the list was set to continue but for some grit shown by the men’s team in Ipoh.

Sandeep Singh’s discipline issues and patchy form had meant that he wasn’t in the squad for the Olympic qualifiers. The trauma at Santiago meant that the face and soul of Indian hockey was set to be changed, forever. Sandeep was picked for the team heading to the 17th Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia, and one could feel that the time had come for him to prove that he had grown into the game, and outgrown all his antics.

But the sport had gone through so much turmoil before the team left for Ipoh, that to believe that they would be able to put up a credible performance seemed like an irony itself. And the start of the tournament, more than justified what the naysayers had been talking about. India lost to Argentina and New Zealand to start the tournament on a sorry, but extremely familiar, note. Ever since the downhill ride of Indian hockey had started, hope had never been a buzzword within the camp an this time didn’t look too different. But just when the chips were totally down, Sandeep rose to the occasion as India started an unlikely-looking fight back.

With sensational performances by Sandeep and the goal keeper Adrian D’ Souza, the team fought its way back. Sandeep, whose goal in the final made him the highest goal- scorer of the tournament, scored pivotal goals, in the absence of ace striker, Tushar Khandekar. His drag-flicks were unstoppable and he seemed to revel under the opportunity to play as a full-time defender in the tournament.

His performance throughout the tournament drew him comparisons with Jugraj Singh, as he charged-out to stop the ball on every penalty corner India conceded. If this tournament is anything to go by, Sandeep might just be ready to fulfill the potential a lot of people thought he had thrown away with his wayward behaviour.

On the other hand, the Mumbai-based goalkeeper Adrian made save after save to ensure that his team beat the hosts, Malaysia, to enter the final. Adrian had been the saviour in earlier games as well and he followed the good showing throughout the tournament to earn applause form all corners.

The message that comes screaming out of the loss at the hands of Argentina is that if we wish to cherish the sport, we need to nourish it as well. Although the team fell short, these two men have shown that attitude and commitment can do what flair and style might fail to accomplish in sports. It definitely is too early to hail the performance in Malaysia as a revival, but with all the horrible times Indian hockey went through in the past decades, anything coated with grit, is good enough for a start.

IN THE NEWS
Last volley

SHE won’t be defending her title at Roland Garros when the clay-court Grand Slam begins on Sunday, and she won’t be defending her US Open title in the fall, either.

All at just 25, she suddenly, stunningly, walked away from tennis, the first woman to retire while ranked No. 1 by the WTA. That’s what is so surprising about the news—and its timing.

She won the French Open each of the past three years, and four times overall. Nobody would have ever thought that the Henin, the first Belgian to reach a singles final at Wimbledon in 2001 and went on to become first Belgian to win a Grand Slam at the French Open in 2003, wouldn’t want to hang around for one last appearance in Paris. Henin has been struggling to meet her lofty standards lately, but all athletes have their ups and downs.

Henin herself went through several trying periods, including when she was off-the-tour for months while dealing with health problems, and later when she was splitting from her husband, Pierre-Yves Hardenne. She always came back, though, and overcame whatever physical or psychological obstacles presented themselves, much as she repeatedly overcame those stronger foes across the court; whether it was the Williams sisters or Amelie Mauresmo, who would tower over the 5’5", 126-pound Henin.

She was ranked No. 1 for more than 100 weeks; clinched seven Grand Slam titles (four Roland Garros crowns, two US Open titles and one at the Australian Open); won 41 singles titles; a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics and earned nearly $20 million in prize money. When she eliminated both Serena and Venus, at last year’s U.S. Open, Henin became the first woman to beat both sisters en route to a major title. Regarded as the best all-around player in women’s tennis since Chris Evert, Henin was especially renowned for her magnificent single-handed backhand, one of the finest ever seen in the game. She will be remembered as one of the finest women tennis players ever, overcoming her small stature and a troubled family life to rise to the summit of her sport. — Agencies