I don’t do well in competitions. I guess you can say I don’t have that killer instinct that winners got. I don’t wanna call it having a weak heart but it would be too self-righteous, rather insecure, and possibly not 100% accurate for me to say that part of it is because I don’t enjoy seeing other people get upset and disappointed when they lose. I am just not competitive by nature.
Which is why it’s ironic that I keep on joining badminton tournaments. Just today, I almost got eliminated from an intercompany badminton tryout because of my passive style of play. But a single point from elimination, I somehow managed to get my stuff together. I was pretty pleased with myself because I felt, for the first time, that I really had to do the mental thing to earn my place. I wanted to hug the fitness equipment around right after that.
For a couple of months now, I’ve been noticing that while playing badminton, there’s a sharp pain on my right ankle whenever I land full weight on it. A friend recommended using kinesiotape to hold the muscles together and prevent any further injury. I think it works like weight clamps for dumbbells. But, actually, it looks like this:
I stumbled upon the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics at Vancouver having no idea it that a lot of people are very excited about it. Despite a sad event just before the events started, which makes one wonder if every participant has life insurance, the games began quite wonderfully.
I didn’t have any idea that the most anticipated event is the women’s figure skating championship. Nor did I have any idea that there’s a 19-year-old South Korean girl named Kim Yu-Na who is apparently the biggest celebrity in her country, she had to escape to Canada just so she can practice her craft. And what a performance she did. As expected, she got the gold.I have no words to describe how phenomenal she is. But some people do. Just watch:
This has got to be one of my favorite tennis videos. Like, ever. Thanks to the very creative YouTube uploader.
First, the subtitles are completely false (except perhaps for a few things, like names mentioned). The commentator sounds like he is cheering for Federer and someone thought to make his own interpretations of the rather overly enthusiastic comments about our hgh (his greatest-of-all-time highness) Federer.
Roger Federer’s fans, rather expectedly, range from the average tennis spectator, his colleagues, journalists, fellow athletes, and fellow sporting heroes. I’ll never forget the late David Foster Wallace’s New York Times piece “Federer as a Religious Experience.” Take it as you will, but it was written with such passion for both the sport and the talent of the man who accomplished enough to transcend it.
Then there’s this interview with Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn (alpine skier). What got my attention is this part (because I’ve always wondered about it):
You got to meet him after this year’s French Open final. What was your first impression when you met him? I thought he was a lot taller. On TV, he looks a little bit skinny. You can’t really see his height. When I saw him in person, he really had a big presence. He had a much bigger presence than I was anticipating. He was a tall guy, had broad shoulders, and didn’t look small at all.
Seeing Roger Federer on TV, you’d think sports build muscle but apparently not tennis. Time to rethink that theory. It’s scary to think, in this context, how bulky Rafa looks then.
Speaking of badminton, here’s Maria Sharapova for Cole Haan.
A friend wondered what’s the deal about the shoes. We wondered about the outfit, too. And the racket on the left hand of the right-handed Russian. Well, I guess it’s just for pose. They’re trying to sell the shoes (which she helped design, I gather), not really the sport. Not even her sport – tennis. It’s a good thing they didn’t put a bag on her, though.
After weeks, nay a couple of months, of not playing badminton, I returned to the courts last Saturday to join my friends on our usual Saturday play time. It seems everybody had been busy with their jobs that I realized I wasn’t the only one who had been absent in the games for a long time.
Well, I’ve been busy watching tennis, as this blog shows. Work also came in the middle. But now, I really need to go and get my game back. Especially because we’re playing on a tournament tonight! This is hoping I can still run and hit the shuttle, what with my heavy feet and heavier frame these days.
1. Federer is king. Australian Open organizers made sure that they highlighted that fact during the trophy ceremony. It seems funny now that just a year ago, tennis experts have been corroborating on their funeral planning of Federer’s reign in men’s tennis, eagerly appointing new names, even beyond the next-in-line Nadal. How his sweet 16 win must be really sweet for the guy.
2. Justine Henin is back. She may not be ready to defeat a player of Serena’s caliber at this time, but give her a few more months when she fully get her old groove back. I think she’ll be ready by the French Open in June, and expect her to be one the entire field would most likely fear the most.
3. Maria Sharapova needs to bounce back, fast. There’s no question about Maria’s commitment to the game and her champion spirit, but as the other women are getting better and better, and with the return of the Belgians, she needs to make a statement in the Grand Slams soon. At least that’s what Nike is expecting her to do, I would dare suggest.
4. Another Andy stole hearts with loss. In last year’s Wimbledon, Andy Roddick won many more fans by his courageous fight for the title, and more so by his heart-wrenching loss. This year, at Melbourne, Andy Murray wasn’t able to control his tears while accepting the runner-up plate. The fans understood, and felt his pain.
5. The Australian Open set a high standard for the rest of the year. The tennis was at a very high level, both for the men and the women – there were plenty of five setters and three setters, respectively. It was high on quality and high on drama. Here’s hoping the remaining 3 can live up to this one.
Like I did with the finals of the women yesterday, I started writing a post in anticipation of the men’s final. Then I got all superstitious because Henin lost yesterday, and I don’t wanna jinx Roger Federer, so I waited until it’s over before I completed this. And I’m very happy to report that Roger Federer won his 16th Grand Slam title in Melbourne today.
All throughout the match, I was trying to keep myself from updating my Facebook page using my sister’s newly unlocked phone with match commentaries. I even managed to stay away from Twitter. I was quite tense because Andy Murray looked more like the man to beat than Roger was the whole fortnight. But all’s well that ends well. At least for us Federer fans. Andy Murray broke hearts, though, including mine, by his acceptance speech (which he can’t finish because the tears came). He gave everything, he played brilliantly, and he was beaten in straight sets. Now I want to support Andy Murray. At least as long as he doesn’t face Federer in a final of a Grand Slam.
Days 5 and 6 at the Australian open are so bizarrely different, but day 5 definitely takes the cake for being more drama-filled and, again, bizarre. Day 6 is almost boring, considering the high level of play and buzz surrounding the first five days. It’s like the electrical supplies giving energy to tennis fizzled this Saturday.
For drama of the highest order, Kim Clijsters, the reigning U.S. Open Champion and comeback queen (being trailed by compatriot Justine Henin), was trounced 0-6 1-6 by Nadia Petrova. Petrova is a solid player and she played brilliantly, but no way will Kim have that scoreline – the worst loss in her career - if nothing’s wrong with her that day. They say it was like she wasn’t in the court. Well, the reasons will remain speculations for now, but the thing is she had a bad day. That’s that.
Justine Henin almost went down, as well, losing the first set and got broken early in the second. But she rallied to take the match in the third. Svetlana Kuznetsova almost lost, too, as she played under the lights past midnight and with almost empty stands. Rafael Nadal won in four sets, Juan Martin del Potro barely won, John Isner won big, and Jelena Jankovic was ousted.
That’s day 5. Saturday, however, gave us a totally different kind of vibe. The seeds rolled through to the next round and nothing really special happened, except for Marcos Baghdatis retiring from his match against Lleyton Hewitt and Mikhail Youzny wihdrew from the tournament.
