Things aren’t so well in some aspects of my life right now. Some folks are just so… I mean, really, who pisses on the well they drink from? It’s amazing how idiotic herd mentality can get. But who cares?

The one thing that really keeps me alive these days is tennis. My swing is slowly and erratically coming back– along with, well, some power. I’m popping my strings every other week now. I put a lot of spin on my balls and because the strings are wound sooo tight, they easily pop. It is a costly sport– but really fun. I’m no longer bageled by the trainer when we play singles but I am still losing miserably. I need to do something about that in the next three weeks.

I bought another racket as a spare. It’s a bad habit I know (going all out on sports equipment) but I need that spare! This morning when we had to stop playing because my string popped again, the die was cast. The good thing is, because of the popularity of badminton, tennis rackets are heavily discounted. I bought one of those K Factor rackets at half the price! I was even tempted to go crazy and buy another of the same racket.

In tennis it really makes sense to have an identical spare, unless you’re a pro, and in which case you need at least 5. Having an identical racket means that you won’t have to do some adjustments with your game as your spare will have the same weight, head size, grip size, and tension. I think Roger Federer brings around 7 rackets with him. Marat Safin starts a tournament with 8 (I think) and leaves home with only 3. That guy has a love-hate relationship with the tennis court. When things aren’t going so well, he abuses his rackets by slamming them on the court.

Now if only we can apply that principle to SO’s. Just kidding.

Have a nice week ahead!

I can barely lift my arm. I had my first session with a tennis pro two days ago and until now, I’m still feeling the effects of crazily swinging my racket like a possessed tennis maniac.

During the training, an officemate, who was instrumental in hooking me up with the trainer, commented ‘Ang sarap no?’. She was exhausted herself after her hour-long rally with another trainer ended. I don’t know if that would be the same adjective I would use to describe the satisfaction that avid tennis players get after a tiring session, but I guess that was her way of putting it in words.

I’ve been playing badminton steadily for the past few years and many, many years of tennis before that. True, the speed and the pinpoint accuracy of badminton has its thrills, but I have to say it will never come close to the feeling one gets after a well executed cross-court top spin backhand. Apples and oranges I know, but I happen to have played both sports competitively and I think in terms of satisfaction, tennis seems to have the edge.

Maybe it’s the fact that you simply cant just pick up a tennis racket and expect to have a good forehand at the end of the day. Its something that has to be developed and nurtured over time. Some folks can look pretty good in a badminton court for a very short period, but with tennis, there are no short cuts. If you don’t put in the time, it will show.

I don’t believe it for a second.  I was egging our van driver to make the 7hour drive from El Nido last night to make it 5 so I can still watch the Wimbledon finals.  He complied by making it in 6.  But at 1am in the morning I was positive that there’s no more open bar that I can go to in Puerto Princesa to watch the match.  I had to make do with monitoring BBC’s coverage.  A painful thing to do as the first thing they reported was Nadal leading by 2 sets to love.

It was painful to even be thinking that Federer would be swept in 3 sets.  I was strangling an officemate in my mind for even predicting earlier that Roger would lose.  And alas he did.  But not in straight sets as I would find out the morning after.  Nadal had to dig very deep to put away Roger in 5 sets.

I knew Roger wouldn’t give up the Wimbledon title easily having gotten used to bringing home the trophy for the last 5 years.  But last night wasn’t his night.  A lot of forces were at work; history, youth, drama.  In the end, the small errors that Roger usually gets away with has accumulated and led to his loss on centercourt.

I tried watching the replay earlier, but knowing the outcome has somewhat tempered the otherwise compelling match.  Roger as always was gracious in defeat.  In hindsight, I’m glad I didn’t get to watch the live action.  I don’t know if I’ll be as controlled as Roger was with his emotions.  If winning the title can make him cry, how would losing it affect him?

It’s a sad day for Roger Federer fans, but like the rest of his fans, I am still proud to be a card carrying Roger fanatic.

ooOoo

Let’s reclaim the title next year Rog.  Although Wimbledon is the grandest of tournaments, it’s not the be all and the end all.  There’s still the US Open and the Tennis Masters Cup to defend.  I hope your loss in your own stage brings back your primal hunger for winning and finish the year in a very high note.

Remember, you’re still the number one player in the world.  That alone is a reason for you to hold your head up.

I wasn’t able to watch Roger Federer’s win over Philip Scholscreiber in the Gerrer Weber Open at Halle because, well, it wasn’t televised. Star Sports showed Nadal vs Djokovic battling it out for the Stella Artois Championship instead. Perhaps the guys at Star Sports thought that the Fed’s match against Scholscreiber was a foregone conclusion while Rafa and Nole’s match would be a lot more competitive.

They were right of course. Roger thrashed Philip in straight sets while Nole pushed Rafa to the limit before Nadal was able to lift the gigantic championship trophy.

I have to admit, Rafa’s game on grass is getting scarier. And the mere fact that he has easily transitioned from clay to the sport’s fastest surface should make people stand up and notice. Yes, even us diehard Federer fans. Rafa’s improved cross-court backhand is a thing of beauty. He has also started using flatter strokes on grass and by the looks of it, he’s getting comfortable. And he’s only 22!

Still, all is not lost dear Federer fanboys and girls. Rafa’s serve, though improved, is not ‘there’ yet and all our idol has to do is capitalize on this. Roger’s pinpoint serving and groundstrokes that are specially more potent on grass would still be a force to reckon with in case these two icons of the sport should meet again in the Wimby finals. This of course presupposes that James Blake does not ambush Rafa, and Nole leaves Federer alone.

But the real good thing is, I’ve got cable! Nyaha! Just in time for Wimbledon which starts next week, which means I can do gulp gulp in my own living room while watching Roger mow down the competiton on grass. It’s an intoxicating thought.

I never liked massacre movies. I figured that these types of themes are gruesome enough to be remembered by people, much more institutionalized by some bimbos with half-assed acting skills. Massacre movies were a fad some years back in Philippine movies started no doubt by the chop-chop lady and those other needless family massacres that were said to be perpetrated by drug-crazed individuals.

I watched a massacre earlier. Although this one did not involve mutilations or much bloodshed, it was a massacre nonetheless. I’m talking about the French Open finals, where Rafa the Bull gored the Maestro in Roger Federer. It was a painful thing to watch. I would have bailed out in the middle of the second set but I didn’t want to be labeled as a fair-weather fan so I felt that I had to sit through the entire thing.

Rafael Nadal has always been unbelievable n clay. And he once again demonstrated that in this year’s French Open. On the way to winning the championship he never dropped a set. And his 6-1 6-3 6-0 drubbing of Roger Federer only served to confirm everyone’s belief that on clay, no one is worthy enough to even fix his wedgie.

In a way this could be karma for Federer. A few years ago, against Lleyton Hewitt in the finals of the US Open, he served the hapless Ozzie a double bagel in the championship. Now it’s time for him to be served one.

Roger Federer got served a nasty bagel in the third set. It’s almost blasphemous to mention bagle and Federer in one breath. But it happened.

Sorry for the humiliation you got earlier Roger, but even then, I was cheering for you through and through. Let’s get our revenge at Wimbledon. Til then Rafa.

My dream matchup is on! Roger takes on Rafa for the third straight time to try and wrest the Roland Garros crown from the Spaniard’s iron grip. But if I know anything about Rafael Nadal, it is that he will only let go of the French Open title when Roger Federer pries it from his dead frozen fingers. The good thing about watching a Roger & Rafa match is that it never lacks for drama. It’s so refreshing to see Roger lose his cool every once in a while like he did in last year’s Wimbledon where he won against Rafa.

For Roger, this is his Holy Grail, and I can only hope that he will do away with the loose play and the concentration lapses that creep into his game whenever he’s ahead. He can get away with it with most players but not with the reigning King of Clay. Nadal, on his part, is a slow starter but lately he seems to have overcome this fault—bulldozing everyone who stands in his way. So far, he has yet to drop a set in the tournament. But this time he’ll be facing the Fed Express and things could change abruptly.

Despite my fervent desire for Roger to finally hoist the French Open trophy, I am worried for his well being. I do not know what lifting that trophy will do to his psyche. The guy has been known to cry unabashedly when winning memorable tournaments. I can only imagine what winning the Roland Garros title, the only missing trophy in his collection, will do to him. He’d probably have tears streaming down his cheeks as he delivers his victory speech, in French.

But, we will have to forgive him for that when that happens. It’s going to be one for the ages. I wouldn’t even trust myself not to shed a drop or two when he wins.

Update:  It’s now Federer vs Monfils in the semis! My gulay, somebody’s about to get murdered.  In the distaff side, it’s going to be Safina (Marat’s sister) against Ana Ivanovic (gorgeous eyes that girl has) in the finals.  I have to go with Ana on this one.  I think she has more experience in the big stage to run away with the win.  Safina may be on a giant killing spree, but never on a stage this big.

Roger Federer has just beaten Fernando Gonzales in the quarterfinals of the French Open and is now waiting for either Gael Monfils or David Ferrer in the semis.

I have yet to see one of Federer’s matches in Roland Garros this tournament but I’m hoping that he’ll figure in this Sunday’s final against either Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. Rafa has been playing huge lately having demolished Nicolas Almagro 6-1 6-1 6-1 in the quarters. Novak has had some scary moments en route to the semis. Roger on the other hand has had lapses of concentration in his matches and was even lost the first set to Gonzales before roaring back to take the next three sets. Lapses of concentration may spell disaster for most folks, but when you’re a tennis genius like Roger, a little weakness can be a forgivable thing.

I don’t see Djokovic upsetting Nadal in Roland Garros. So most probably Nadal will be meeting Roger Federer in the finals for the (gasp!) third time in three years.

I’m not counting out either Gael or David against Roger but if previous match results were to be used as a predictor, then Roger should have no problem disposing of either men. Roger has already beaten Monfils 3 out of 3 meetings and has done the same to Ferrer — 8 times out of 8.

If all the players cooperate and the final match I envision materializes, then I will have a valid excuse to get drunk on Sunday. Thank God for excuses.

Looks like the Federer Express needs some upgrade. He has gone through four tournaments this year without hoisting the winner’s cup, even losing to Andy Murray in the first round Dubai. Just yesterday, he lost to another Andy, Andy Roddick this time in the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open.

All is not well in Federerland and the question foremost in every Roger fan is – has he lost the hunger to win? Sure he still gives it his best everytime on the court but after such an amazing run in the past few years one would have to wonder if his winning ways has finally caught up with him. Will getting a coach this time bring him back to his usual victorious path? Still, the greatest, most elusive prize of his extraordinary tennis career in the horizon. And as a diehard fan, I would rather that he lose all the other tournaments he’ll play this year if that would mean seeing him finally capture the French Open title.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a new hero in the house.

I am not talking about Lozada, although in his case I might be eating crow any day now, there’s a groundswell in the country that’s slowly eating up the intelligentsia. Things could become really interesting in the next few days.

Anyway, lest we be contaminated permanently by the disease of politics, let me get back to the topic. We have a new reason to watch tennis this year, and I’m not saying this as a Filipino, but as an Asian. Filipinos are Asian too you know, contrary to the delicious notion that we are merely little brown Americans.

A couple of days back, Kei Nishikori of Japan stunned, James Blake to win the Delray Beach International Championships (an ATP level tournament). And get this—he is only 18 years old! Whoa! I was seriously wondering if the kid used an alias. Perhaps his name is not really Nishikori but Ichizen, as in Ryoma Echizen! Doesn’t ring a bell? Gah, you guys should really start watching anime. Check out Prince of Tennis while you’re at it.

Still, this is some news! The last Asian that sent my tennis heart a-flutter was Paradorn Srichapan and he’s semi-retired now (though I think he’s making a comeback after some injury or something) and he should be. Man, when you’re married to a former Miss Universe, do you really have any motivation to get out of bed? Oh well.

Back to Nishikori, just look at the kid, he looks like he’s still in high school! Compared to the other tennis players, Asians usually retain their boyish looks a tad longer. Well done Nishikori!

Close the windows, pull down the covers, cover your face with your blanket– the unthinkable has happened. Roger Federer lost to Novak Djokovic, the world might as well come to an end.

Today is supposed to be a happy day. I am in Cebu surrounded by friends who I haven’t seen for a while, and one of them is tying the knot. A Roger win would have been the icing on their marital cake but alas, the aftermath of the match left a bitter taste in my mouth instead.

I am no longer interested as to who wins the AO crown or who emerges as the more sexier player in the women’s finals. All I want to do tonight is sulk and be miserable.

Mommy.