Friday, June 29, 2012

Sixth time is the charm

Lukas Rosol hails 'miracle' Wimbledon win over Rafael Nadal - Wimbledon - Sport - Evening Standard

He loses in the first round of the Wimbledon qualifiers each year for the past 5 years, not Wimbledon, the tournament to win a wild card into Wimbledon.

He comes back (2012, June 28) to defeat legend Rafael Nadal, in 5 sets.  He had never played in the tournament before, he had never been on Centre Court.  He went out to get the "feel" of it before his match.  He was hoping just not to lose 0, 1 and 1, he said.

He had "the eye of the tiger," though, a powerful hunger to win, and an insane self-confidence, and went all out on his shots.  Taken together, it was enough for the no. 100 player to defeat the no. 2 player.

A "miracle?"  Maybe.  Certainly a stunning comeback to the site of his former defeats, failures, frustrations.  As commentator John McEnroe said, an inspiration to every player on the challenger circuit (the minor league of tennis) that dreams can and do come true.  Rosol himself turned to soccer for a metaphor;  he said it was like a Czech "B" team defeating Real Madrid.

We saw it 'live,' unforgettable.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Maria Sharapova -- all the way back and then some....

Martina Navratilova said she knew Sharapova would be a tennis champion by the way she walked.
Maria was 6.

She made that prophecy come true with a victory over Serena Williams, Wimbledon, 2004, to become champion.

Maria was 17.

Four years later though, a recurring shoulder injury necessitated surgery.

Rehab was slow.  Her ranking fell to no. 126.

Some wondered if she'd ever be, well, "Maria Sharapova" again, or were her best days behind her?

In 2011, she was finalist at both Wimbledon, and Australian Open tournaments.

Then, the next year, the full comeback:  a 2012 French Open championship. 

Especially sweet, because this was a title that had eluded her.

Just 25, with a great future ahead, Maria Sharapova had made a stunning comeback.

Friday, June 1, 2012

The postage stamp

“Consider the postage stamp; its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing until it gets there.” Josh Billings