Tennys Sandgren and His Version of a “Clean Start”

Tennys Sandgren

We all lay stress on “thinking before saying”. Well, with the advancement of social media, what they should be laying stress on is: think before you tweet. Tennys Sandgren, an American tennis star, had to learn this lesson the hard way, soon after he had come on to the scene. The 26-year-old must have been ecstatic upon defeating the fifth ranked player in the world to progress into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, but he must have certainly detested he scrutiny that followed. Sandgren had followed a number of prominent figures of the alt-right mindset and retweeted a number of their tweets also. Racism and the “Spirit Cooking” campaign were some of the things that he had tweeted on during the Trump – Hilary election bout.

Instead of apologizing on holding views that were based on pure racism and hatred, Sandgren resorted to cheap excuses when inquired about them in a press conference. On top of that, he even chose to delete all of his tweets, in an attempt to fulfill his “version of a clean start”. Will somebody tell Mr. Sandgren that’s not how “clean starts” work for the sophisticated and rational population of the world? If not, then he’ll certainly be in for a rude awakening—courtesy of the French media—when he flies off for the French Open in a few months’ time!

Djokovic and His Petty Excuses!

Nadal-Djokovic-Australian-Open-final

We all know Novak Djokovic for the feats he pulls off on the tennis court, right? I mean, who could forget the 2012 Australian Open Final, which lasted for almost six hours, before an exhausted Djokovic emerged victorious. Regardless of how phenomenal that match between Nadal and Djokovic might have been, it’s a surprise that Djokovic is using it to justify his injury stricken 2017.

In a recent tweet, Novak Djokovic blamed that final for the fact that he and Nadal are in need of rehabilitation after the injuries that they suffered in 2017. Not only that, he went on to comment on how Roger Federer now has a chance to usurp the title of number one tennis player in the world, all because Nadal had to go through that fateful match back in 2012.It’s a surprise that Djokovic claims that the match had lasting impacts on him and Nadal, especially when you consider how much younger the two tennis stars were back in 2012.

To claim that the only reason why Federer—one of the greatest of all time—has got a chance of becoming number one again is Nadal’s injury, would be absolutely preposterous. Federer is 36 now and still less prone to injury than Nadal and Djokovic, who are supposedly in their prime. Both Djokovic and Nadal need to take lessons on fitness from Roger Federer, instead of moping about how a match has had lasting impact on them. It’s a fact that only the fittest survive!

Injury Prone Nadal Is Confident That He Can Catch up with Federer’s Grand Slam Galore

Rafael Nadal

When you speak of Rafael Nadal, you already know how great of a tennis star he is. However, another set of words that has been associated with Nadal’s name is “injury prone”. Yes, Rafael Nadal is probably the most injury prone star in the circuit, currently. Therefore, when you hear that Nadal has made claims of beating Roger Federer’s Grand Slam record, you cannot help but laugh at the mockery that the Spaniard is making out of himself.

Nadal might be four years younger than Federer, but it wouldn’t be wrong to say that he cannot even come close to the high standards of tennis fitness that the 36 year old veteran has managed to maintain. Continuing his dominance, Federer won his 20th Grand Slam title after he beat Marin Cilic in the final of the Australian Open. And what was Nadal doing while Federer was hunting for the gold? Well, he was out injured…again!

It is one thing to be optimistic and self confident, but with Nadal, it’s more a case of being delusional than self confidence. Unless Nadal could, somehow, swap his fitness and consistency with Federer’s, it’s almost a certainty that his trophy cabinet won’t even be close to Federer’s, by the time both of these stars decide to hang their shoes!

Roger Federer Should Consider Keeping Quiet on Matters He Knows Little About!

Ricardo Rodriguez scores for Switzerland

We all know Roger Federer—one of the greatest tennis players of all time—for being a thorough sportsman, right? Well, it appears as if Federer’s sportsmanship takes a backseat when it comes to his nationalism, which certainly is unfitting for an individual of his stature. And, apparently, Federer’s nationalism gives him the right of gracing the world with his opinion on matters he knows little of.

Northern Ireland was cruising towards a spot for the FIFA World Cup 2018. However, there’s path was bulldozed by a bizarre penalty decision from the referee, during the match against Switzerland, which caused the match to end up in a draw. This draw (read: penalty decision) is the reason why the people of Northern Ireland will be unable to see their players performing in Russia, later this year.

When asked about the referee’s decision, Federer had the audacity to comment that the decision was “right”, even though he’d admitted that he’d not watched the match, just moments earlier. Even seasonal football enthusiasts, who only understand the basics of football, will tell you that Northern Ireland was robbed of their place in Russia this summer. But it seems that people like Federer, however, will continue to defend the murder of sportsmanship in the name of nationalism!

ATP and Their Comedy of Errors

ATP Challenger Tour

Everything that the ATP has done in the past few weeks has gone wrong! From the ignorance in the organization of the “sexist” and “disgraceful” draw ceremony in Milan to the irresponsible publication of the wrong schedule—it appears as if the ATP can’t get anything right these days.

The ATP has announced that the matches of Group Pete Samparas were scheduled to begin on the 12th of November while those of Group Boris Becker would begin on the 12th of November. In light of the published “news”, a large number of Nadal and Federer fans had bought tickets to the incorrect sessions. Imagine expecting to witness the class of Roger Federer but being greeted instead by the arrogance of Rafael Nadal!

The fact that the players, themselves, were confused by the comedy of errors speaks millions of the irresponsible ATP. And to make matters worse, they got the start timings of the matches wrong as well. Imagine getting up early in the morning to catch a game of tennis at 9am, only to realize that the game doesn’t begin until 2pm. But that’s what happens when the international body for the game of tennis is nothing short of a “liability” for the sport!