Sunday, 14-Jul-2019 saw two superb finals that will be remembered for a long time to come. In Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in the men's singles tennis final. Some time later, England narrowly pipped New Zealand in the cricket World Cup final at Lord's stadium.
There were two deserving winners at the end of the day, but it is the spirit of the runners-up which stands out. I believe that the term "loser" is unfair in both matches ! Both, the New Zealand cricket team and Roger Federer fought valiantly and had victory beckoning at times. Until the 30th over or so in England's inning, New Zealand were the favourites to win. It was Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes who led the fightback for England. Similarly, Federer had a couple of championship points in the fourth set. Djokovic saved them, won the fourth set, took the decider fifth set into a tie-breaker and then won it to seal an amazing final !
Since the cricket World Cup final was also in progress at the same time, I switched channels on the television back and forth between the tennis final and the England New Zealand final. As time passed, I realised that there would be no relief from the tension in either match ! Both finals extended themselves as much as possible: the tennis final ended in the tie-breaker of the fifth set after the players were locked at 12-12 ; the cricket final was tied even after the super over and was decided on the basis of boundaries hit.
This blog post records my impressions on the matches. Since the tennis match ended first, let me begin with it.
I can recall some memorable rivalries in tennis: today, Federer - Nadal ; earlier, Borg - McEnroe ; Seles - Graf ; Sampras - Agassi. Men's tennis is currently dominated by the triumvirate of Rafael Nadal, Djokovic and Federer. We have seen memorable matches between Nadal and Federer. On Sunday, I believe that we witnessed a match that would easily rank among those.
Both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have won at Wimbledon. Yet, the way they fought in the match, it appeared as if both were playing the final for the first time : hats off to their will to win !
I was captivated by a wonderful 25 stroke rally in the middle of the match. In the final set also, the two contestants played out a superb 16 shot rally, a testament to their fitness and unquenchable desire to win ! https://youtu.be/BGNW9PEwVTo shows the two players at their best as they battle each other.
Djokovic is the winner, but if at all there were a public poll on who was better in the match, I believe that the public would select Roger Federer. Sportsmanship is about how one treats victory and defeat. When a winner plays tribute to not only his/ her opponent but also to the contest itself after a long and tough match, it is clear that the match was special. Djokovic's comments on the match are available at https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/articles/2019-07-14/djokovic_it_was_the_most_mentally_demanding_match_ive_played.html. There was little to separate the victor from the runner-up after the match. After the match, Federer said that the loss is too much to bear, but crucially he did not say that he will retire ! This demonstrates his passion for the game. The best sportspersons should be left to themselves to decide when they should retire, particularly in individual sports like tennis. Until then let us enjoy their mastery and games like the 2019 men's singles final at Wimbledon !
The cricket World Cup final was equally special. https://www.cricketworldcup.com/news/1278938 describes the final.
New Zealand elected to bat. In a team event, the contribution of one or two players stands out. The crucial part played by others is less remembered. I believe that two such players in the cricket World Cup final in 2019 at Lord's were Liam Plunkett and Jos Buttler. Whenever New Zealand seemed to get a partnership going, a wicket would fall. Among the wicket takers, it was Liam Plunkett who accounted for 3 wickets, including that of the settled Henry Nicholls and the New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.
Later when England came to bat, they were 86/4. The match was in balance. At this point it was Jos Buttler who came out and batted with positive intent. Ben Stokes was the player of the finals, but the mid-inning impetus was provided by Jos Buttler. I believe that his 59 off 60 balls was just as crucial as Ben Stokes' unbeaten 84 off 98 balls.
Another player whose contribution I want to point out is Colin de Grandhomme. To bowl 10 overs on the trot and concede just 25 runs in the final is a performance that is remarkable.
The drama built up as the slog overs progressed in the England inning. In the partnership between Buttler and Stokes, it was Buttler who was more aggressive initially. The two of them consolidated for around 20 overs. From 86/4, England was 196/5 in the 45th over. The target of 242 looked closer now.
England's current one day international batting line-up is renowned for its depth. The number 10 Adil Rashid can also strike a few blows ! Despite the formidable batting depth, New Zealand kept on fighting. England were 220/6 in the 49th over. Then Plunkett was caught while Jimmy Neesham bowled Jofra Archer. At the end of the over, England were on 227/8, the scales being marginally tilted in favour of New Zealand.
What followed was a climax which makes sports such a powerful demonstration of drama, emotions and excitement !
Ben Stokes showed us why he is regarded as a threat by all his opponent teams. He hit a sixer that was priceless for England. Then, more drama: as the batsmen attempted to run two, the ball hit the bat and went away for overthrows. Stokes requested the umpire not to give the runs since it had gone off his bat, but it was not to be. Six was the call, mistakenly given ! If five runs had been awarded, it would have been Adil Rashid to take strike ! As it happened, Rashid was run out off the penultimate ball. England were still two runs behind, with one wicket in hand and one ball remaining ! Off the last ball, Stokes easily completed one run, but Mark Wood was run out. Just tapping these words into my smartphone brings back the memory of that over and makes my heart race faster again ! The scores were tied: the stage was set for the super over !
It was Buttler and Stokes who took guard again for England in the super over. Like a well oiled machine, the two of them combined to put up 15 against Trent Boult. England opted for Jofra Archer to bowl against Neesham and Martin Guptill. More drama: Archer began with a wide ball ! Neesham hit a sixer off the second : it seemed that New Zealand were back in the game ! Archer bowled two well pitched balls to restrict Neesham and New Zealand. Off the final ball, two runs were required. Guptill was run out chasing an unlikely second run, leading to another tie, this time in the super over. England won only because they had hit more boundaries !
It looks cruel for New Zealand. I can say that they were the victim of an unlucky overthrow and rules that now appear silly. The unfairness of the result hit all of us, including the England captain Eoin Morgan. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12249596 quotes Morgan commending the New Zealand team. However the rules are the same for all the teams. If New Zealand had won after the super over on boundaries, cricket fans from England would have said that the rules are rubbish !
For the next couple of days, the spellbinding final was the topic of conversation in most places ! I know that we discussed it at length in the bus during our commute to home. I know I that I initiated talks about the cricket World Cup final at least twice in my circles of friends and colleagues at work ! Of course, the forwarded memes and the tweets kept on coming on social media channels. The overthrow, the usage of boundaries to decide a final, the umpiring and other incidents in the match were all debated and discussed. What caught my attention was a tweet by Jimmy Neesham after the final. It is available at https://twitter.com/JimmyNeesh/status/1150562893777244160?s=20. On the face of it, this appears to be a tweet of somebody upset and dejected. It captures some of the feelings of not only the New Zealand cricket team but also millions of cricket fans the world over ! It is a sentiment that the other runner-up Roger Federer would have understood on that day ! The reactions to the tweet were mostly sympathetic and even empathetic towards Neesham, a testimony to how every New Zealand cricket player in that final has earned the respects of the game's fan all over the world.
The cricket World Cup final of 2019 and the tennis men's singles final of 2019 at Wimbledon were two matches that will be etched in memories for a long time. It is all the more remarkable that they occurred on the same day. I have been witness to many cricket and tennis matches where my favourite team or player has lost. I have experienced the thrill of victory along with millions of other fans. Sport can disappoint, excite and enthrall its audience. On Sunday, 14-Jul-2019, two superb finals showed that it could do all three tasks simultaneously !
The joy and triumph of the winners was evident after the matches. The quality of the final matches raised the status of the runners-up equal to those of the winners. In a manner, the wins of Djokovic and England are phyrric victories to some extent. https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/the-generosity-of-true-sportsmen-1563513345806.html highlights the importance of runners-up like Roger Federer, Kane Williamson and his New Zealand cricket team.
There were two winners on Sunday, 14-Jul-2019, but it is equally the runners-up who made the finals special. I witnessed two contests which brought out the beauty of sports: the excitement, the spirit of sportsmanship, the passion of the contestants, the relief and joy of a victory obtained after painstaking effort and the agony and disappointment of having come close enough to sip from the cup of victory and then find the cup being taken away ! There is also a moral to be learnt from the behaviour of the runners-up: "Keep fighting, irrespective of the result. Even though the winner is celebrated, the runner-up is remembered more !" My respects go to all contestants in the tennis and cricket finals on the memorable Sunday of 14-Jul-2019.
There were two deserving winners at the end of the day, but it is the spirit of the runners-up which stands out. I believe that the term "loser" is unfair in both matches ! Both, the New Zealand cricket team and Roger Federer fought valiantly and had victory beckoning at times. Until the 30th over or so in England's inning, New Zealand were the favourites to win. It was Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes who led the fightback for England. Similarly, Federer had a couple of championship points in the fourth set. Djokovic saved them, won the fourth set, took the decider fifth set into a tie-breaker and then won it to seal an amazing final !
Since the cricket World Cup final was also in progress at the same time, I switched channels on the television back and forth between the tennis final and the England New Zealand final. As time passed, I realised that there would be no relief from the tension in either match ! Both finals extended themselves as much as possible: the tennis final ended in the tie-breaker of the fifth set after the players were locked at 12-12 ; the cricket final was tied even after the super over and was decided on the basis of boundaries hit.
This blog post records my impressions on the matches. Since the tennis match ended first, let me begin with it.
I can recall some memorable rivalries in tennis: today, Federer - Nadal ; earlier, Borg - McEnroe ; Seles - Graf ; Sampras - Agassi. Men's tennis is currently dominated by the triumvirate of Rafael Nadal, Djokovic and Federer. We have seen memorable matches between Nadal and Federer. On Sunday, I believe that we witnessed a match that would easily rank among those.
Both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have won at Wimbledon. Yet, the way they fought in the match, it appeared as if both were playing the final for the first time : hats off to their will to win !
I was captivated by a wonderful 25 stroke rally in the middle of the match. In the final set also, the two contestants played out a superb 16 shot rally, a testament to their fitness and unquenchable desire to win ! https://youtu.be/BGNW9PEwVTo shows the two players at their best as they battle each other.
Djokovic is the winner, but if at all there were a public poll on who was better in the match, I believe that the public would select Roger Federer. Sportsmanship is about how one treats victory and defeat. When a winner plays tribute to not only his/ her opponent but also to the contest itself after a long and tough match, it is clear that the match was special. Djokovic's comments on the match are available at https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/articles/2019-07-14/djokovic_it_was_the_most_mentally_demanding_match_ive_played.html. There was little to separate the victor from the runner-up after the match. After the match, Federer said that the loss is too much to bear, but crucially he did not say that he will retire ! This demonstrates his passion for the game. The best sportspersons should be left to themselves to decide when they should retire, particularly in individual sports like tennis. Until then let us enjoy their mastery and games like the 2019 men's singles final at Wimbledon !
The cricket World Cup final was equally special. https://www.cricketworldcup.com/news/1278938 describes the final.
New Zealand elected to bat. In a team event, the contribution of one or two players stands out. The crucial part played by others is less remembered. I believe that two such players in the cricket World Cup final in 2019 at Lord's were Liam Plunkett and Jos Buttler. Whenever New Zealand seemed to get a partnership going, a wicket would fall. Among the wicket takers, it was Liam Plunkett who accounted for 3 wickets, including that of the settled Henry Nicholls and the New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.
Later when England came to bat, they were 86/4. The match was in balance. At this point it was Jos Buttler who came out and batted with positive intent. Ben Stokes was the player of the finals, but the mid-inning impetus was provided by Jos Buttler. I believe that his 59 off 60 balls was just as crucial as Ben Stokes' unbeaten 84 off 98 balls.
Another player whose contribution I want to point out is Colin de Grandhomme. To bowl 10 overs on the trot and concede just 25 runs in the final is a performance that is remarkable.
The drama built up as the slog overs progressed in the England inning. In the partnership between Buttler and Stokes, it was Buttler who was more aggressive initially. The two of them consolidated for around 20 overs. From 86/4, England was 196/5 in the 45th over. The target of 242 looked closer now.
England's current one day international batting line-up is renowned for its depth. The number 10 Adil Rashid can also strike a few blows ! Despite the formidable batting depth, New Zealand kept on fighting. England were 220/6 in the 49th over. Then Plunkett was caught while Jimmy Neesham bowled Jofra Archer. At the end of the over, England were on 227/8, the scales being marginally tilted in favour of New Zealand.
What followed was a climax which makes sports such a powerful demonstration of drama, emotions and excitement !
Ben Stokes showed us why he is regarded as a threat by all his opponent teams. He hit a sixer that was priceless for England. Then, more drama: as the batsmen attempted to run two, the ball hit the bat and went away for overthrows. Stokes requested the umpire not to give the runs since it had gone off his bat, but it was not to be. Six was the call, mistakenly given ! If five runs had been awarded, it would have been Adil Rashid to take strike ! As it happened, Rashid was run out off the penultimate ball. England were still two runs behind, with one wicket in hand and one ball remaining ! Off the last ball, Stokes easily completed one run, but Mark Wood was run out. Just tapping these words into my smartphone brings back the memory of that over and makes my heart race faster again ! The scores were tied: the stage was set for the super over !
It was Buttler and Stokes who took guard again for England in the super over. Like a well oiled machine, the two of them combined to put up 15 against Trent Boult. England opted for Jofra Archer to bowl against Neesham and Martin Guptill. More drama: Archer began with a wide ball ! Neesham hit a sixer off the second : it seemed that New Zealand were back in the game ! Archer bowled two well pitched balls to restrict Neesham and New Zealand. Off the final ball, two runs were required. Guptill was run out chasing an unlikely second run, leading to another tie, this time in the super over. England won only because they had hit more boundaries !
It looks cruel for New Zealand. I can say that they were the victim of an unlucky overthrow and rules that now appear silly. The unfairness of the result hit all of us, including the England captain Eoin Morgan. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12249596 quotes Morgan commending the New Zealand team. However the rules are the same for all the teams. If New Zealand had won after the super over on boundaries, cricket fans from England would have said that the rules are rubbish !
For the next couple of days, the spellbinding final was the topic of conversation in most places ! I know that we discussed it at length in the bus during our commute to home. I know I that I initiated talks about the cricket World Cup final at least twice in my circles of friends and colleagues at work ! Of course, the forwarded memes and the tweets kept on coming on social media channels. The overthrow, the usage of boundaries to decide a final, the umpiring and other incidents in the match were all debated and discussed. What caught my attention was a tweet by Jimmy Neesham after the final. It is available at https://twitter.com/JimmyNeesh/status/1150562893777244160?s=20. On the face of it, this appears to be a tweet of somebody upset and dejected. It captures some of the feelings of not only the New Zealand cricket team but also millions of cricket fans the world over ! It is a sentiment that the other runner-up Roger Federer would have understood on that day ! The reactions to the tweet were mostly sympathetic and even empathetic towards Neesham, a testimony to how every New Zealand cricket player in that final has earned the respects of the game's fan all over the world.
The cricket World Cup final of 2019 and the tennis men's singles final of 2019 at Wimbledon were two matches that will be etched in memories for a long time. It is all the more remarkable that they occurred on the same day. I have been witness to many cricket and tennis matches where my favourite team or player has lost. I have experienced the thrill of victory along with millions of other fans. Sport can disappoint, excite and enthrall its audience. On Sunday, 14-Jul-2019, two superb finals showed that it could do all three tasks simultaneously !
The joy and triumph of the winners was evident after the matches. The quality of the final matches raised the status of the runners-up equal to those of the winners. In a manner, the wins of Djokovic and England are phyrric victories to some extent. https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/the-generosity-of-true-sportsmen-1563513345806.html highlights the importance of runners-up like Roger Federer, Kane Williamson and his New Zealand cricket team.
There were two winners on Sunday, 14-Jul-2019, but it is equally the runners-up who made the finals special. I witnessed two contests which brought out the beauty of sports: the excitement, the spirit of sportsmanship, the passion of the contestants, the relief and joy of a victory obtained after painstaking effort and the agony and disappointment of having come close enough to sip from the cup of victory and then find the cup being taken away ! There is also a moral to be learnt from the behaviour of the runners-up: "Keep fighting, irrespective of the result. Even though the winner is celebrated, the runner-up is remembered more !" My respects go to all contestants in the tennis and cricket finals on the memorable Sunday of 14-Jul-2019.
Hey Kiran..Prakash here..nice post! i hear you! i was in my tennis club, club house watching the finals with other 40 tennis fans...and in paralell i had the circket world cup finals on my phone, live streaming, and i have to look up and down every other sec to follow both matches (one on tv and one on my phone on my lap). it was an overdoes of excitement and competitiveness and sheer joy! and sadly, my phone died when the match tied and i couldnt watch the superover live...i focussedo n tennis then...I am a fan of all three, but slightly prefer Djokovic as he has always been the underdog, under appreciated compared to the other two and i always root for the under dog!
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On a lighter note, your smartphone saved you the tension I experienced during the super over !! I agree with you: tennis is fortunate to see three amazing players excel simultaneously.
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