The Channel Slam, episode III
Vijay Amritraj interviews Deepika Padukone for Star Sports, just before the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Vijay: What are your feelings about the Nadal-Schuettler match?
Deepika: Obviously Nadal is the favourite, but it’s great to see this new guy doing well despite being unseeded.
Note: “new guy” is 32-year-old tour veteran Rainer Schuettler, a one-time world number 5 and Australian Open finalist, experiencing one of those late-career purple patches.
Anyway. Exactly two years ago, in a post just before the 2006 Wimbledon final, I mentioned this bit of trivia: when Federer and Nadal contested both the French Open and Wimbledon finals in the same year, it marked the first time the same two players had managed the feat since 1952. Well, what do you know: Roger and Rafa enjoy each other’s company so much that they are doing the “Channel Slam” together for the third straight year now! That really is an incredible statistic, and fans of both players should stop the bickering – at least temporarily – to appreciate how lucky they are that these two champions are around at the same time: their great rivalry fuelled by the fact that each of them has something that the other badly wants (the French Open for Federer, Wimby and the number 1 spot for Nadal), and at the same time marked by an old-world courtliness and mutual respect that is scarcely believable for anyone who remembers the Borg-McEnroe (or even Sampras-Agassi) days.
I’d love to see Rafa win on Sunday, but one has to be pragmatic about these things. Roger – by far the greatest grass-courter around – is still at least a 60 per cent favourite for the title, and I suspect Rafa has overworked himself this season, having played (and won) many more matches than anyone else on the ATP tour; those knees still look dodgy too. Either way, I hope it isn’t a blowout, since matches billed in advance as “classics” so often turn out to be anti-climactic.
[Earlier post on the undying love of Roger and Rafa here]
Vijay: What are your feelings about the Nadal-Schuettler match?
Deepika: Obviously Nadal is the favourite, but it’s great to see this new guy doing well despite being unseeded.
Note: “new guy” is 32-year-old tour veteran Rainer Schuettler, a one-time world number 5 and Australian Open finalist, experiencing one of those late-career purple patches.
Anyway. Exactly two years ago, in a post just before the 2006 Wimbledon final, I mentioned this bit of trivia: when Federer and Nadal contested both the French Open and Wimbledon finals in the same year, it marked the first time the same two players had managed the feat since 1952. Well, what do you know: Roger and Rafa enjoy each other’s company so much that they are doing the “Channel Slam” together for the third straight year now! That really is an incredible statistic, and fans of both players should stop the bickering – at least temporarily – to appreciate how lucky they are that these two champions are around at the same time: their great rivalry fuelled by the fact that each of them has something that the other badly wants (the French Open for Federer, Wimby and the number 1 spot for Nadal), and at the same time marked by an old-world courtliness and mutual respect that is scarcely believable for anyone who remembers the Borg-McEnroe (or even Sampras-Agassi) days.
I’d love to see Rafa win on Sunday, but one has to be pragmatic about these things. Roger – by far the greatest grass-courter around – is still at least a 60 per cent favourite for the title, and I suspect Rafa has overworked himself this season, having played (and won) many more matches than anyone else on the ATP tour; those knees still look dodgy too. Either way, I hope it isn’t a blowout, since matches billed in advance as “classics” so often turn out to be anti-climactic.
[Earlier post on the undying love of Roger and Rafa here]
on Saturday, July 5th, 2008, 4:04 pm in Sports, Tennis › 
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What, no mention of the fact that Federer is going for his sixth straight Wimbledon title? I never thought anyone would match, let alone beat, Borg’s feat.
Regarding the interview, I don’t know which is worse — Amritraj’s question or Padukone’s response.
What about the mention of Nadal possibly beating Borg’s French Open-Wimbledon consecutive win feat? ;) They’re both breathing down the neck of Borg’s records either way.
This one sure doesn’t appear to be anti-climactic so far. I don’t understand people who bicker over these two- they are both so good in their own, unique way and they both push each other to play a different game in each other’s presence. It’s great to watch!
I’d love to see Rafa win on Sunday
His exploits on Clay notwithstanding, its hard to take a man seriously when he wears capris. WTF?
Pagal_Aadmi_for_debauchery, I think you will take him seriously now, capris, backside-adjustments, OCD waterbottle positioning and all! :)
a kindred spirit. i actually think this is a fashion whose day, for men or for women, is long gone. All that’s left of the parade is a giant, bashed-in papier mache head lying on its side by the highway, saggy where the drunk urinated on it. i think i know why some folks like it. It is the image of coltish youth growing out of its clothes.
You got your wish - it wasn’t a blowout.
Regarding the interview, Deepika never struck me as the sharpest tool in the shed. Let’s give her the benefit of the doubt; *maybe* she meant that Schuettler was new to *her.* ;)
Amazing game. This rivalry is right up there alongside Ali-Frazier, Palmer-Nicklaus, Russell-Wilt…
Wonder if Nadal will be number one by the end of the year. I do expect Federer to come right back and take the US open. I think Nadal is close to being burnt out for the year.
That Nadal boy is a cheat; he uses forehands on either side. The ATP should fine him for not using a backhand like everyone else.
Highlights from Rafa-Rog.
I had a good seat this year and was close enough to see Gwen Stefani disguising her boredom pretty badly!
What a match. I don’t know everyone’s ages but when I first started getting into tennis, my big heroes were Michael Chang (short, Asian - obvious choice) and up-and-coming stars like Agassi, Sampras and my all-time favourite, Goran. Jabberwock I read with interest your point about being lucky to witness this rivalry, during a rain break in fact, and thought about it during the match. I have to say this is the first time I have felt the Rafa-Roger tussle to be up there with the rivalries of when I was a kid. Without doubt they have produced some amazing tennis for years, but I always felt that we missed the personalities. Go back even further - can anyone rekindle the McEnroe/Connors/Borg era for sheer personality clashes?
My query is, do you think tennis players are less interesting? In the 90s there were so many zany players on the tour it was always fun as well as great sport. Now, perhaps because they work harder, perhaps because I’m older than many of them(!) or for whatever reason, they produce wonderful tennis, but less FUN. What say?
absolutely not.
i dont think the sport can ever become less interesting.
you’re welcome.
My query is, do you think tennis players are less interesting? In the 90s there were so many zany players on the tour it was always fun as well as great sport. Now, perhaps because they work harder, perhaps because I’m older than many of them(!) or for whatever reason, they produce wonderful tennis, but less FUN. What say?
Well both Rafa and Roger and extremely humble and literally live by the maxim of action speak louder than words. They have too much respect for each other to actually hate each other and I am not even sure if they dislike each other. I think some trash talking on either side will certainly ‘elevate’ the media aspect of the rivalry if not the actual rivalry itself.
My query is, do you think tennis players are less interesting?
rohin: I think it depends on how you define “interesting”. I find Rafa’s determination to transcend the label “clay court expert” and adapt his game very interesting in itself - it’s been an eye-opener to watch his progress over each successive hard-court season in the past 3 years - and I’m now starting to find Federer interesting too, now that he looks vulnerable.
But also, Roger and Rafa have been so much the centre of attention in the men’s game that it’s easy to forget that there are many other players around, some of whom are genuine “personalities” in the way that you mean. Djokovic (and his shrill, soccer-fan-like family) tops the list of course, but how about Safin and Youzhny, and even Roddick at times? (talking only about the top 20 here).