“If you keep on partying, you’ll be out of here in days. Start eating properly, quit alcohol, go to bed early and come to practice on time. Only then might you become the best in the world.”

That’s what Lionel Messi was told by Pep Guardiola when he was the coach of Barcelona’s B team few years back. This was the time when Messi was also best friends with Ronaldinho and Deco.

Not known to many, the best footballer in the world at present was almost on the verge of choosing a path where he would have been in news because of controversies, not football. He was also prone to injuries and had cried after a match in 2008 against Celtic because of an injury. By that time, he had seven injuries to his name since 2006. Not only this, as a kid he recently confessed that he used to be miserable and cried a lot when he was alone in Barcelona, away from his family, training as a young kid. He was diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) at the age of 9, as a result of which he had to move to Barcelona who agreed to sponsor his treatment which cost about $900 a month at that time.

In Messi’s case, coming to Barcelona was a blessing in disguise. He was able to play without any worries and hassles arising from GHD. But injury was a constant issue and then came the golden hand of Pep Guardiola who chiselled this diamond. He not only made Messi change his routine, sleeping habits and diet (from steaks to vegetables) but also hired Juanjo Brau (physiotherapist) to watch him day and night. Now Messi trains with Juanjo Brau 45 minutes before every training session and half an hour after each session (as mentioned in the new book called ‘The Messi Mystery’). Because of his fast paced game, he was also advised by Guardiola to conserve his energy for short quick bursts during the game. This resulted in reducing the risk of muscles injuries and the result is for the world to see.

Not far behind is the case of Cristiano Ronaldo who was nicknamed as a cry baby in his childhood. He used to cry when he passed and his friends didn’t score. At the age of 15, Ronaldo was diagnosed with a racing heart, a condition that might have forced him to give up playing football.

In Ronaldo’s case, the credit goes to Alex Ferguson who under his guidance made Ronaldo into one of the finest pieces of diamond the soccer world has ever seen. When Ronaldo played against Man Utd on 6 Aug, 2003, a deal was already being put into place for bringing this ferocious and talented athlete to one of the best clubs of the soccer world. Alex Ferguson had so much confidence in the ability of the young player that he refused to give him the 28 number jersey to wear, only because he wanted him to wear the coveted 7 number jersey which was previously worn by greats like Eric Cantona, George Best and David Beckham. People who have played with Ronaldo also talk about his work ethic. The story goes that Ronaldo would finish training, strap some weights on his ankle and go back to the field to work on his game, something which he has been doing since his childhood.

Both of these jewels had problems in their childhood. Both had a coach who saw the potential in them and made sure that they lived up to it. Both have a work ethic that other players vouch for, they practice even after the practice sessions are over.  They might have a different playing style, but for sure, their journey so far has been full of ambition, hard work and dedication to their game. No wonder they are the best that the world of soccer has today.

Seems preachy. Right?

I also thought the same when I read it at first but then I decided to research further and found the truth behind this statement. We talk about sports, day in and out of our lives so it was interesting to find athletes who have turned the tables around these obstacles in their lives only to rebound bigger and better in the sporting world.

Here we will look at the top 3 athletes who in my book had health issues in their life and still emerged as the best in their field.

1) Lionel Messi:

At the age of 9, the best football player in the world, Lionel Messi or the Machine of 87 was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency. Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a medical condition, caused by problems arising in the pituitary gland, in which the body does not produce enough growth hormones (GH). At that age, it essentially meant that he would not grow properly like other kids. At the age of 13, he had a height of an average 8-year old. The future world’s best player injected himself daily, often bringing the medicine in a cooler so he would not miss any doses.

2) Novak Djokovic:

The current World No .1 and the player to have broken the ‘Fedal’ dominance in 2011 was known for allergies, back pain, breathing problems and other physical ailments to such an extent that he had become the center of everyone’s joke in the tennis world. If there was a crucial match and Djokovic was playing in it, typically the result was more often than not decided on the retirement.

3) Wilma Rudolph – the “Black Gazela”:

In the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Wilma Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field during a single Olympic Games. She was born with polio and was barely able to use her left leg. At age four, she caught infantile paralysis (caused by the polio virus) and was fitted with a steel brace on her left leg and twisted foot. By the time she was eleven, she was able to take off the braces and start to walk, unsteadily, on her own. Not to mention she was also able to survive incidents of scarlet fever during her childhood.

Throughout these stories, one thing that has stood out for me is the power of determination and hope in our lives. What if these players had decided to bow down to their diseases? What if they had not tried enough to look for solutions in their lives?

And nothing sums it up better than what US President  Barack Obama had to say:

“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” 

Success is not measured by whether you win, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.

You might have lost the semifinal against Andy Murray but won the hearts of millions of viewers around the world. Yes, Andy Murray played well but to me, what was heartening was to see your desire and the will power to take this match to 5 sets.

Clearly, Andy was playing better in the match but not once did I see your head dropping down or in other words, giving up at any point in the match. You are just six months away from turning 32. Rewind it to 2 years back, and many people had predicted your doom. I can only imagine the intensity you were playing with. I told myself, “Step back a moment and think about it. He’s close to 32 and still playing his heart out to win one more point.”

I was inspired by the way you played when everything looked gloomy. Your opponent had come out in firing form but still, you never lost hope. So many times in our own lives, we lose hope and as soon as we face a setback, we give up on our goals, thinking we will not be able to reach our destination. But not you. You might have not reached your goal but the drive and the intensity is still there. You can see it in the eyes, movement and the spirit with which you played the match.

5-6 down in the fourth set and you could have easily given up, considering the way Murray was playing. But then champions don’t do that and in my mind, there is no better champion than you at present.

Lessons that I learnt from you are:

1) Age is just a number.

2) The drive and the intensity is what matters in life.

3) You might not win at first but you learn from your failure and come back stronger.

4) Never lose hope even though the situation might look hopeless.

5) A true champion does not give up in face of adversity.

6) An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything and in this, lies the great distinction between great men and average individuals.

You might have lost but I feel privileged to be able to watch your match. What you taught us will always be one of the most precious gifts for a Federer fan. Keep your head up, as I know that the champion that you are, you will come back stronger and better in the next Grand Slam. Failure can never overtake you because your determination to succeed is stronger and it will be foolish to underestimate the heart of a champion.

Thank you Roger Federer for the wonderful Australian Open.

If you have any questions, you can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com

The above statement is so true, yet the importance of sports is neglected in India. We, the people of our country, fail to see the importance of sports in our lives and how much it can impact our lives. Sports (except cricket) have been accorded the least favourable place in our lives by our society and is the most under recognized medium of school.

Believe it or not, people who have played or watched sports know that sports have turned out to be the metaphor of achieving success in their lives  through the lessons that they learnt. I owe a lot to sports and that’s why I thought about penning down the lessons learnt. Continuing from my previous article where I wrote my first 3 lessons, here are the final 2 lessons that I think have been instrumental in shaping my life.

4)      A goal is a dream with specifics and a deadline.

Every year, we set ourselves a goal in the hope that we will accomplish it as early as possible. The goals can vary from I will eat less, or I will sleep more, or I will lose weight, I will get ahead at work or I will go to gym regularly or I will do a MBA and so on. Can you see the problem here? The problem is that it isn’t specific; it is too vague. And as soon as you will feel bored or lazy, you will opt for the easy way out in life. Most of the times you will end up doing the opposite of what you wanted to do.

Early on in my life, I came across these words from another favourite player of mine – Michael Jordan. In his book, ‘I Can’t Accept Not Trying: Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence’, wrote: “I approach everything step by step. I had always set short-term goals.  As I look back, each one of the steps or successes led to the next one. When I got cut from the varsity team as a sophomore in high school, I learned something. I knew I never wanted to feel that bad again, so I set a goal of becoming a starter on the varsity. That’s what I focused on all summer. When I worked on my game, that’s what I thought about. When it happened, I set another goal, a reasonable, manageable goal that I could realistically achieve if I worked hard enough. I guess I approached it with the end in mind. I knew exactly where I wanted to go, and I focused on getting there. As I reached those goals, they built on one another. I gained a little confidence every time I came through.  

…If [your goal is to become a doctor] you’re getting Cs in biology then the first thing you have to do is get Bs in biology and then As. You have to perfect the first step and then move on to chemistry or physics. Take those small steps, otherwise you’re opening yourself up to all kinds of frustration. Where would your confidence come from if the only measure of success was becoming a doctor?  If you tried as hard as you could and didn’t become a doctor, would that mean your whole life was a failure? Of course not.”

Look at how specific Michael Jordan was in his goal-setting.  From that moment, I decided to set specific goals for myself. The more specific you will get, the more likely you will reach your goals. For e.g.  I want to reduce my weight by five kg in one month or I will go to gym on Monday, Tuesday and Friday after work at 8 p.m. etc. This way you will know exactly how you are performing with regards to your goals, and anytime you will deviate from your goals, you will know the reason for your failures.

Roger Federer in 2012 had a specific goal of winning the Wimbledon, an Olympic medal and becoming No.1 by the year end. A look at his results (Wimbledon champion, Olympic silver Medal and World No.1 ranking) should be enough to emphasize the importance of setting specific goals in life.

5) Your greatest fear should not be aiming too high and missing; but aiming too low and achieving.

This is the biggest lesson in my life that I have learnt from sports. Failure is a dreaded word in our society and everyone fears failures. What if I get rejected, what if I don’t succeed? People don’t try hard enough because they are afraid. For one second, even if we imagine that we will fail, then what will happen? For a moment, people might think that you are not good enough but does that really mean that you’re not good enough? Obviously not! Every successful person has had failures in their life and they still became successful. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school varsity basketball team as a sophomore; Mark Cuban failed numerous times in his life; Steffi Graf lost to Monica Seles multiple number of times and so has Roger Federer to Rafael Nadal. Despite all these failures, they all have been successful in their life and sports. If sports have taught me anything it is that you always have a second chance in life even if you fail once. People who aim high, believe in their abilities and try multiple times, often end up becoming the most successful in the end.

“I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter how many times you failed, you only have to be right once. I tried to sell powdered milk. I was an idiot lot of times, and I learned from them all.”- Marc Cuban.

In the end, sports has not been just a mode of entertainment for me, it has made me who I am today. I hope it does the same for you as well.

Here is the summary of the 5 lessons:

 1)  Hard work beats talent when talent fails to do the hard work:

2)  The difference between possible and impossible lies in a person’s determination. If you are a champion, you will never give up.

3)  Negativity will knock at your door, but it doesn’t mean that you have to let it in.

4) A goal is a dream with specifics and a deadline.

5) Your greatest fear should not be aiming to high and missing; but aiming too low and achieving.

In the end, I will just say that I dream about a day when in India, sports will be considered equally (if not greater) important than all other activities of life. Do you too?

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/01/04/5-leadership-lessons-from-sports-part-2/feed/ 0 02190 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/12/19/5-leadership-lessons-from-sports/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/12/19/5-leadership-lessons-from-sports/#comments Wed, 19 Dec 2012 17:50:57 +0000 Apeksha HA http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=1094133 How many of us actually believe that sports can help you become the leader in your life?

Not many, right.

In our society, majority of the people view sports as a mode of entertainment, failing to realize that sports can also play a crucial role in their work life.  Having worked in multi-national corporates – the major factor I owe my success are the lessons I have learnt from sports throughout my career.

Here are the 5 lessons I learnt from sports:

1)  Hard Work beats Talent when Talent fails to do the Hard Work:

If you think that you are the best, then you are living in a mythical world of your own. There is bound to be someone who will be more talented than you are. That’s how the world works.  But the one thing that talented people forget is the power of hard work that can help them achieve their goals and get them where they want to be.

Otherwise, how can you explain the fall of players like Mark Philippoussis, Marat Safin and our very own cricket team of the 90s, which in spite of big names like Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, and Kapil Dev failed to win a majority of their test matches outside India.

Observing these players led me to believe early on that even if people had talent, if I could outrun them by my hard work, I could still be the best in my field.

“Practice is a talent. Perseverance is a talent. Hard work is a talent.” – Abhinav Bindra

2)  The difference between possible and impossible lies in a person’s determination. If you are a champion, you will never give up.

“This is just impossible – How can I even do this?” How many times have you heard the same lines echoing in your mind? Everyone has their own dreams, I too have mine. The big question is how many have the courage to follow them. There are times when we feel like giving up in our lives.

I learnt my second  lesson very early in my life, when I watched Steffi Graf take on Jana Novotna in the 1993 Wimbledon finals. She was down 6-7, 6-1, 1-4 , 30-40, and everyone thought that Jana Novotna would win her first Wimbledon final, including myself.  Obviously, Steffi should have given up as Jana Novotna was two service breaks up. As I closely watched Steffi Graf, I saw no sign of stress or fear in her eyes. She was calm and composed, like a person who wanted to give her best till the end. The result – Steffi won the final and her fifth Wimbledon title.

The day is still etched in my mind, and whenever I am in a situation where things haven’t gone my way, I simply close my eyes to remember the day when I thought Steffi would lose for sure, and still won. When I open my eyes, I know that I cannot give up. If I do, then I might never have a chance to win.

If you try, I cannot tell you for sure if you will succeed, but if you give up, I can tell you for sure you will lose in life.  

“Pain is temporary, Quitting lasts forever.”

3)  Negativity will knock at your door, but it doesn’t mean that you have to let it in.

I can bet that there is no single person on this earth who has not heard negative feedback about his dreams and what he wants to do in life. Every other person will first laugh at you or mock you for the sheer stupidity of your ideas and tell that you will be a complete failure. For such kind of people, the lesson I have learnt from sports is to be thick skinned.

Tracy Austin in 1982 defeated Steffi Graf in their first match and declared publicly: “We have a hundred like her back in the States.” Imagine if the 13-year old Steffi had listened to her. Roger Federer became world No. 1 and won his seventh Wimbledon title in 2012, when every critic had written him off and predicted famously that he has no chance to achieve such a feat in the presence of Nadal and Djokovic.

“If people are trying to bring you DOWN, it only means that you’re above them”

I will share the next 2 lessons in part 2 of my article next week. Till then leave your comments and feedback. Cheers, have a happy weekend! For any questions, you can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com

The Don of our time

“The entire nation has gone crazy and wants Sachin to retire. People are mad as they don’t see the point. There are other players on the team who have not been scoring runs, but no, they are after Sachin.”

I was surprised to hear this coming from my father who has been the harshest critic of Sachin in his life whenever he failed in an innings. When I thought about it, it made me realize, during all those times in the past, he criticized Sachin because he liked him; all he wanted was Sachin to do better just like the entire nation wanted him to score runs. And today in the times when Sachin wants his fans to support him, he is right there supporting the champion batsman.

His statement made the analyst in me go and search for the truth. And what I found was completely surprising and astonishing.

Here is the look at his record in the Test matches:

If you closely look at these stats, one can see that Sachin Tendulkar has been the best Test cricketer for India in the past 2, 3, 5-year span.  Cheteshwar Pujara is no doubt a very talented player, but I doubt that in the long run he can sustain the average of 71.1. Sachin Tendulkar has always had the best average in the last 2 years, 3 years and 5 years. Never mind the current players, not even the retired ones had a better average than the Master Blaster in these categories (except once, Rahul Dravid had an average of 44.83 in the last 2 years category.)

We still talk about Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement; why?  Because he has not been able to score runs in the past 8 matches?  Then going by that scenario, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Mahendra Dhoni – everyone should retire.

People talk about how in last 18 matches, he had an average of 38. Then I would like to ask those people, who in the current Indian team has a better average than him in that category? Why should only Sachin come under the bus; in fact, he had the best average after Dravid in that category.

Even in the corporate world, in the best companies of the world, nobody fires the best CEO in the world just because he had a poor year. Every company gives its employees a minimum 3-year period to perform. If he performs badly continuously, then he gets fired. Sachin has been the best Indian batsmen since the last 2 years,  3 years, 5 years, last 10 years, last 15 years (the stats also shows the same) and just because he has not performed well in 8 matches, he should retire. I wonder what kind of cynical world we live in.

Critics and so-called “fans” are very strange by nature.  They applaud people who achieve success but as soon as these people falter, critics and “fans” are the first one to bring them down. They will seize the opportunity to make sure that since they have not been successful, why let others remain on that podium? One day Sachin is the greatest, the other day he is the worst. One day Dhoni is the best captain in the world, in the next match/series, he is the worst.  How fickle we can be in terms of our opinion is just surprising and funny at times. All those critics/fans that call themselves cricket experts and have asked for Sachin’s retirement based on facts should get their facts checked. Because last I checked, Sachin has been the best amongst the current crop of active players in the longer run. One year does not define what kind of things he is capable of achieving.

People talk about his age and how his age is the factor for his decline. Then again, I have a question to those people: since when does age hamper one’s performance? In some it can, but how are they absolutely sure that Sachin has been affected by age? If they are so sure, then how will they define Sir Jack Hobbs who scored a test century at the age of 46? Half his hundreds came when he was over 40. How do they define the long list of cricketers playing after 40 including Clive Lloyd, Alec Stewart and Gordon Greenidge?

No one can define how one can play at a certain age. It is only for the player to decide and not the people outside. If we are asking Sachin to retire, deep down inside we know, it is not because of his lack of form, it is because of our pessimistic and fickle attitude where in our heart fails to understand how can the greatest player still continue to play with the same zeal as 17-year-old.

Apart from his runs, people fail to see the fear that he creates in the mind of opponents and the confidence that he generates in Indian youngsters with his presence. The above two factors are tangible yet strong points one cannot afford to ignore. If we fail to see this, then it makes me remember “Divide and conquer” theory of the British which led to the demise of our country. Sachin’s retirement is what every opponent is secretly hoping for. ’The critics have been fuelling the people in India to force Sachin into retirement to see the fall of India as a cricketing nation.

It is time for the true fans to step up and show Sachin that we really care and we are with him when he truly deserves our support. How can we forget the times, when through his cricket, he inspired us to achieve more in our lives, we smiled and felt proud from inside for being a part of the great cricketing nation, those cherished memories ( 1999 Australian series, the battle against Shane Warne and so may more) that we still talk about with our friends? This is the time when we all should stand up to support the greatest batsman in the world.

See the facts above, think logically, be a true fan and say to those who ask for his retirement that we do not care what they say. To us, we are with Sachin and will support him not because our heart says that, but also because facts also supports this. This is why I strongly believe that Sachin should not retire.

I am really thankful  to my father who made me realize until stats are checked, don’t believe the one-sided story currently being played in the papers. I will end my article with the following quote for Sachin Tendulkar:

“Along the way there’s going to be a lot of obstacles, a lot of adversity, a lot of people who will tell you you’re not good enough. I’m here to tell you that you are. Everyone that tells you that you’re not is because they didn’t accomplish something.” – Tim Tebow

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/12/01/why-i-strongly-believe-factually-sachin-tendulkar-should-not-retire/feed/ 4 446924 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/11/12/five-athletes-who-failed-at-first/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/11/12/five-athletes-who-failed-at-first/#comments Mon, 12 Nov 2012 04:19:42 +0000 Apeksha HA http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=946859 Let me start this article by asking a simple question: How many times have we failed in our lives?

Many times, right?

Failure is inevitable in our lives. There is no way we can run away from it. Earlier in my life, every time I used to see a famous personality, my first thought used to be: how lucky they are to achieve success in their life! I thought they never had any failure and still achieved everything they wanted. How wrong I was.

If you don’t believe me, the following quote might help, as it helped me prove myself wrong.

Until and unless we fail and learn from it, it is impossible for anyone including the famous personalities to become the best in their lives. They are not lucky; they became the best by going through the same process that we also go through in our lives.

So that’s why I thought, let’s look in the field of sports to find out if there are athletes who rose from the rock bottom to become the best in their career despite failures.

Here is the list of my top five sports personalities who failed at first, only to later emerge as the best in their field.

Michael Jordan 

He is considered the greatest basketball player ever to play the game. But did you know he was cut out of the high school team? At 5’11″ (1.80 m) back then, he was told he was too short to play at that level and lacked the skills to play Basketball.

I know it’s hard to believe it now, but this is true. Imagine the best player in the history of basketball, who redefined the game with his skills, speed, talent and attitude, was considered incapable earlier in his career. How did Jordan react to this disappointment?

Imagine if he would have given up after facing failure in his life, where would he be now?

Babe Ruth

He is considered one of the biggest sports heroes of America. He has the record of having the third highest home run record in Baseball. But did you know that for a decade he held the record for the highest strikeouts (1,330) as well. On being asked about his strikeouts, he said: “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”

Tom Landry

He is considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of American football. To his credit, he had two super bowl victories, five NFC championships and the record for the most career wins in football. But did you know that during his first season as a coach, he also had the honor of sharing the worst record ever in NFL (no wins) and later on winning five or less games in the next four seasons.

Stan Smith 

The tennis player who won Wimbledon, US Open and eight Davis Cups, and who formed one of the most successful doubles team, was rejected during his childhood for the ball boy’s position in a Davis Cup match as the organizers felt he was too clumsy and uncoordinated.

Mark Cuban

He was a failure as a carpenter, cook and waiter (who didn’t even know how to open a bottle of wine). Fast forward to 2012, he is now the billionaire owner of NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. What did he say for his failures?

Quite surprising isn’t it? For me too, it was a revelation, but the reason why these people reached the top was once given by John Wooden:

So next time you fail, decide which category you will want to be in, Winner or Loser?

Ask any tennis fan, and he will tell you that Rafael Nadal has been a pillar of inner strength and determination when it comes to meeting the nearly-impossible goals. His journey to defeat Novak Djokovic after losing seven consecutive finals was, I believe, the epitome of his mental fortitude and never-say-die attitude.

Yes, Rafael Nadal lost seven times to Novak Djokovic before he overcame his biggest hurdle at the Monte Carlo Masters in April this year.  This made headlines of every newspaper and his victory over Djokovic was a big achievement.

However, this article is not aimed to revisit his achievement but to share with the readers the news of our very own Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal, who achieved a similar kind of feat just last week in Denmark Open, and was mentioned scarcely in our newspapers.

After six straight defeats (including the humiliating defeat at the Olympics) at the hands of the ‘Chinese Wall’, World No. 1 Wang Yihan, the young athlete from Hyderabad was not to be tamed again in her seventh encounter last week at Denmark Open.  The rivalry, which started off in May 2010, grew fierce with time as Saina was unable to conquer the biggest opponent of her life – until now.

Saina went on to win the Denmark Open eventually, but her remarkable rise to the top in Badminton is still unexplored by the media. Not many people, including myself, even knew about her accomplishment of breaking the ‘Chinese Wall’.

Having followed the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry very closely last year, I have seen the endurance of Rafael Nadal and the emotional trauma he underwent in getting closer to overcome his rival in every match.  After every loss, he would seem lost and the pain of each loss was clearly visible in his eyes. I can only imagine the same kind of pressure on this 22-year-old, who through showing similar kind of spirit, was able to finally reach the summit. For me, she is the Rafael Nadal of badminton – and India.

The irony is that whereas Rafael Nadal is the king of sports in Spain, Saina Nehwal still falls behind the line up of Indian cricketers. In my opinion, this young athlete, who has been an inspiration to every little girl in India, deserves a lot more attention than Indian cricketers. Simply for the reason that to rise in a male dominated, cricket fanatic society such as ours, one should be incredibly dogmatic and hard working in their approach of achieving their goals.

When Saina was born, it was a day of sadness for her grandmother as she wanted a boy.  Her relations with her family are strained even today, as they were against encouraging girls. If not for her parents’ openness and support, India would have lost out on a determined young sports star. To be able to overcome the bias prevalent in our society towards girls is a feat in itself; which to me is the sign of a person full of courage, strength and determination.

To rise in cricket is natural in India because everyone loves cricket and male participation is encouraged in sports. But to rise in sports other than cricket is a feat considered nearly impossible till a few years ago; and that a girl has done it should be a story of pride for anyone in India.

Hopefully, many girls will be inspired by Saina Nehwal and rise up to change the way India is seen in terms of sports participation and excellence. We have our own Rafael Nadal in the form of Saina Nehwal and maybe one day, she will get the same reputation as him.

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/10/27/saina-nehwal-is-she-the-rafael-nadal-of-india/feed/ 3 388420 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/10/12/300-weeks-and-still-counting-roger-federer-the-greatest-player-ever/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/10/12/300-weeks-and-still-counting-roger-federer-the-greatest-player-ever/#comments Fri, 12 Oct 2012 06:15:16 +0000 Apeksha HA http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=833539 I never thought of something like this when I was a little kid, that’s for sure. Probably one of my biggest accomplishments. I’m very proud of that record, no doubt about it.” – Roger Federer.

Roger Federer’s statement  made me go back in my memory lanes and wonder about my childhood idol Pete Sampras. As a kid, growing in a small town of India, I was fascinated by Pete Sampras and his serve. When he surpassed the world record of Ivan Lendl’s 270 weeks  as World No1  on June 21, 1999, the girl in me jumped in elation and looked  with deep admiration on what the champion had achieved. I just wondered in my mind: Can anyone ever come even close to this record? Probably not.

But history has a strange way of repeating itself and just 13 years later, I  found myself jumping up once again in air after  seeing  Roger Federer, the perfect gentleman of tennis, surpassing the elite  300 weeks mark  at World No.1 – once thought impossible.  Till date, I have failed to pin point one exact reason why  people love Roger Federer so much.

Is it  his elegance or one handed backhand or the sweet timing or his smile or his devotion towards his family or his composure? What is it that makes people love him so much? I think it is all of the above, but if I dare try to define him in one line, it will be, ” He is the most elegant player, yet the simplest person tennis and world has  ever seen”.

The beauty lies in the fact that he makes the game of tennis and life look so easy to everyone.  Here is how:

• When I look at Novak Djokovic and  Rafael Nadal , I know tennis is  difficult and requires a lot of hard work and stamina. When I look at Federer, he makes all his shots look so easy that it makes me believe that tennis is not that difficult for an average person like me.

• When I look at people around the world unhappy with their life and family, it makes me wonder about what happened  to the old days of enjoying the simple joys of life . When I look at Federer, he makes me realize that happiness is all about inner self, it is all about family, it still lies in spending your life with wife and kids, taking them to a stroll in the park, putting the kids to bed in the night, waking up in the night to ensure everything is well just like a normal dad.

• When I look at players running for fame and money, I know the world is  now run not on our aspirations but how much money we can earn in our lives. When I look at Federer and see how he is focused on his goals every year, turning down endorsements, tournaments and exhibitions  to make sure he can follow his passion , it comforts me and inspires to follow my own goals instead of running after money.

Yes, to me emotionally, my heart believes that  Roger Federer is indeed the  most complete  player in the history of men’s tennis because there is no way any one can be a perfect sports-person he is. People might talk about other players and in no way do I want to condescend anyone of them as I totally respect what others have achieved in their life, but I still believe that no one has indeed been as complete as Roger Federer in tennis, be it on the court or off the court.

Tennis, family, work ethics, fans , media interviews – he is indeed the best sports-person the game has ever witnessed. And on the biggest accomplishment of his life, the coveted 300 weeks mark, Thank you Roger Federer for inspiring millions of people around the world not only with your game, but also your personal life.

( PS: I know people will argue that Rafael Nadal and others might be the top contenders for the greatest players but as far as statistics  go, I believe that he is the greatest player  tennis has ever seen. If you don’t believe me, then wait for my next article in which I will speak from my mind with certain facts to prove my point. Who is ready for a hot debate ?)

If you want to have a discussion, please leave a comment or mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 06: Sachin Tendulkar watches on from the Royal Box on Centre Court on day eleven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 6, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

In a shocking turn of events which has left millions of Indians in a mixed state of emotions, Sachin Tendulkar has decided to retire from cricket.  Everyone, including the media and the pan-wala right at the edge of the road seems to be talking about this sad turn of events.

In a news conference called right next to his lavish home in Mumbai, Sachin said:

“I am pretty happy to announce that I have retired from the game of cricket but I will continue to play the googly and bouncers as a member of Rajya Sabha. I have become bored of playing on the same pitches again and again, so I thought it’s only wise to move on to a new pitch in New Delhi where I can compete with new rivals.”

Sources have confirmed that the real fans are happy to see Sachin move on to a new phase, but a section of the media and the population in general have been deeply affected by his decision. Here is some talk that has been going around the media and cricket circles, revealed exclusively for the readers:

TV Channels:  There can never be another Sachin, as his retirement  speculation and criticism for lack of runs scored had sky-rocketed our TRP ratings. How will we earn money and fame now?

Cricket Fans (Anti-Sachin):  There can never be another Sachin as his age and no-shows were what spiced up our lunch and tea-time gossip. How will we pass our time or claim to be experts who know everything now?

Critics (Anti-Sachin Reporters): There can never be another Sachin, as we will have no one to criticize or pass our judgments on to  increase our Facebook or Twitter followers. How will we get our salaries now?

Mahendra Singh Dhoni: There can never be another Sachin, as his retirement rumors had kept the focus away from my captaincy in one-dayers and Test matches. How will I dodge them now?

Virender Sehwag: There can never be another Sachin, as the comparisons made between him and me, despite me not scoring runs so many times, have been the shining points of my career. How will I  keep up with my fame now?

Real Sachin Fans: There can never be another Sachin as not only was he the greatest batsman to ever play the game, but he also was the sole reason we started watching cricket in the first place. How will we ever fall in love with cricket now?

All in all , no matter who we are, to its ardent followers in the country, cricket will never be the same when Sachin retires.

DISCLAIMER – This is a satire and not real news.

HOBART, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 28: Virat Kohli of India celebrates after hitting the winning runs during the One Day International match between India and Sri Lanka.

“Quitting is easy. Daring to triumph and succeed is hard.”

That’s what Anya told Arbit. Arbit had just suffered a setback when the results in his class were announced and he was not in the top 50. This would mean that he would not be eligible for the scholarship for this quarter. He was so confident before the results were announced that he had given up his part-time job as well.

He told Anya that this scholarship was his mother’s dream and he wanted it badly, but was tired now. Anya saw the deflated look on Arbit’s face and realized that unless something was done, Arbit would have to give up on a long-cherished goal. Arbit was one of the most intelligent and hard-working people in his class but of late, he had become a little too confident of his intelligence. He had always been in the top 10 but when he needed it the most, he did not perform well. What could Anya do? She feared Arbit would make a foolish mistake.

Suddenly, her memory struck her – and she remembered a video she had once watched. She said to Arbit that every now and then, we encounter failures, and the first thought that comes to our mind is, “I cannot do this anymore”. She continued:

“Let me tell you the story of a 17-year-old boy who, while playing his first Ranji Season, came to know that his father had just passed away. He had two options: either to lose hope and quit playing, or become even more resolute to live up to his father’s dream.

“He decided to go out with the goal of scoring a century and dedicating it to his father. Although he was wrongly given out just a few runs short of his 100, his quest for playing for the Indian cricket team didn’t stop. According to his mother, the demise of his father had turned this carefree boy into a mature person overnight.

“I have always maintained that when a person loses his fear of losing, he is at his most dangerous. That’s exactly what happened to this boy who – at the age of 18 – went on to captain the U-19 Indian team to the World Cup title. Then came the period when, in his own words, he failed in his mission. He went astray only to realize that this was not who he was. He had started missing his optional practice sessions and was dropped from the Indian side after his first one-day series.  His coach and family tried to tell him that he was going in the wrong direction; but he didn’t listen to them. He was the hotshot of the country, touted as the next big thing of Indian cricket. But he was also being touted as another young gun who was going astray.

“And then he was dropped.

“That day, he realized something was really wrong. In his own words, ‘people close to me did try to steer me in the right direction, but until one himself is ready for change, no one can change him.’

“In a span of one year, he was back in the squad blazing guns – with his opponents still unaware of the true force with which they had been hit.  He went on to play a major part in winning another World Cup – at the senior level, this time – and success was inevitable. He made his Test debut against West Indies and was, obviously, expected to do well.

“Sadly, he failed once again; and this time, people started doubting his abilities.

“So, should he have given up? “

Arbit: Yes, he should have given up. He was already successful in the other formats. Why try hard and face disappointment again?

Anya smirked at Arbit’s response.

“Do you know what this person did? He went back to his basics, analyzed where he was going wrong and worked on his technique only to make one of the strongest comebacks in Test match cricket. He returned to score not one, but two centuries and five fifties in 10 matches.”

“If you reach the top, you need to remain there and it needs a lot of character, grit and determination. What did it mean for Virat Kohli?

LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 25: Cricket player Sachin Tendulkar (R) poses with tennis player Roger Federer on Day Six of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 25, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

“There were no regrets. He would do it no other way, even if offered a second chance.”

As I continued to read about Rahul Dravid and the critics’ reflections of his retirement, this one particular statement resonated in my mind long after I had finished reading the excellent piece by Sambit Bal. It’s a simple statement but a powerful one, if one thinks about it.

How many of us live our lives in such a way that if given an option, we would not want to change it? There is always one more wish in our minds that we want to come true, not realizing the actual reason behind the unfulfilled wishes.

My mind asked me a simple question: is there a correlation between greatness and no regrets in life?  So I started researching about various players to come up with an answer.

To my surprise, you can achieve success even when you don’t love your sport but in order to achieve greatness, you need to be in love with your sport, the purest kind of love which is unknown to imbeciles like me. This is the kind of love which is not governed by level of fame or money but is unselfish and is fulfilled only when one plays the game. It has no perks associated with it, no selfish gains, just the pure joy of feeling complete when you walk out there to hit the ball. It gives you a chance to be who you are and what you can excel at.

Have you ever wondered why players like Federer, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid continue to dominate in the era of youngsters when they were completely written off by the so-called experts quoting their age as the biggest barrier? As they say, love transcends every boundary be it age, culture or country. The same is true in the field of sports as well.

 I know it all sounds silly but have a look at the examples below and let me know what you think.

 ”My passion for competition and my love for tennis have a lot to do with the longevity of my game.”  – Roger Federer

 ”I am madly in love with the sport. At this stage, I enjoy every little moment.” – Sachin Tendulkar

 “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do” – Pele

“Even when I’m old and grey, I won’t be able to play it, but I’ll still love the game.” – Michael Jordan

There are  more examples of great players echoing similar kinds of feelings. We all want fame, money and glamour but what we fail to see is that the people who attain it in the true sense are the people who have loved the sport for what it is and not for monetary gains. Fame and money are like sand between your fingers; the more you want it, the further they slip away from you.

A simple look at Andre Agassi’s life will turn out to be quite informative for all of us who might be stuck working in the field that we don’t love. Agassi did achieve a bit of success early in his career, only to lose it amidst drugs, divorce and a feeling of complete hatred towards tennis. This was true until he met Nelson Mandela who told him, “You must live carefully”. From there began the rise of one of the best players in tennis history. In his own words: “I fell in love with tennis far too late in my life.”

It is only when one loves the work that one does that one can wake up early in the morning and practice endlessly for hours to improve one’s game, only then can one always be present at that practice session at 10 am without missing it even once, only then can one miss all the parties, money and fame to practice endless forehands with a wall, only then can one end up being one of the biggest philanthropists sport has ever seen.

I have always strongly believed that sports can offer us an in-depth meaning of the way a life needs to be lived. Sadly in today’s world, we watch sports for entertainment and play sports to become a professional and earn money. Nobody realizes that in sports, you can find a virtual school that can offer us lessons which can make us stronger and better in our lives. If  there is anything we can learn from these players that we adore and cherish, it is just one simple lesson:

 ”If you will love what you do, then nothing, believe me, nothing, can stop you from becoming immortal in your field”.

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 10: Andy Murray of Great Britain speaks to members of the media next to the US Open championship trophy during a press conference after defeating Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the men’s singles finals at the U.S Open.

No Brit had ever won a Grand Slam since 1936, although many British players tried but failed to repeat the feat. When Andy Murray started playing, people had high hopes from this young player until reality struck them. Whenever he lost, he was the Scot who didn’t have it in him to win a Grand Slam and whenever he won, he was a patriotic Brit.

Sitting with both hands clasped together, I cheered for Roger Federer, saying loudly, “Federer, please make sure you serve well.” At that very instant, US Open 2011 semifinals memories flashed back in my mind and I said to myself, “Federer, you got to make that serve; you have not come so far just to lose now”.

And then, as soon as I saw Djokovic’s return hit the net, I jumped in joy with a big ‘YES!’ Roger Federer had won against the defending champion to book his eighth Wimbledon finals appearance. I was elated, not as a fan of Roger Federer, but for the joy of humanity, the joy of seeing a person achieving his goals when everyone had thought the contrary.

He is 30-plus, he still fights it out on the tennis court when all the analysts and critics have waved him off just like another bus ticket. After all, it’s the generation of the young guns. How can a player above 30 be so confident about reaching the finals, leave alone reclaim the World No.1 ranking?

How can Roger Federer even think of surviving in the presence of players like Djokovic and Nadal? Doesn’t he know that tennis wasn’t  the same sport anymore for him? Weren’t 7 Wimbledon finals enough for him? Doesn’t he know that all the critics have a lifetime’s wprtj of experience of predicting what’s best for him?

Roger Federer was called the underdog in the semifinal match against Djokovic by the so-called experts. He should have retired long back – doesn’t he know that? Oh my, what a shock it must have been for everyone who had written him off and was calling for his retirement.

I just can’t help smiling and looking at Federer with admiration. Why?

When I look at him, he gives me hope about my dreams. He gives me belief that what matters in life is your own faith in yourself. The whole world might be against you but it’s you who matter. It’s the power of your mind and hard work that  determines your success even when you grow old.

When I look at him, he gives me inspiration to not give up under any circumstances. He gives me the faith to stand strong at times of adversity. I thought of Federer and his defeat against Tsonga last year. He said to everyone that he played well and he knew in his heart that against Tsonga and Djokovic (US Open ), he was good. But did anyone believe him?

Should he have gone and sat in a corner, disappointed, and not worked harder than before? Should he have given up hope and stopped working? If at the age of 30, he is not ready to give up, why should I?

That’s why I think Federer’s win in the semifinals is not about being happy as a fan, it’s about being joyful for the purpose of humanity. It’s about how inspiring it can be to see someone stick to his goals even under dire circumstances and not deviating from his path. It’s about a person’s perseverance and belief to do the impossible. It’s about a lesson that we can all learn to implement in our lives and make sure we stick to our goals no matter how much resistance we face.

Even if you are  a fan of any other tennis player, I would still suggest all of you to cheer not for Federer the player, but for Federer the person, who has the determination and will power to prove to the world that there is nothing bigger in this world than a person’s thoughts and action.

Because Roger Federer’s game is more than a sport right now, it is in fact about life, emotion, passion, and some of the greatest highs  and lows we can experience in our lives. It’s about his fight against the world, to set an example and tell his critics that one should never underestimate the power and ability of anyone in this world.

It always seems impossible till it’s done.

Cancer is one of the most painful/deadliest diseases one can come across, and it takes a lot of courage to fight it day in and out without losing hope. The following is the true story of a man who lost his father due to cancer and was extremely devastated after the loss of his mentor and friend.