Review: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

I was still upset because of Michael Jackson's death so i decided to watch a movie to get the sad event out of my mind.

This film is a prequel which means it tells story which has already happened. Like Star Wars I, II, III came after its ending. In this prequel we get to know how Logan became Wolverine. Hugh Jackman is back in his most famous role as Wolverine. Hugh Jackman is the star of this movie. He delivers an excellent performance. He looks the Wolverine character through and through, when you look at him you get a feeling you are not looking at Hugh Jackman but at Wolverine. An excellent performance from him. Also is shown the rivalry between Wolverine and Sabretooth. I was impressed by Liev Schreiber's acting, i have seen him in other movies like in Scream (part 2 and 3) and have always believed that he can act well. This rivalry between Wolverine and Sabretooth is the highlight of the movie. There are other mutants also, plenty of them, the team which was brought together in the beginning was exciting and provided a lot of scope for special effects and a few action sequences in the beginning of the movie. Also of notable mention is the way starting credits are shown, I was really impressed by it.

In this movie, many things about Wolverine's past are told here. How he was as a child, how he agreed to that experiment which made him a lot more stronger than he really was. The plot is normal, don't expect big things out of it. Action sequences are really good. But here is where the good things end, except the special effects and the action sequences being strong, the storyline in weak. Its full of cliches which we have seen many times before, i won't divulge them here as it would reduce the movie's impact. The most cliched scene i thought was Logan looking up at sky and screaming, which we have seen in hundreds of movies before. The good thing is it doesn't look that awkward on Wolverine's character. Other scene was the one where Wolverine sets fire on a helicopter which explodes and he doesn't even looks back even once. These kinds of scenes are cool and look good but have been repeated so many times that they don't make much of an impact. One of the scenes in which i thought screenplay and direction was really poor was the one in which Wolverine and Sabretooth are fighting outside the club or the bar and Gambit was also there. Wolverine elbows Gambit in the face and continues fighting with Sabretooth. After few minutes Gambit was shown running (from i don't know where) and jumping in between their battle, in a matter of few moments that looked out of place, just see that scene to believe it.

The other criticism i have heard of this movie is that it is not true to the comic book history of Wolverine. I haven't followed the comics so i am in no position to comment on that. Deadpool's character or Weapon X treatment's was similar to the treatment bestowed upon Venom's character in Spiderman 3. Gross Injustice. Just few minutes into the climax and over.

In the end all the loose ends of the puzzle are brought together to form a picture of the character "Wolverine" which we all know. The one who doesn't knows much about himself, suffers from amnesia and sometimes get glimpses of his past.

Overall if i judge this movie, it doesn't have that much repeat value. Its not as good as the X-Men Series but still is good enough to watch at least once. It won't bore you, neither it would blow you away. Its a good movie, one of those pure summer blockbusters which are meant entirely for entertainment, full of action and special effects. Watch it once, you will enjoy it. And yeah one more thing, there is a good scene after ending credits are over, don't miss that.

Michael Jackson: The King Of Pop - The Best There Is, The Best There Was And The Best There Ever Will Be

I was, am and always will be a die-hard fan of Michael Jackson. My first childhood memories starts from seeing music video of Michael Jackson's Thriller, i got scared of it at that time, but still used to enjoy seeing ghost like figures dancing. Videos of Black and White, Remember The Time, Jam, In The Closet and Many more are etched in my memory. I was always mesmerized by the amazing Michael Jackson, i wasn't an exception, the entire world was crazy about him. I have been trying the famous Michael Jackson dance move "Moonwalk" for years, well who hasn't. Every boy who has seen him do Moonwalk would have definitely tried it.

Today when i heard the news of Michael Jackson passing away, i got very upset, the whole day i felt empty inside.

June 25 holds a very important place in my life for few reasons: India won the Cricket World Cup on 25 June 1983, One of my friends birthday is on 25 June
and now last but not the least it is the date on which Michael Jackson died. From now on 25 June holds negative memories for me.

Michael Jackson story is a tragic one. He was a talented boy and after seeing his natural talent his father forced him into stardom since his childhood days. Michael spent most of his time in limelight, thats the reason why he said once that he is very lonely. He missed being a child and having friends. And after all who would like being in public scrutiny all his life.

But no critic in this world can say that he wasn't talented. He had talent as a god-gift, but he improved on it so much by doing hard work that he achieved success at a very young age. He changed many things. MTV didn't used to show black artists but Michael Jackson's Thriller changed everything. Black artists started to get recognition because of him.

His art of making music videos changed the way videos were made and the impact is felt still today. His singing and dancing revolutionized the entire music industry. One of my friends appropriately called him the innovation in music industry personified. His dancing style changed the way people danced. Whether it be Moonwalk, Side slide, Lean, people followed him blindly. Even today many Michael Jackson's steps are copied. All of Michael Jackson’s dancing/singing were like a spell that had a magical effect on whoever watched, heard or experienced it.

People nowadays talk more about his scandals rather than his achievements. They forget that what Michael achieved has never been achieved and would never be achieved again. Many Ricky Martins', Enrique Inglesias', Shakiras', Britney Spears', Linkin Parks', Metallicas' will come and go but nobody can reach the heights of Michael Jackson. It seems as if others are mere mortals and Michael Jackson is somebody who is way above the rest, as if he had special blood running through his veins.

I will always remember dead bodies dancing in "Thriller", Fight between goons in "Beat It", lighting of path blocks in "Billie Jean" when Michael would step on them, his all world encompassing journey in "Black Or White", The amazing video of "Bad", Too hot video featuring Naomi Campbell "In The Closet", Dancing in Basketball court with Michael Jordan in "Jam" and many more.

Michael you were the best entertainer history has ever witnessed. Whenever you set foot on stage people just looked at you no matter what you did, that was your charm, magic, power over your audience. You commanded audience to do what you did, that was your biggest strength. I don't think the world will ever get an entertainer like you. You were, are and will always be the best. Whenever i will hear your songs the empty feeling inside will crop up again because somewhere i would know that you are not alive anymore. But you will live on through your fans and the enormous songs and achievements you have mounted. No one is going to forget you, least of all me.

His impact would always be seen on the way people sing and dance. "Michael Jackson" had immortalized himself. He was a phenomenon. A phenomenon that lasted an entire generation and his legacy is so strong that the phenomenon named "Michael Jackson" would last for many generations to come.

I pray to god that he gives Michael Jackson's soul peace. May Michael Jackson - King Of Pop, Rest In Peace. Amen

World T20 2009 Comes To An End

I never thought that such a day would come when i would have to post a image of Pakistani cricket team on my blog, but alas, the unfortunate day has come, and a little too quickly for my comfort.

I am not a jingoist who hates Pakistan, but i am an Indian who somewhere or the other feels that if we don't win then neither should they, we always compare ourselves with each other, after all we are neighbors and comparisons with neighbors and that too your arch rivals are inevitable.

After India were knocked out of the tournament every person that i talked to about cricket had the same view - That if India has not gone through super eights so neither should Pakistan, after Pakistan went into the semis the view changed to that any of the 3 others team should win the world cup, but please not Pakistan. But in the end Pakistan finally won. Honestly speaking i was supporting Sri Lanka in the finals, but their batsmen choked, except Jayasuriya (who was a little unlucky) and Sangakkara. I really felt bad when a Pakistani supporter was holding a banner on which it was written "I hope India you are watching", after seeing that i came to conclusion that they also compare themselves with us, like we do and hates us probably more than we do because we are ahead of them in almost all aspects whether it be economic, social, political etc.

Enough of distraction. Lets get back to the World cup. Here i will review each team one by one. My review would be limited to Top 7 teams which would be Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies, New Zealand, England and India.

Pakistan - The champions of T20 2009. This team was at a point when it was one defeat away from tournament exit but they peaked at the right time, very similar to the 1992 world cup and eventually they triumphed. They played excellently in one match against New Zealand which ensured that they went through to the semis and then followed it up with good performances in the next two matches to take the cup. Against South Africa they really played well, Shahid Afridi clicked both in batting and bowling. In finals also Shahid Afridi's knock was very crucial. When looking back at the tournament i wouldn't rate this team too high, yeah its good with some nice players but its not the best team in the world, not by far, that honor would either go to Australia, South Africa or India. They are champions because they played well in the crucial matches. The best part is that the reality of this teams consistency will come to the fore when next T20 world cup is played after 9 months. Don't worry Indian fans, this team won't be called champions for long, the day Pakistanis were crowned i can say that that it has been decided or written somewhere that this title would not stay with them for long, it would be snatched away just a few months down the line. Oh Yeah, we Indians are watching and will surely watch that moment also few months later!!!

Sri Lanka - A good team overall. Too good in bowling but lacking depth in batting. Relied heavily on its openers as the middle order was not in form. In the final when the time to deliver came Dilshan, Jayawardne, Mubarak everybody failed. Only Sanath Jayasuriya can claim himself to be unlucky as he got bowled by an inside edge, but i don't think anything should be said to Sanath, he tried his best and he just happened to drag one ball onto his stumps. Sangakkara played well but was not able to pace his innings nicely. The acceleration in the end was provided by Matthews which stretched their total to 139. In the finals Mendis disappointed, his entire tournament's economy rate was 4.75 but in this match he was not able to restrict Pakistanis to less than 6 runs even in one over, he still lacks the ability to deliver onto the big stages, Mendis needs to learn that in order to be called a great bowler. Muralitharan bowled well but had one bad over. Lasith Malinga bowled excellently but it was not enough as in the end one over from Udana went for far too many. In spite of all its weaknesses a team to look out for in the future.

South Africa - Only one word for them "Chokers". 7 victories on the trot going into the semi finals and then throwing it all away. Nothing to take away from Pakistanis but Pakistan didn't won the match, it was South Africa who lost it. They rely too heavily on Graeme Smith on big occasions, if he fails then everybody fails. In normal league games AB Devilliers would play well but in the most important match he got out cheaply. This team has history of choking from 1992 world cup semifinal (1 ball 22 runs), 1996 world cup quarter final (against Lara), 1999 world cup semifinal (against Steve Waugh and Shane Warne), 2003 world cup in the first round(calculation mistake), 2007 world cup (bizzare tactics against Aussies) and finally this T20 2009 semi final. Leaving aside 1992 world cup in which they were unlucky all the other instances were the one where South Africa themselves were the culprits or in other words "chokers". In the middle i have missed many more choking moments like not able to score 6 runs from the last over against Sachin Tendulkar in a Hero Cup semifinal, another would be losing to India in Titan Cup final. Except the 438 in Johannesburg South Africa history is filled with choking examples. This team has some very very good players, but it would never be a great team because you need to have great achievements in order to be called great. I think only a mentally tough captain like Graeme Smith can help these chokers to rise to the occasion someday. Till now it hasn't come, lets hope because of Smith it does comes.

West Indies - Mercurial batting display carried them till the semi finals but finally the inconsistency for which they are famous came back and it all crumbled on the day it mattered. But still many positives for the team, it showed that they are a force to reckon with in international cricket, at least in the shortest format. Even when Gayle didn't played well they won matches which shows that they are not entirely reliant on Gayle. The inhuman slaughter by Gayle of Australian bowling attack is something which would be etched in my memory for times to come. Nicely done Gayle, keep up the good work.

New Zealand - Self destructed in one match against Pakistan to such an extent that the last match became do-or-die for them as their net run rate had crept far too low and that of Pakistan had gone way up. A good team but highly incapable of performing in big matches especially against Pakistan. They have got a history again Pakistan. In 1992 world cup New Zealand lost only two games in the whole tournament both were against Pakistan. In 1999 world cup semifinal they again crumbled against Pakistan. Looks like they have got some mental problem against this team.

England - Their batting is far too conservative for a T20 game. Reverse sweeping or switch shots don't mean aggression. For aggression big hitting needs to be there, which England lacks of course with the exception of Kevin Petersen. Whenever Petersen played England looked a different team. And the guy has got a good habit he always comes good in big matches like he did against India and West Indies but unfortunately as always happens didn't had much support from the other end. Bowling is above average which includes Broad, Collingwood, Sidebottom and Anderson. They lack the cricketing skills as compared to other teams on the international scene. For The Ashes i won't bet on England.

India - The defending champions who went out in the super 8 by losing all their 3 matches. Against South Africa they were not able to chase a modest total of 131. I have already said enough about them in my previous posts. In short everything went wrong for them whether it be injury to key players or star batsmen not being in form to bowlers not bowling that well. Still a side with lots of talent that can be tapped, how they will respond to this defeat, we will know in 9 months time.

Overall a nice tournament but still i would keep the previous tournament above this one for many reasons. Many matches were exciting last time, whether it be Semifinals of India vs Australia or the final between India vs Pakistan. The adrenaline that the last tournament had was to some extent missing in this one. Another T20 world cup is there after 9 months, lets see how that turns out to be.

India Knocked Out of World T20

India got knocked out of the World T20 thanks to two back to back losses against West Indies and England. It was a dismal performance by India especially in batting. Bowling was not great but still it was at an average level. Indians were the favorites coming into this tournament and they have been knocked out in Super 8s. If they would have lost in the semi-finals or finals, it still would have been better. But getting out in Super 8s is in no way acceptable. India had a famed batting line up which could chase down any total. It was dented by Virender Sehwag's shoulder injury which kept him out of the whole tournament. But still looking at the warm-up games India still were the favorites, but the story turned out to be entirely different. Lets look at how India's players played one-by-one:

Gautam Gambhir: He seemed totally out of sorts in this tournament. He never struck form whether it be in warm up games or against weaker teams. He got starts and then just couldn’t get the tempo up. A below average performance by his standards.

Rohit Sharma: Touted as the next big thing of Indian cricket. He is expected to take the baton from guys like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid whenever they decide to call it a day. But by going by his performance in this tournament it shows that he just hasn’t got it in him. The boy has surely got talent, technique, to some extent even temperament. He showed that by his good form in the warm up games especially against Pakistan. But in two big matches he failed. There is no use playing against Bangladesh and Ireland if you follow it up with a poor performance against better teams like West Indies and England. As soon as his weakness of short balls was targeted he seemed helpless and in an effort to break free by pulling his way out, he just managed to loop it high in the air right down the fielders throat or dragging it on his own stumps. You can hit 21 runs in one over in IPL but can’t score even 10 runs in an over against better teams in crucial matches. Sorry Rohit, more was expected from you. The thing that separates boys from men are qualities like guts, passion and the ability to rise to the occasion. That’s missing.

Suresh Raina: Another guy who promises a lot but never delivers. In IPL he seemed unstoppable along with Matthew Hayden. Well international cricket is so different. Its on an entirely different level as compared to IPL. Suresh Raina’s weakness against short ball was exploited by bowlers earlier in his international career also. He was a rising star thanks to an exciting win against England, but as soon as short balls came his way, his performance dipped and he was rightfully dropped from the team. Now when he came back I hoped that he would have worked on his weakness. Here also disappointment as Raina is as useless against short balls as he was a few years ago. Indian players have got tendency of not improving on their weaknesses. But when we look at Sourav Ganguly, he didn’t corrected his short ball weakness till the last part of his career, thankfully he finally did. Virender Sehwag is another batsman who worked on this same weakness while he was out of the team and now he is a different and better player. Suresh Raina got time to improve on himself, but sadly he never did improved on his weakness and it was exposed badly against West Indies and England.

Yuvraj Singh: Yuvraj did as much as he could. The only criticism that can be done is that he should have stayed on for a few more overs against England. But he was unlucky to get stumped by that way. If he would have been sent early, that is, after the fall of Raina things might have turned different. Another slip up he had was in the field in the last over of England’s innings when he misfielded a wide from Harbhajan Singh which went for four. If he would have fielded the result might have been different as India lost by only 3 runs.

Ravindra Jadeja: The culprit who took so many deliveries in getting his eye in that the required run rate shot above 11. And yeah as soon as he got his eye in he got out. So all the balls consumed by him eventually were a waste. His innings of 24 from 35 balls reminded me of Dhoni’s innings of 11 from 23 balls against West Indies. In both situations the batsman thought that they should consolidate and then afterwards they can cut loose. Against West Indies Dhoni’s dot balls proved too much and Jadeja’s dot balls against England pushed required run rate beyond limits. He would be criticized for this innings for a long long time. He bowled well but no one would talk about that. His disaster batting was far more costly to the Indian team.

MS Dhoni: The captain amazing. The man with the Midas Touch. Finally his Midas touch his gone and he did everything wrong possible. Against West Indies he himself played a very slow innings by T20 standards. And against England some of his decisions were questionable. For instance not bowling RP Singh’s full quota of overs when his 3 overs had costed only around 15 runs. The icing on the cake was his decision during India’s batting. He send Ravindra Jadeja at no. 4 and after Jadeja was dismissed he should have sent Yusuf Pathan instead he himself came and played a very very bad innings, which consisted of only 3 boundaries (2 by edges, where are all the sixes gone) when the team required a run rate of above 10. Such an innings from a captain is inexcusable. Wrong decisions, bad batting, poor captaincy. The only thing I can say is that no matter what people/experts say that Dhoni is the best captain India has ever had, probably at the end of his tenure even statistics would put him ahead of Ganguly. But in the end what matters is the way they did things. Ganguly was a superior captain in all aspects. Dhoni can’t even imagine in his dreams to touch the heights Dada did. Sourav Ganguly aka Dada was and is the best captain India has ever had. Coming back to this tournament this defeat is gonna have its backlashes. One thing is for sure that Indian public won’t forget this defeat that easily. Forgiveness this time would be difficult to come for Dhoni. Honestly speaking Dhoni deserves it, he has disappointed an entire nations' expectations. People would have understood if the opposing teams would have come up with inhuman display of cricketing ability, something like Chris Gayle against Australia, but it was nothing like that, India had both the matches in their hands and they gave it away. For such mistakes forgiveness should and will not come easily, he would have to earn it. As of now, whether it be Dhoni’s batting or captaincy. I was completely disappointed.

Yusuf Pathan: He tried to pull off an improbable victory in the end, but it was too much for him also. He remained not out till the end and still India lost, that is a big thing. He tried his best, scored around 33 odd runs on 17 balls, did his part, but sadly didn’t got support from the other end. When 3 balls and 15 runs were required he hitted an six which reduced to equation to 2 ball and 9 runs. But Yusuf couldn’t pull it off. It was too much to ask of him as he did maximum scoring in the end all by himself. The boy showed guts and courage. And most importantly the ability to withstand pressure, he has got tremendous potential and is a pure match winner, he surely will go far.

Harbhajan Singh: Bowled well apart from the two wides four he gave. Also did his bit in the batting when he came against the West Indies. Scored 3 boundaries in the final over to cross the 150 mark. In the end it was not enough.

Zaheer Khan: Was a little expensive by his standards. Needs to get his yorkers correct if he wants to contain the batsmen. Overall a below average tournament for Zaheer.

RP Singh: Just got one game and did his bit by giving 15 runs in 3 overs and taking 1 wicket. Should be included in the team in future as well. The problem is that he has been inconsistent in the past. Lets see can he maintain his consistency this time.

Irfan Pathan: He is considered more of an all rounder rather than a pure bowler. His bowling has reduced its sharpness since his heydays but still he is a good package overall. If he can improve his economy rate a little bit, he would be a sure selection in future. Against West Indies bowled with a good economy rate and picked the crucial wicket of Fletcher as well. Wasn't included in the team against England.

Pragyan Ojha: He was the highest wicket taker of India till the England game which means he has performed well. But when I look at his bowling he just doesn’t seem that good a bowler deserving a place in the side ahead of Harbhajan. Harbhajan has proved himself in the past and Ojha has to wait for his chances. No selector should put him ahead of Harbhajan as Ojha’s skills haven’t been tested against quality teams like South Africa and Australia. Overall a potential player, lets see how he evolves.

Ishant Sharma: He reminded me of Javagal Srinath. Why? Because he just kept bowling short balls one after the other to good back foot players. He was pulled and hooked for sixes and fours but still he came in and banged it short. That’s what I call persistence, but in this case, foolish persistence. He is young, has time on his side, and more importantly captain’s trust on his side.

Virender Sehwag: How much Virender Sehwag matters to this team was showed by their performance in his absence. India didn’t got a decent start in both the crunch games against West Indies and England. People criticize Sehwag on the grounds that he hits a few boundaries and one or two sixes and then he throws it away by getting out. But thats how Sehwag is, he completely demoralizes the opposition by his brutal hitting. And even if he stays for 3 overs and ensures that India gets to around 30 to 35 and gets out, it doesn’t matter as the initial thrust that is needed has been provided, now its upto the middle order to consolidate and build upon this advantage. By giving such starts he releases the pressure on the middle order. I don’t mind if Sehwag gets out after 3-4 overs as he makes sure that India’s innings is on track before getting out. The value of such starts was felt when India didn’t got off to a flier in both the games they lost. Sehwag you were sorely missed, you are the backbone of this Indian batting line up, your importance can be compared to not exactly but very similar to what Sachin Tendulkar was to India in mid 1990s. Hope you are there in the next world cups (both 50-50 and T20) to ensure that India wins them both.

The campaign has ended in disappointment. As in life things move on, in sports also things move on. Now comes another T20 World cup after 9 months and after two years 50-50 over World cup. Dhoni's best chance of redemption can come in next T20 world cup. Winning one series here and there wouldn't matter. If he wants to erase this ignominious exit from the public memory he needs to win these major tournaments or at least one of them. Dhoni's team was always victorious and on the roll till now. Here now they face a test of character. Can Indian team bounce back and perform at the same level at which they were doing before this tournament. Lets hope they can....

French Open Final: Roger Federer Cries Again - But This Time Tears Of Joy

I was watching the final of French Open between Federer and Soderling. As soon as the match ended i decided that i should devote one post to this momentous occasion.

Roger Federer conquered the territory of which he was never considered a master. He had lost one semi final and three finals to Rafael Nadal for past 4 years but this year it all seemed like destiny.

Nadal was knocked out of the tournament in the fourth round which made it relatively easy for Federer. Now his critics would say that if Nadal would have been on the other side in the finals it would have been an entirely different matter, but sports doesn't works on "ifs" and "buts". What matters is that Roger Federer has finally completed a career slam (only the sixth person to do so) by winning all the four grand slams. And to cap it all Andre Agassi was the person who presented him the trophy, Agassi was the last person to complete a career slam in 1999 by winning the French Open. Today 10 years later Roger Federer completed a career slam by winning the French Open. It felt great to see the trophy presented to Federer by Agassi.

Another record which Federer reached was that he equaled Peter Sampras tally of 14 Grand Slam wins. It would be so very fitting if Federer breaks Sampras's record on his favorite surface...grass. John McEnroe in post match interview said Roger Federer is the greatest player ever to play the game. To this i fully agree, the only blip there now left to clear is his record against Nadal, if he can win some more matches in future against him even that would be cleaned. If he doesn't, it wouldn't even matter because you cannot judge a player by comparing his record against only one player. Overall Federer is the greatest player ever to play the game.

Few months back when i saw Roger Federer crying after losing Australian Open final my heart went out for him. I felt extremely bad after seeing tears in his eyes. Today a few months later there were tears in Federer's eyes again, but this time they were tears of joy and i felt extremely happy for the man who deserves all the accolades that are showered upon him. He has still a few years left before he retires, till then lets hope he can increase his grand slams tally all the more. Best of luck to Roger for his future. And Congratulations!!! Enjoy the moment. He deserves it.

Media Bias: Roger Federer And Rafael Nadal

I recently came across an article in which it was written how media is biased in favor of Rafael Nadal as compared to Roger Federer.

When Roger Federer lost to Nadal in Wimbledon Final i.e on his favorite surface grass, the whole media regarded it as a death knell for Roger Federer. Media started proclaiming that Roger Federer is finished and he will never be able to break Pete Sampras's record of most grand slam wins. That was when he suffered glandular fever at the beginning of the year, inspite of that he reached Australian Open semi finals and Wimbledon final. In both the cases he didn't went down without a fight. All his critics were silenced once again when he won last year US open. But the very same critics started speaking against him again when he lost Australian Open final. Some even said that Nadal reduced Federer to tears. The media certainly has bias against Roger Federer. His every defeat is magnified out of proportion.

Now lets look at the case with Nadal. When he lost to Roger Federer at Madrid on clay, nobody said a thing, because it was considered an off-day. Now when he went out of the French open by losing in the fourth round to a unknown guy named Soderling, people didn't said anything. A defeat for Rafael Nadal is one of those off-days which are bound to happen, where as for Roger Federer its a career ending event.

The only probable reason i can think of this is that Federer has dominated for so long that whenever he loses its a big event. With age catching up on him he is sure to lose more matches as compared to when he was at his peak. So i would like to take these things into perspective and conclude that every sportsperson will have both good and bad days, so some matches lost here and there doesn't matter, what really matters is the ability to bounce back as quickly as possible. Till now I have never written Roger Federer off, nor i am writing off Rafael Nadal.

The only difference is that Roger Federer has done it time and again by coming back from defeats to take more grand slams. Can Rafael Nadal repeat the same thing, only time can tell...

Rafael Nadal Falls - Finally

Well, Well, Well.......It has happened. Finally it has happened. Rafael Nadal falls. After a dream run for the past 3 years and a fairytale run at Roland Garros for the past 4 years it finally has ended for Nadal. Rafael Nadal lost to Robin Soderling in four sets in the fourth round of the French open. Nobody in their wildest dreams expected this to happen. Now the draw is all open and people are expecting Roger Federer to complete his career slam by winning the only grand slam that has eluded him for so long.

Rafael Nadal has had a amazing run for the past few years where he has trounced every opponent he has come across even the great Roger Federer. The only time Federer has been able to stop him was during his favorite grass court Wimbledon but last year Rafael Nadal broke the Roger Federer fortress by playing one of the best match in the history of modern tennis. People said Nadal can't win on hard court, he proved everybody wrong by beating Roger Federer once again in a classic 5-set final. That day when i saw Roger Federer crying, my heart went out to him and since that day i want him all the more desperately to break Pete Sampras record of most grand slam wins...poor Roger Federer...going down slowly and slowly. But still what has been amazing has been Roger Federer's ability to come back again and again and perform well at the grand slams consistently.

Now here we see Rafael Nadal facing his first major loss after many years. Now it would determine whether he is a great player of all time or just one of the best of his generation. That is because he lost on his favorite surface in 4 sets to a unknown guy named Soderling whom he had beaten 6-0, 6-1 a month back. If he would have lost to Roger Federer in a final which would have lasted 4-5 sets, it would have meant that Nadal struggled till the last and then failed to a superior opponent. Here it was all struggle. Nadal's defeat to Andy Murray in US Open was not that big an issue because it was hard court which is not his favorite surface. But when the same thing happens to him on clay court, on which he is considered the best player of all time thats a matter of concern. Now is the true test of his character. Roger Federer went down and came back and won the US open last year and even this year he is looking good. Can Rafael Nadal do the same thing and show the world that he is really a champion player of all time. Only time will tell....But whatever happens i won't write Nadal off so quickly. I think he will be back and back with a vengeance. See you in Wimbledon. Lets hope we get to see one more Federer-Nadal final in Wimbledon, in which as i have always done would support Federer.

Go Roger, go!!! Get this French open into your bag and show that you are the best player of all time.