Rapture

I actually found it hard to hold back tears even as the News Channels beamed the emotional scenes of a Golaith of my Tennis world Bow out of his Theatre !!!
The new song of "Bas ek pal" aptly echoes the thoughts on everyones mind ..."Tere Bin kaise jiye, Kaise Jiye Tere Bin" !!!!

One of the many dreams my dad had cherished for my career was to see me persue Tennis at a professional level .... Though I will have to move heaven and earth to fulfill that dream of his, what it has done is develop a deep sense of respect and love for the game !! Tennis is one of the very few games I love to watch more than I love to Play it !!!

And as all tennis enthusiasts of my generation I love Becker for the memory of his outstretched mid-air volley signifying the triumph of mind over matter! Even while my dad adores Lendl for his consistency and poise, Becker to my mind represents the ephimeral spark of perfection which leaves the world craving for more !

The biggest challenge for every genius lies in combating "Lonliness at the Top" !!! Both Sampras and Federer have that devine touch to their game which leaves the audiance mesmerised and opponents praying for a quick death !! They seem to almost hover around the "Supernatural" ...

But does that satiate the public ??

If they wish to witness divinity, people would go to a temple !! As portrayed in the movie "Gladiator", the audiance want to see a game which is human, something they can "Enjoy" .. On the Tennis court everyone wishes to see a character they can identify with, who looks vulnerable to defeat, who seems up against the odds all the time, who seems to be tiring faster than the opponent, who seems to be on the verge of succumbing to the pressure ... BUT YET FIGHTS ON ... BELIEVES IN HIMSELF.... FIGHTS TO WIN !!!
ANDRE AGASSI was the Answer !

With Agassi in the game, even 2 sets down and 4 games to love, 0-40 down you could still afford to dream of an agassi revival and he would make your dreams come true !!
I believe it is this aspect of his personality which endeared him to the people, to me and to "Dear Steffi" too ... not necessarily in that order

Watching him take his final bow does have a sentimental overture for me as he in someways represented a part of my childhood memories along with ppl like Mats Wilander, Stefan Edburg, Michael Chang, Jim Courier, Ivan Lendl,Becker, Micheal Stitch, Thomas Muster ... the very last of their kind

The one fact that Agassi was able to bounce back to the top circuit after so many debacles and tough opponents and speeding age-factor shall remain inspirational to me ....

Even as we combat with a failure of sorts in bagging an ELP project we pitched for at ISB, the learning I carry with me is to fight harder for the next point and next time "Fight to Win" !!

"His life was gentle and the elements So mix'd in him that Nature might stand up And say to all the world, This was a man!" - Mark Anthony (Julius Caesar)