Wimbledon 2017: Men’s Final
We like sport when someone does something we cannot do. We admire
Federer’s one handed backhand down the line, we are spellbound to see him float
like a deer on the court to hit an inside-out cross-court forehand, we gasp at
his drop volleys and spinning drops that’d make Shane Warne gape in
bewilderment. Above all, we know we have a phenomenon in front us when we
realise he is a 35 year old veteran, who has been playing incessantly at that
competitive level for so many years.
Surely, he cannot be mortal. He is demi-god. And surely, we cannot
do all these things which Federer does with ease hardly realizing that he is
God’s gift to tennis.
We like to see our demi-god pull off wonders after wonders from
his arsenal. Yes we like it when that happens.
But we love it when our demi-God is challenged by someone equally
skillful. Someone who answers all of Federer’s questions with befitting
answers; someone who can accept all shots from Federer as principal and return
them with interest equally fast. Who can forget Wimbledon final of 2007
and 08? Also Australian Open 2017? It brought out the best out of Federer
to cope and manage the onslaught of a raging Spaniard and we remember Nadal as
much as we remember our demi-God.
We will also remember Marin Cilic after Wimbledon final in 2017
not for challenging Federer but for his helpless outburst of emotion; for his
tearful eyes and shaking head in resignation to what was happening. His
powers were deserting him..fast. He looked up once and it felt as if he was
appealing to Gods to return his prowess back to him. But God was busy looking
at his own avatar on the opposite side of the net whose cannonballs were just
passing by Cilic point after point. Almost all ground-strokes from Cilic were
going wide or long, easy looking finishes were finding the net, his serves were
fast losing the sharpness. He hit only 2 aces compared to 20 per match in
previous rounds.
We love sportsmen even more when they show human-like qualities;
when we feel they are like us. Sensing what was happening, the whole Centre
Court crowd stood behind Cilic. People who in the first few games were cheering
Cilic’s every mistake, started cheering him up and pumped him to fight. They
shouted for every point he won; every serve he kept; and every drop he
returned. Having lost the second set 1-6; Cilic won 3 games in the 3rd and
punched air a few times on winning his own service games.
Federer won his 8th Wimbledon but in the end we
will remember Cilic’s words saying that he will fight and fight back and come
back next year. That got the loudest applause from the Court.
Yes we love sport for it gives us our Gods and legends but more
than that it teaches us to fight even after we fall. I am not sure about
Cilic’s fan base but from this part of the world, he got one more for sure.
--------------------------------------Bharat Puranik
