I know, I know, I don't offer news on this blog. I have stuck quite religiously to my goal of rendering random ramblings that don't benefit humankind in any possible way. But this is just too big!
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are going to battle it out on the streets of the greatest city in the world! The exhibition match is scheduled for 11 am on August 24th in front of Golfsmith Golf & Tennis at 54th and Lexington in New York City. 
That said, I have two quibbles (do I ever!): one, I don't like this marriage of s(p)orts -- golf is a good walk spoilt and tennis is a sport that requires mental, physical and emotional acumen; you don't just team them up cos they don't have teams! Two, Roger Federer owns tennis, not just grass. Please note that he has split his grass and hard court majors right down the middle. Rafael Nadal can own all the clay he wants.
I am wondering if this street duel is worth a trip. I missed out on USO Finals tickets and it would be quite unusual for me to not be at Flushing for the Open. The crowds are a definite turn-off (like NYC is not crowded enough already), but the thought of possibly catching sight of Federer from just a few hundred yards away (even if those yards are filled with a zillion mortal beings I don't care for) is tempting. Also, watching Nadal's less than stellar performance on hard courts, it doesn't look like the two are going to repeat a championship meeting at Arthur Ashe Stadium. So, might as well catch them in Midtown Manhattan...
Egotism ....a lifelong romance
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Rog Vs. Rafa - The Street Slam
Posted by Karthika at Saturday, August 19, 2006
Labels: Keeping the Eye on the ball
10 comments:
Wasn't Agassi a part of such a match too, sometime ago? Or maybe it was an ad!
yeah, SAMPRAS and Agassi played on the streets on NYC for a Nike commercial in the 90s. These are ads too, only we can see them on the other side of the screen :)
but exhibitions can never be as good as the real thing can they?
i wanted to share a nytimes article here: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/sports/playmagazine/
Smitts, good to see you here again :)
believe it or not, i have been circulating that article around myself! So beautifully written, that. And the ironical thing is Foster Wallace says the only way you can really experience Federer's magic is by watching him live on court. To me, Wallace's words seem good enough.
Are you a tennis/Federer fan yourself?
yep ktrix, me a tennis & fredrer fan but don't have the finesse to dissect/analyse the details of the game and players. have never played the game but...
as a regular reader of urs, it was interesting to follow the write-ups pre and post wimbeldon. i think u were a good sport in appriciating nadal's spirit, abilities and game despite ur belligerence at anyone entertaining the possibility of challenging the 'beauty in motion'.
i watched it in b'lore with my parents..my dad having an uncanny ability to predict each part of any match. (my mom is a football fan too so we had a great summer together)we couldn't help admiring both players in this one..however, it is definitely humbling to watch the calm ease and determination with which freder plays.
yes, this is a great article. i cudn't wait to share it with u as i was reading it. as a t.v tennis fan, wallace's words did add to an almost 'complete' experience.
plz see if u can go to NYC- i can live the street exhibition vicariously thro ur post-match write up. if only i were in the east coast! sigh. one day...
Am I glad you said that! Cos I try to be an objective Federer fan. It’s hard to be objective when someone is as supernatural as him though!
My problem with Nadal is not so much that he beats Roger but that he beats Roger without class or finesse. He just powers his way through games with little regard for the art that tennis is, and that is inexcusable in the Feder-era of breath-takingly beautiful tennis :)
That must have been fun with your folks being avid sports fans themselves. But soccer was a tad lackluster this year I thought.
Reminds me of a simpler time when my dad and I used to sit glued to the tv during the grand slam season – I was a die-hard Sampras fan then, and I mean that literally, cos I would have sooner died than watch Pete lose :D
Yeah, my own interest in tennis is more cos of obsessive watching than playing in my teens. I hardly play it anymore, but have been thinking of getting back into it. Playing is certainly not a requisite to being a fan cos I do think my fascination for pro-tennis comes more from not being able to concoct those shots even in my dreams :D
I actually did watch Fed in flesh and blood at last year’s Open. But I was in the nosebleed seats and it was an early round match so didn’t get the best of it. Promised myself I’d make it to the finals this time round but the tickets were sold out much earlier than I expected :( hopefully there’ll be a next time.
Are you at UNM by any chance?
Surprising that you are not too keen to witness the match. The crowd menace is a definite turn-off, but still...a big name matchup played under relaxed conditions offers a few things that a competitive one does not.
btw...is this going to be played on the street or have they made some other plans?
I am/was at UNM; am actually waiting for the OPT card to magically arrive sooner than it wants to.
I remember my mom actually feeling affectionate -just a tad while- for Nadal and commenting him to be a young colt but his match earlier with Bhagdatis had put her off with his display of pure aggression and menace that could be better suited to a boxing match or even a gladiator type coming-of-age contest. His personality was such a huge contrast to Bhagdatis but seemed to have loosened up a bit during the finals.
We dared to fear for Roger mid-match but were left classically drop jawed as in any of his matches when without any effort, seemingly all of a sudden, there he was, winning and wearing his white blazer! How did that happen? Time collapsed then.
I agree that soccer was kind of lackluster with long, drawn out matches but watching them with my soccer fan mom who watches them more by sheer emotion and instinct than statistics or in-depth knowledge of the game is an experience in itself. There were, as any self respecting world cup demands, dramatic moments, beautiful goals and determined teams who battled to not let go.
Yep, I've read your previous blogs & have seen the pic..lucky you.
I was supposed to be in Phila & NYC around this week but am putting off the trip for a while. Darn the street match..didn't know abt this one earlier.
I missed a lot of Pete's years when I had lot of events going on in my own life but do remember drooling over him more than the game! I recall Boris Becker's game a lot more. However much Becker represents power, my parents and I were thoroughly in love with his game. I still remember his debut as a 17yr old..I can never ever forget his foot work. I still think there is a lot of difference between the power play of Nadal and Becker. At this point it is worth mentioning my impression that some of Roger's calm, collected persona seemed to have rubbed off on Rafa. Though there does seem to be a promise of more Rafa-Roger moments that can contribute to the story books of tennis and though I can't help admiring the determination of the colt, I can't help pausing to wonder if this calls for more efforts from Rafa? Game, persona and all.
D’sporting, it’s kinda like a square. Besides, who’s gonna dare to walk or drive across when the maestro is in action ? :)
I would go but for the fact that it’s a two hour trip and on a weekday. I know, I know, such trivialities shouldn’t come in the way of watching Federer, but it’s too much work for an exhibition. If it had been the real thing, wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
I personally think it’s the big stake matches that bring out the best points in tennis cos it is such a mental sport. Reason why even the non-majors are not quite as adrenalin-pumping...
Smitts, the ironical thing is that Nadal seems really humble off court. He still acknowledges Roger’s greatness despite having a 6-2 record against him and belittles his own accomplishments. But you’re right, his behavior on court puts me off. Or maybe it isn’t so bad, but is glaring bcos of Fed’s incredible calm.
I don’t have a problem with his formidable fighter instincts if he didn’t screw up the game so. I simply cannot stand his all-brawn no-brain brand of tennis (or that of most counterpunchers). I love Baghdatis’ flamboyance – he is the absolute right mix of great instincts, beautiful shot-making and an endearing charm. He’s one of the few up-and-comers that seems to dazzle under pressure. I hope we get to see a lot of him.
Yeah, funnily I fear for Federer during his lulls myself, but he almost always comes through, except the few times when his mental toughness seems to fail him in high pressure matches (that’s his only flaw, IMO, but then I compare him to the indomitable Sampras, who quite frankly switched to an inhuman form when he entered a tennis court). Talking of whom, I myself have been guilty of revering my sporting heroes more than the sport itself – but the reverence comes strictly from the way they play it!
I used to like Becker mainly cos of his persona but I was crazy about Edberg and then McEnroe at that point. I’ve always had a penchant for the aggressive S-V-ers, so Fed is my first ;)
Believe me, there would be no contest b/w Boris and Rafa and had Rafa played the big W in Becker’s era, he wouldn’t have stood a chance of getting to the finals. Wimbledon is a lot slower & general grass-court acumen is at its lowest right now, what with the death of S-V tennis. I doubt Nadal could make a deep run anywhere except at the French (or the Oz if he tries hard).
Yeah, you should definitely try and make a trip to the Open when you get a chance. Or maybe catch a masters series event on the west coast. Some of the non-majors offer the best matches.
Good luck with the OPT :)
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