In the meanwhile…
Cricket is not the only sport I follow, in case you thought so.
Some interesting things have happened in the past two weeks in other sports that I am passionate about.
1. Hingis retires. A second time. I have yet to make sense of the whole doping scandal involving her. First off, there’s not adequate coverage on the event in the media. Martina Hingis tested positive? That sort of thing should have caused a storm in the sports HQ of newspapers. Intriguingly, everyone’s silent. I must be the only one blabbering about it.
Also, I didn’t quite understand Hingis’s runaway approach. What wouldn’t you do to wash that doping scar off your face? I mean, I would go to any lengths to prove I am innocent if I actually am. Oh, darn. But Hingis is Hingis. I am, well, me. But I had always loved Hingis’ clever and balanced game in a time when the Williams’ siblings were bringing power to it.
2. Nalbandian beats Federer a second time in two weeks.
Roger is my hero, and I should be disappointed, right? I am not, actually. I am glad someone is at least beginning to figure out how to beat him.
3. Karun Chandhok gets F1 break
I was on my usual surfing spree — going through sporting websites one by one. The Formula One site has become one of my usual stops recently. And I completely freaked out on spotting their third headline today– Karun Chandhok, India’s second fastest man on road, is getting his F1 break this week! Boy, am I glad I am one of the first to break this news. Plus, if you didn’t know, F1 racing is coming to India in 2010.
4. FIFA ends their rotation policy.
Now Brazil can host it, finally. It would be one heck of a blast, won’t it be?
Tags: brazil-to-host-the-world-cup, FIFA-rotation-policy, formula-1, karun-chandok-formula-1, martina-hingis-doping-scandal, nalbandian, roger-federerRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Beyond Cricket, Cricket
9 opinions for In the meanwhile…
Ottayan
Nov 6, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Hingis and the WTA have struck a deal.
She stops playing tennis and continues taking drugs.:)
SIXANDOUT
Nov 6, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Ottayan always seems to know things I don’t.
What do you read, Ottayan?
Ottayan
Nov 6, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Sixandout is my staple fare.
Abhishek
Nov 7, 2007 at 3:37 am
Actually, the FIFA regulations changing had no effect on Brazil’s bid. The new regulations are for the 2018 tournament onwards. Brazil won the bid for hosting the 2014 World Cup when it was the only country to bid…
Jodie
Nov 7, 2007 at 4:06 am
Roger is my hero, too! But alas, I am disappointed in his losses to Nalbandian in recent weeks. Mr. N had Fed’s number a few years ago, too, so this is interesting.
Maybe he’s saving it all for the Slams. :)
SIXANDOUT
Nov 7, 2007 at 7:03 am
Thanks for the clarification, Abhishek. So that would actually mean good news for England, wouldn’t it?
Jodie:
Roger is in no immediate danger. We’ve seen lose to Nadal and Novak on the tour, too, but these men have utterly failed to check his run in the Slams.
What do you think of the women’s circuit? My guess is Henin will remain untoppled throughout 2008, the ranking I mean. Sharapova has gone down big time, and unless she comes back in the Australian Open, there’s no real threat to Henin. Out of the Williams’ sisters, Venus might have some go.
Abhishek
Nov 9, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Not sure about the good news for England part - the Americans are pissed off ’cause it would have been their turn to host the event, so they’re sure to bid. In fact, the list of bidders (from Wikipedia) as of now are Australia, China, England, Greece, Mexico, Russia, and the United States, while the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) have expressed interest in bidding together. Of these, I would place the Aussies, the US and the Benelux countries as the favorites.
Speaking of the tennis, as you mentioned, Federer looks to continue his reign in the future. In fact, I think his French Open conundrum could finally be resolved next year. Among the women, Henin looks to be unchallenged. The Williams sisters and Sharapova if they get their act together are the only ones who can challenge her. I also like the look of Bartolli, the new kid on the block…
SIXANDOUT
Nov 10, 2007 at 1:49 pm
Bartoli has a lot to prove over the next year. After her unexpected run-up to the Wimbledon final, there hasn’t been much of her. I think Sharapova is slowly picking on her momentum. She is naturally talented, and it’s only a matter of few wins before she gets into the zone again. What do you make of the Serb blood? To be very honest, except for Novak, I don’t see much of a grand slam material there, contrary to the popular belief.
Abhishek
Nov 10, 2007 at 7:20 pm
The Serbs now have a hero to look up to in Novak. The thing is that when you don’t have a culture of a particular sport in a country and a hero does come along, it usually takes a generation or two to propogate that success. Think of Viswanathan Anand and Paes and Bhupathi in India. Their successes really set off chess and tennis booms in India…
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