Tag Archives: injuries

It Takes Guts to Be in this Racquet

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Photo by Cristina Anne Costello on Unsplash

Rafa Nadal’s epic win at the Australian Open (AO) has sent seismic waves through the sporting world. The MARCA Sports News aptly captured the moment, “… when someone tells you something is impossible, think about Rafa.” Just 6 months earlier he was on crutches. He tested Covid positive in December 2021 and went into home quarantine. Beating the world no 2, Medvedev, 10 years younger and raring to go; 2 sets down and 3 match points down in the 3rd set;  winning a gruelling 5 setter in 5 hours and 24 mins. Boris Becker had once said,’ the fifth set is not about tennis. It is about the head and the heart.’

His good friend, arch-rival and tennis legend Roger Federer paid this classy tribute, “Never underestimate a great champion. Your incredible work ethic, dedication and fighting spirit are an inspiration to me and countless others around the world. I am proud to share this era with you and honoured to play a role in pushing you to achieve more as you have done for me for the past 18 years. A few months ago we were joking about being on crutches.”

The first few years for the young Nadal on the professional circuit were brutal. Stress fracture to the left ankle in 2004, foot injury in 2005, knee injuries in 2007, 2008, 2009. In his book ‘Rafa’ published in 2011, he admitted to contemplating ditching the sport and play golf instead. The trauma continued. A lengthy lay-off after Wimbledon in 2012; missing the US Open in 2014 with a wrist injury; sitting out Wimbledon 2016 because of a torn tendon in the left wrist. The Spaniard wryly started talking about an expiration date. But he returned to sweep the French Open from 2017-2020 and win the US Open 2017&2019. Plagued by injuries!! In June 2021, he pulled out of the Wimbledon and the Olympics- ‘to listen to his body and recuperate.’

The tennis experts have marvelled about his game. The spin and bounce that he creates especially through his forehand, often causing the ball to bounce more than expected. His ability to return almost anything with incredible speed. But the Nadal Effect is far bigger than the sport he represents. The Croatian Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric had this to say after the famous AO win, “How well you represent the value of sports, Mr Rafael Nadal.” An emotion shared across the world of sports. A B De villiers, Mr 360, remarked, “Rafa always shows us what sport is all about. Respect for the opponent and the game. Incredible fight till the end. Humility, irrespective of his achievements.”

The way Rafa has conducted himself on and off the court has been remarkable. When repeatedly pressed on his 21st Grand Slam win he shrugged it off with “I don’t care if I am the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). I am super satisfied and feel like a very lucky person in general for all the good things that happen to me in life. I am not going to be frustrated if Novak or Roger finish careers with more Grand Slams than me. Let’s enjoy the situation. We did very special things in our sport. The other things don’t matter.”

It’s not surprising that way back in 2008 the tennis champ and his mother founded the ‘Rafa Nadal foundation.’ ‘To try to help and give back to society all the luck we have and how well life has treated us. To bring into play the transformative power of education and sports. For the disadvantaged children.’ The Foundation has also embraced the care of the children with intellectual disabilities and the cause of social integration of vulnerable kids. A Nadal educational and tennis school was set up at Anantpur in India in 2010. The students from poor communities are assured of academic support, tennis coaching, nutritious meals and basic health care. Toni Nadal, his uncle and well known coach heads the Tennis Academy which opened in Mallorca, Spain and is now home to 130 youngsters. The Academy courts have since rolled out in Greece and Kuwait also.

The other much feted tennis star Roger Federer has transcended his sport to become a global cultural icon. His 20 Grand Slam triumphs and innumerable ATP tournament wins have just added to his aura- oozing cool, charm and charisma. But the young Roger was prone to outbursts and tantrums and bouts of laziness. At Roland Garros in 2000, his first year on tour, he created an unseemly racket by throwing his racquet 4 times in succession. In 2001, his loss at the Hamburg Open was exacerbated by his unsportsmanlike behaviour. The emotional turning point came with the death of his coach Peter Carter in a car accident in August 2002. The young Swiss tennis player was devastated and bawled his heart out. He made a decision to change his life amidst ferocious grief.  Now with an acute sense of mortality, he started seeing a sports psychologist (The Roger Federer Story- the Quest for Perfection by Rene Stauffer). “So… so his phenomenal mental strength was not a natural gift but a learned skill. He decided to combat Fire with Ice. Have fire and the burning desire to win but also the ice-coolness to absorb losses and bad matches.” Hardly  surprising that his peers voted him to receive the Sportsmanship Award 13 times.

When tennis was becoming boring with power dominated baseline games, Fed Ex with the sheer beauty of his game and the fluid movements took the game of tennis to another level. The touch and the finesse , the subtlety and the artistry took our breath away. Roger Federer was the master of reading his opponents  game and manipulating spaces on the courts through sublime movements. What has stayed with me is an article in a sports magazine describing him as, “a combination of Zorro with a flashing blade and a graceful ballet dancer.” The Swiss Master, 5 years Nadal’s senior, has gone through foot and back injuries in 2007 & 2008 and 3 knee procedures in 2020-2021.

It is not sufficiently well known that he  is the author and the driver behind the ‘Laver Cup’- pitting European tennis players against their counterparts from the rest of the world. Inspired by the ‘Ryder Cup’ in golf but graciously named after the Australian maestro.

The Roger Federer foundation has been working effectively for 18 years to help poor and handicapped children in Switzerland and across 6 southern African countries. It has delivered meaningful primary education to more than 2 million kids to give them a fair shot at life. More than $ 52 million have been invested over 7000 schools. For education and nutritious meals. More than 10000 teachers have gone through mentoring programs to make a real difference in the class rooms. During the Covid lockdown 64000 children in Africa were sustained through the injection of $1 million for their welfare. His Humanitarian stature is further enhanced by the fact that a world-wide poll listed him at no. 2 amongst the most respected and trusted people. No. 1 was Nelson Mandela.

The third member of the Holy Trinity is the Serb, Novak Djokovic. Despite his current travails the odds are that in a year or so he will be anointed as GOAT amongst mens’ tennis players.  At least another 2 or 3 Grand Slam majors silver ware will adorn his expanding trophy cabinet. He is regarded as the greatest counterpuncher and possibly the best returner of serve of all time. A lethal backhand and awesome all-court agility makes him the force that he is. The pinpoint accuracy and depth of his shots overwhelm even his ranked opponents. Another interesting aspect of his game, pointed out by pundits, is his uncanny ability to raise the level of his game. And when it’s about the ‘big points’ Novak sails through. Rafael Nadal has admitted that the difficulty in playing Djoko is that there is no clear game plan because there is no clear weakness. He is unique in the sense that he is an implacable defender at heart who mutates into a dominant attacker at will.

Djokovic, who is not held in the same esteem as Federer and Nadal, received the the ATP Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in 2012. He and his wife Jelena have been hugely supportive of good and inclusive early childhood education in Serbia. Some may be surprised to know that this anti-vaxxer  has donated 1 million pounds  for purchase of ventilators and other medical equipment to support hospitals in his country during the pandemic. An eye-brow raising nugget is that Novak is an 80% promoter in a Danish bio-tech firm which hopes to come up with a cure for the Covid virus.

Over the last few years the tennis ace has made some poor choices which have landed him into controversy. At the height of the pandemic he organised the Adria tennis tour in the Balkans. Thousands of tickets were sold and players like Cilic, Thiem and Dimitrov signed up. The tournament had to be cancelled after some of the players tested positive. In 2021 he made a list of demands to Tennis Australia before the AO. Like private houses for the players and private tennis courts and reduction in the quarantine periods. This attitude of self-entitlement continued at this year’s AO when a confused and incompetent Aussie establishment finally deported him on ‘Public Health and Good Order’ grounds. The bad times go back to the 4th round of the 2021 US Open where Novak defaulted the match for hitting a line-umpire with the ball, albeit inadvertently, in frustration.

Sports has its great players and athletes who are not so great role models. And there are the hallowed few who embody the soul and spirit of Sports through their masterful skills and amazing grace.  Game, set and match.  Despite the number of tennis majors’ trophies on Novak’s shelves, Roger and Rafa will remain the most admired and respected tennis players.

The Gift of Captaincy

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On the 19th Jan 2021, the Indian cricket team breached the ‘Gabbatoir’ in Brisbane, Australia. The hosts had last lost a Test there in 1988, against the Viv Richards led great West Indian side. This series win has caused mass frenzy amongst the Indian cricket fans and pundits alike. ‘The Underdog Miracle’, ‘Against All Odds’, ‘A Fairy Tale Win’, ‘The Gabba Heist’ and ‘The Greatest Comeback in Cricket History’ are just some of the awe-struck and superlative reactions and headlines. Social media has gone berserk. After the shameful 36 all out debacle at Adelaide, to pull off the stunning win at the MCG, fight to a stirring draw at Sydney and finally that wonderfully scripted victory at the Gabba seemed unreal and straight off the ultimate feel-good movie triumph. Some of the Indian papers summed up the cricket series thriller with ‘Ajinkya’ (Invincible).

Delve into the sub-texts and one discovers even more astounding layers to the story. The Men in Blue were truly Down-and-Under after the humiliating 36 in the First Test. On Boxing Day at the MCG, the tourists were already depleted without their captain and best batsman and some other major players hobbling along. But then each session, each innings and each Test called out for its own heroes. Debutants and novices and net-practice bowlers rose to the occasion and the national call. As did the few seniors remaining- Rahane, Pujara, Bumrah, Ashwin and Jadeja.  For the decider match, the last three were also ruled out because of injuries. The India XI were reduced to the ‘Hardly XI’ as an Aussie paper put it.

So what was the X-factor? Kohli left on paternity leave after the disastrous First Test. In stepped his understated deputy, Ajinkya Rahane. His astute marshalling of his team and calm disposition played a defining role in what played out thereafter. In a blog I had posted before the WC 2019 (Captain Kohli) I had submitted that the best player does not necessarily the best captain make. Kohli’s undoubted greatness as a batsman notwithstanding. Truly MASTERCLASS. Think about Ian Botham’s dismal stint as the England captain before his break-out Ashes series under Mike Brearley.  Kohli is a force of nature. His passion, his focus and his fitness have left an indelible mark on our cricket. RESPECT. However, his hyper temperament does not make him the right man to lead this Indian side into the sacred pantheon of the All Time Great Teams which demand a sterling overseas track record.

This is not a simplistic debate about aggression vs composure. One of our best captains ‘Dada’ Ganguly was aggressive and even dubbed as arrogant by some. At times he wore his heart on his sleeve. But his cricketing judgments remained sharp and the emotional connect with even the younger members added depth and dimension to his leadership. Remember that he steered the Indian team after the infamous match-fixing scandal and also mentored emerging small town players who later became big names.In the Indian context at least, empathy and bonding and understanding make a big difference- on challenging tours and in big-match situations. The dressing-room environment matters a lot. Come to think of it, Rahane did show a quiet, steely resolve backed up by game-plans and with the entire team on board. But in today’s hyped-up times this may perhaps not qualify as aggressive intent.

So let’s look at the Rahane Effect. Brearley in his book, ‘The Art of Captaincy’ says, “That it is not about winning or losing. It’s about getting the best out of the team you have.” Our stand-in skipper did just that- extracted every ounce of performance from his team, no matter what the situation. He was approachable and the team related to him. The grapevine tells us that he did not tell his men what to do. He just gave them space and re-assurance and they responded magnificently. After all, he counted himself amongst them. The team plays under Kohli. It plays with and for Rahane.

The team-huddle; Rahane with a few key words and a composed tone, with Rohit Sharma, Ashwin, Bumrah, Pujara and Jadeja weighing in. Contrast to Kohli. Mostly a monologue – at times peppered with intensity. Is it any wonder that Bumrah walked back with the debutant Siraj to the top of his run-up. Or that the Indian lower-order batsmen refused to give up. Ashwin and Vihari with back spasms and a hamstring problem. Later Thakur and Sundar stepped up to the plate. Everyone’s contribution counted. Rahane had brought in empathy- the emotional quotient- and this resonated with the players. His special mention of Kuldeep Yadav after the Series win was one with this inclusiveness- this Brohood.

He read the games astutely and keenly. Like introducing Ashwin as first change in the 11th over of the game at the MCG. There was moisture in the wicket. It was a tactical master-stroke. He snared Wade and Smith in his first spell. Ashwin bowled a 12 over spell. Yadav 6 overs, Bumrah 5 overs and Siraj 6 overs. The longish spells allowed the bowlers to find their rythmn and work on their plans. The impatient Kohli had been known to change bowlers after a couple of overs if he sensed nothing was happening. Move to Brisbane on the 4th day. Australia comfortably placed with a 100 run lead and all wickets at hand. The Indian captain continued with his 2 slips and a gully field. Looking for wickets to contain runs. And sure enough, the hosts lost 5 wickets- 4 to catches by the keeper and the slips cordon. Or the decision to elevate Pant to the no 5 position at the SCG and Gabba- repaid in full by the game changing 97 and 89 N.O. knocks. On the 5th day at Brisbane as he walked back after a quick-fire innings he told the incoming Pant to bat out the few minutes before tea. Then revert to his natural self with the bat. Rahane’s calculation was that a target of around 145 was gettable in 35-38 overs if they had a few batters striking good. The clear-headed session by session approach. This when most of India was praying that we would hold out for a draw. The gamble of inducting Washington Sundar into the side with Kuldeep Yadav on the bench underlined the serious strategizing for the finale Test match.

His calmness was a major plus and kept the focus in place. After the racial slurs vented at Siraj by some spectators at the Sydney Test, Rahane stepped in. He firmly complained to the umpires and the referee asking that the guilty be evicted. They had come to play cricket but his players had to be respected. Having stood up for his man the game continued. Or his implacable demeanour when a clearly run-out Tim Paine was ruled not-out at the MCG. Virat Kohli would have ranted. Or his own run-out after a scintillating century on the same ground. He walked up to the disconsolate Jadeja at the other end with a pat and a, “No worry. Keep going. The team needs you.”

Lastly, setting an example as a leader. His impactful century (112) at the MCG turned the narrative for the series. The positive cameo knock (24 of 22 balls) after Gill’s classy 91 on the final day of the Brisbane Test showed India’s intent and kept back the Aussies from an all-out attack. The grit and courage of Pujara, the brilliance from Pant and the aggressive burst from Sundar completed the unbelievable last lap for India. The post-match presentation ceremony where he quickly shifted the limelight to his team and the handing over of the 100 match memento jersey to Nathan Lyon showed humility and grace in abundance (shades of Kane Williamson). Even the hard-boiled Aussies have been bowled over.

Contrast this to the frequent chopping and changing of the Indian team under Kohli (where Shastri had been complicit). Rahane benched for the first 2 Tests on the South African tour despite a good overseas record. The ever dependable Pujara dropped from a Test eleven on this important tour.  Now that both of them have become household names-recall these selection blunders. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar out of the second Test after a good show in the first Test. Whimsical, what!! It is commonly accepted by the experts that our disastrous 1-4 sojourn in England owed much to poor team selection. Two of the matches India lost were fairly close and could have gone our way with the right resources at hand.

His misreading of pitches and conditions has become a regular feature. On a dry Southampton wicket he opted for only one spinner- a half-fit Ashwin. The English went with Moeen Ali and Rashid. The Impact Player- Moeen Ali.  At the new Perth stadium in Australia the skipper got carried away by the history of the ground. We fielded 4 fast bowlers. Nathan Lyon gave the Man of the Match performance. Back to England where the defensive field settings allowed the English middle order to flourish and take control of the matches. Even at the IPL level it has been oft been said that RCB would surely have won a trophy by now if only AB de Villiers had been the captain.

Let me bring in Paddy Upton, a renowned mental coach + a professional cricket coach from South Africa to drive home the point. He had been associated with the Indian cricket squad when Gary Kirsten was the coach. His observations, “Kohli has the fear factor making others insecure and even inferior. Under him the team views everyday details as a chore. When people burden their mind it is hard to get them to be free and to play the game the way it works for them. Kohli is very demonstrative- exuberant in his celebrations but also not empathic on the field whilst showing anger or anguish. His team-mates walk on thin ice, afraid of making a mistake. Once a player tightens up he is no longer the player he is meant to be. On the other hand Rahane is equanimous. His calm and general demeanour allows him to be approachable and relatable to the team.  He has fire and courage within him but controlled. That is why they played so well at the Gabba.” And then the ultimate compliment, “That level of camaraderie I haven’t seen in Test cricket for a while.”

What about Kohli’s handpicked coach- Shastri? This Australia tour has been a boon for him-just being at the right place at the right time. Some of the credit will rub off on him and he will milk and spin it for all it is worth. Especially the so-called rousing speech he gave to the team after the Adelaide debacle- wear this 36 as a badge and it will never happen again.  Shastri is the ultimate Indian cricket establishment figure and so no one will call him out. He is an over-rated loyalist who knows which side of his bread is buttered. Remember his bombast before the WC 2019, calling the team the greatest Indian side ever. A side-kick, a cheer-leader for Virat Kohli- it is high time we found a coach with more professionalism and integrity.

Cricket is a game where the acumen and people- skills of the captain (and coach) really matter. And nowhere is this more tested than in a hard fought Test series. This is the Kohli- Shastri overseas record in the SENA countries since 2017, 1-2 South Africa- 18-19, 1-4 England- 2018, 0-2 New Zealand-2020, and 2-1 Australia- 2018. The context for the last Australia tour which counts as his most famous win is that Smith and Warner were missing and the Aussies were struggling to come out of the sand-paper gate cheating scandal. Else, he is the most successful Indian captain because of wins against the languishing West Indies and Sri Lanka and solid performances on home turf.

Indian cricket is now poised on the cusp of greatness. The best fast bowling attack in our history. Match-winner spinning options. Batsmen who can dig in for hours or change the game in an hour. Tremendous bench-strength. Improved fitness and high confidence levels. But if we have to be rated with the great West Indian teams under Lloyd and Richards or the Aussie teams under Steve Waugh and Ponting, we still have much to prove. Consistent winning performances across formats and dominating overseas tours to the SENA nations.

Despite this wake-up call, Kohli will remain the India captain even for the Tests. At the BCCI no one has the balls to out him. Hopefully, the other players will step out of his aura after this seminal series and stamp their own identity on the field. Perhaps, Virat (Colossus) can reach out to Ajinkya (Invincible) to forge a formidable partnership. Hopefully, Captain Kohli 2.0 will inspire and lead The Men In Blue into Cricket’s Hall of Fame for the legendary cricket teams.

What should change is at the Head Coach position. A Rahul Dravid or a Zaheer Khan can play a defining role and balance out the Kohli excesses. Lest we forget, many of the overnight heroes from the recent tour Down Under,- Gill, Pant, Sundar, Siraj-have been groomed and mentored by Dravid at the India A & Under-19 levels.

Indian Cricket is in for some exciting times ahead. Time to take fresh guard, mark the bowling run-up afresh and set the right field.