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WRAPUP 1-Tennis-Nadal seals magnificent seven

By Pritha Sarkar

PARIS, June 11 | Mon Jun 11, 2012 7:57pm BST

(Reuters) - A gaping hole on a smashed-up on-court bench bore testament to how maddening it is to play Rafa Nadal at Roland Garros as the Spaniard was hailed as the 'greatest ever claycourt player' after hoisting the French Open trophy for a record seventh time.

Novak Djokovic found plenty of uses for his racket during a soggy final which spilled into a second day on Monday. The world number one slammed it to the ground, sent debris flying everywhere after smashing it into his courtside bench and even whacked his head repeatedly with it.

But it simply could not conjure the strokes that would have allowed the Serb to become the first man in 43 years to win four grand slams in a row and instead Djokovic, with a sore head and tortured soul, fired a double fault that prompted Nadal to sink to his knees following a 6-4 6-3 2-6 7-5 victory.

The high-stakes showdown had started at 1517 local time on Sunday under menacing grey skies, was contested mainly through driving rain, and ended almost 23 hours later in a sudden burst of sunshine with a triumphant Nadal curled into a foetal position in the most famous arena in claycourt tennis.

On a court that has become a private stage for his jaw-dropping skills, Nadal eclipsed the record he shared with Bjorn Borg and showed the man who had defeated him in the last three grand slam finals that this was his stomping ground.

But unlike Borg, who quit the sport at 26, the same age as Nadal is now, the insatiable Spaniard still hungers to extend his astonishing Roland Garros run which now stands at 52-1, with a 7-0 record in the finals.

"He's definitely best player in history on this surface, and results are showing that he's one of the best-ever players that played this game," Djokovic told reporters after his 27-match winning streak at the slams was ended by Nadal in the three hours 50 minute duel.

Nadal, though, was not feeling so invincible when he woke up on Monday morning with a 6-4 6-3 2-6 1-2 lead.

As far as he was concerned, the thought of joining Australian Jack Crawford as the only man to have lost four successive slam finals, was the stuff of nightmares.

"I had lost three grand slam finals in a row to him. If I had lost a fourth final, this would have been very difficult for me," said Nadal, who had reached the Paris showpiece without dropping a set. "I was very nervous all night. So in my mind, this was the final I had to win."

He need not have worried as after only 50 minutes of action on Monday, he was once again cradling the Musketeers' Cup and running his fingers down the list of champions on the metal plate at the base of the trophy, knowing that as of June 11 2012, his name will appear on it more than anybody else's.

EXCEPTIONAL ERA

Nadal might have rained down on Djokovic's parade - denying him the chance of doing something no man has done since Australian great Rod Laver in 1969, but at least Djokovic had the consolation of knowing that he is an intrinsic part of an exceptional era in men's tennis.

If there were any doubt about how this golden trio of Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer measure up to generations gone by, it seems that every time they step on a grand slam stage, there is a fresh deluge of eye-watering statistics.

They have now won 28 of the last 29 grand slams - it would have been 29-of-29 if Federer had not blown a two-sets-to-one lead against Juan Martin del Potro in the 2009 U.S. Open final.

All three players have been in a position to win four slams in row. Federer in 2006 and 2007, Nadal in 2011 and Djokovic this weekend. From 1969 to 2006, only Pete Sampras came close to pulling off the feat in the men's game in 1994.

The trio have also dominated the top ranking since Federer first climbed to the summit in February 2004.

"The sport is experiencing some really good times now. We're attracting a lot of attention because we have these two great players, and ... myself. We really have some charismatic players, a lot of personalities. This is good for tennis," said the world number one.

A French Open final that had so much riding on it proved tricky and exasperating for both players.

A day earlier tennis fans has seen the best and worst of Djokovic. But at least he had got his temper tantrums under control to fight back from two sets and a break down to win eight successive games as persistent drizzle turned the surface into a muddy mess.

That had left Nadal irritated, Djokovic rejuvenated and the encounter on a knife-edge with the Spaniard leading by two sets to one but a break down in the fourth as the finale headed into third-week finish for the first time here since 1973.

When the players returned on Monday, though, Roland Garros resembled a ghost-town with most of the boutiques in the grounds closed and only a handful of people milling around the alleyways.

It was not long before Nadal started to haunt Djokovic in a half-full Philippe Chatrier Court.

The Serb was left whacking his head with his racket within minutes of the restart as he went down break point after belting a forehand into the net to end a 21-shot rally.

Seconds later the Serb saw his 2-1 break advantage vanish after a leaping netcord allowed Nadal to blaze an audacious passing shot winner.

Djokovic raised his arm to slam another racket, but thought better of it. He smacked his head again with his racket after coming off second best in yet another 20-stroke plus rally, and complained bitterly to the umpire when the rain showers returned with Nadal just one game away from victory.

But the rain Gods were not willing to play ball with Djokovic on Monday and rapidly cleared away to allow Nadal to claim his moment of glory. (Editing by Toby Davis)

Of some expert narrative

PARIS -- Narratives are fluid, based on feel and perspective, passion and statistics and the momentum of the moment. All of which, when molded by different hands, can turn into some cousin of fact.

In January, Rafael Nadal was no longer the equal of Novak Djokovic -- or so we thought -- after the grueling 5-hour, 53-minute Australian Open final. Yet after a physically and mentally draining French Open run, Nadal resurrected this truth: He had never gone anywhere in the first place.

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Torsten Blackwood/Getty ImagesWhen Novak Djokovic won the Aussie Open final, we were left wondering whether Rafael Nadal would challenge him again.

"Don't forget that I've played the last five Grand Slam finals in a row. That's not victory. That's not a title, but that's fantastic results," Nadal said. "I played very bad in Montreal, Cincinnati. Yes, I played a great U.S. Open and I played probably bad in Shanghai and at the end of the season, but in the Davis Cup final I played great.

"You have to find your moments," he said. "With Novak, I say the same to me. It is not possible to be perfect every time, to be 100 percent every tournament. I'm going to keep having chances to win. I produced a lot of chances to win last year, but I lost almost every one."

For more than nine months, Nadal had not suffered a tennis problem as much as he had a Djokovic problem. Djokovic had not only taken Nadal's No. 1 ranking, but he took the Spaniard's air of invincibility on clay by beating him in the finals of the Madrid and Rome 1000 Masters events in 2011. Djokovic had beaten Nadal in seven consecutive finals, three of which were Grand Slams.

"After the U.S. Open, I said I knew what I had to do to win. Now the question is: 'Am I capable of doing that?'" Nadal said. "In Australia, I was not in very good shape, mentally speaking. I could have won, but for mental reasons I had lost. I was not in the best mental status. Now, I'm here. I made it. I did everything I could to win this match."

Since losing the fifth set at the Aussie, Nadal has beaten Djokovic three straight times. Nadal has won seven of eight sets against Djokovic and overcome all of the mental and emotional hurdles that had handcuffed him.

For both men, the Australian Open final created narratives. Djokovic had become indomitable, too tough and too technically skilled for Nadal to combat. Yet the margins were never so great as to say Nadal was not competitive. But after Monday's win, we are reminded that Nadal is the greatest clay-court player of all time -- 52-1 lifetime at Roland Garros -- but he should also be in the conversation of the greatest all-court player as well with Rod Laver, Roger Federer and Bjorn Borg. Nadal has now played in five consecutive Grand Slam finals and has 11 total Slam wins. Federer played in a remarkable 10 straight from the 2005 Wimbledon to the 2007 U.S. Open and has 16 to his name.

Here in Paris, Nadal fought Djokovic into submission. It was the top-ranked Serb who we usually see impose his will on opponents and melt their resolve. But it was Djokovic who looked baffled. He was being pushed farther back and left to right by Nadal. After play resumed following the rainout, Djokovic ripped a forehand into the net, giving Nadal the key break point that turned the match.

In frustrated response, Djokovic batted himself three times in the head with his racket. The margins were thinning even more as a Nadal forehand clipped the tape and fell short. Djokovic flipped a helpless return back that Nadal finished with a backhand crosscourt winner. In three service games as the end neared, Nadal lost three points total on his serve. The match ended when Djokovic, helplessly, double-faulted.

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Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty ImagesRafael Nadal showcased not only his clay-court prowess but his mental fortitude.

"In my opinion, the conditions were much more favorable for Novak than for me," Nadal said. "At the same time, I'm playing against the best in the world. He played, in my opinion, fantastic [during those] eight games in a row. He didn't have any mistakes. He returned fantastically well. That's true that I lost meters behind the baseline. I wasn't able to push him back like I did at the beginning of the match. He was able to push me back all the time. I felt like I was in a completely negative position almost every time on that period of the match."

The narrative, both immutable yet obviously fluid, said that Nadal lacked the necessary belief to take down Djokovic when the air thinned. That was, obviously, not the case here. But one thing we know, this story of twists and turns and momentum shifts is far from over. Because both men know the other is capable of controlling this rivalry at any given moment.

"Seriously, if I say something wrong about Novak it's probably going to be a big mistake because don't forget that he won in Australia," Nadal said. "He won in Miami, played the semifinals in Indian Wells, losing 7-6 in the third. He played the final in Monte Carlo, the final in Rome and the final here."

Wimbledon is now two weeks away, and Nadal is as formidable as before -- but with the results to fortify the belief. He has played Djokovic 33 times and won 19. The margins between the two men are miniscule. Nadal may have cost himself a major with that missed backhand in Melbourne. Djokovic may have lost a sixth because it rained or because he double-faulted three times to lose games. The point is that the narratives may be fluid, but the greatness of Nadal is not.

Saumitra-II

For most part of Ramayana, Ram and Lakshmana, by most accounts, are believed to be exceptional kshatriya (warrior section of the society) princes but nothing more; they behave and feel like humans and are not known to speak explicitly of any supernatural elements they might have within them.For 12-13 years of their exile, they live quietly and slowly, unknowingly getting better and better; their bedrock of patience getting stronger;their knowledge and use of weapons, better.

Ageing has its effects on Ram and Saumitra who slowly begin to spend more of their time worshiping Shiva while still as a discipline, practicing and maintaining their weapons and tools in good shape. Saumitra is known to mirror Ram in his conduct during this period. It is only towards the end of this period, in dandakaranya , when Surpanakha abuses Sita beyond limit, an angry Saumitra cuts nose of Surpanakha. But this time, he is fully aware of his words and his actions.

After some time passes by, one day Sita manipulates Rama emotionally to chase a golden deer and bring it to her. When Sita hears Ram's cry from deep in the woods, she forces Saumitra to look for his brother. Saumitra senses some abnormal situation and does not believe that anyone could put Ram in trouble. He is not ready to leave Sita alone in the woods.When forced to leave the hut, Saumitra is known to draw a line around the hut; this is the line which Sita must not cross come what may, and any unauthorized entity crossing this line towards the hut would get destroyed. Saying this he leaves for the woods. Ravana, waiting for Laxman's departure realizes from his knowledge and senses that this was a line even he could not cross. In this flurried period of felicitous narration by Valmiki, the readers get , for the first time, an implicit indication of supernatural element in Saumitra.

On losing Sita, Ram immediately goes into shock and seems to be discombobulated. He loses self-control and self-esteem.In agitation he threatens to destroy this creation by his power. Seeing such uncharacteristic loss of self-control, Saumitra is known to have boldly and tactfully tell Rama, that destroying this creation was a very unfair view of the situation because this creation has no special interest in conspiring against Ram for his misfortunes. Ram becomes very weak and blames himself for every misfortunes and ills affecting his family. Saumitra displays level-headedness and suggests searching for Sita to be a better option.

The search for Sita and their journey further southward provide, although not definitive, evidence of the divinity of the brothers when Rama frees Devi Ahilya and some demons from their curse who are known to be waiting for ages for Ram for their salvation.

During the war in Lanka, Saumitra is known to take up initiative for killing many demons including Ankpan, and Indrajit. His encounters with Indrajit ( Meghnad) have been described vivdly in Ramayana. He has to use indrastra to beat Meghnad in the penultimate battle.

(concluded)

Saumitra-I

Ramayana is full of interesting characters. Each of them have their background and some bring their own stories to gently merge with the epic, where their stories meet their ends. Let me write about one of the very important characters of Ramayana today. The very nectar of this very great epic is a north indian prince's southward journey in exile with his younger brother and wife and ultimately waging a war against the most powerful king ever born and winning this war, to free his wife. Ramayana is too good a story to be wasted by narrating or reciting it in one monosyllabic way. It has to be looked from different angles and one might eventually ponder that who's story is it, Ram or Ravana's. For, in a broader context, several parallel stories run for generations, all of which find a climax in a special immortal combat in Lanka.

Saumitra is the prince of Ayodhya who accompanies his elder brother to a life in distant forests for 14 years. He is married to Urmila, sister of Sita. With a quiet and unnoticed separation from Urmila, he leaves for exile which was his destiny,as Saumitra, without Urmila, was to be part of a mythology to be sworn by Asian landscape for perpetuity.

Blessed with a silvery look and an unrivaled physique, commanding knowledge and practice in archery and other weapons, he is known to possess a very good demeanor. He is known to lose temper and become aggressive sometimes. Saumitra , none-the-less, is an extension of Rama's controlled aggression and manifestation of 'maryada purushottam' (the best among men in terms of behavior).Many believe that, he and some other characters of the story are incarnations of divine souls who come together to end Ravana's reign as the emperor of all worlds.Unknown to Ravana, thus is a divne plan which gradually takes shape and the story builds up , so that divine forces in a particular combination find way through the loopholes of boons granted to Ravana.

ballad

जिस से कोइ एक न जीता;

चेतक था एक राणाजी का;

जिस ने रण से पैर न खीचा;

चेतक था एक राणाजी का;

जब चेतक को एड लगा दी;

हर दुश्मन को धूल चटा दी;

राणाजी से उस का रिश्ता बडा अतूत था;

वो एक क्षत्रीय था ! वो एक राजपूत था !

Culmination

Gift as perceived or understood is not always a substance of material value, or not always even any gesture or deed which brings emotional benefit to others. Gift is simply something for which nothing is expected in return from others and at the same time it brings benefit to others through conscious action.

Thus any information which is knowingly given can qualify as a gift as that information can straightaway increase the knowledge of the recipient.It is noteworthy that these are often the most valuables of the gifts. A candid expression of a person like a confession of a murderer in the church is a gift to the priest who listens quietly . It helps in his learning on how and why the person on the other side of the wall turned to crime, and committed sins, on the situations and circumstances which led him to this path, on his failures to resist the temptations life offered and so on.

To borrow a thought from an animation movie , our mind is like water, when its agitated or polluted with unnecessary things, thoughts and emotions it becomes difficult to see, to 'get into our own minds'. But when we allow the water to settle, the answer becomes clear. To settle our mind means to reach the state of pure void and calm in our mind. For this , we have to remove our unwanted superficial thoughts and emotions like agitations, excitements , happiness, laughter, sorrow, one by one just like you peel away the skin to reach to the fruit. As we do this, we begin to realize that for the sake of one intense state of void, we cannot keep any 'necessary thoughts ' in the vicinity of our mind and that all thoughts are unnecessary.We then reach where we feel something that is akin to sitting in a bullet train trip of thoughts comprising of long past events and people to reach one idea that we want . That core state exists for a very short period of time.it may lead us to think in different directions. Sometimes it may make us weak, sentimental, or sometimes it may be so inspiring as being a Toruk Makto of the Avatar movie where the protagonist took himself to a whole new level.

Nadal-ism

It's that time of the year again. French Open, Roland Garros, appropriately sponsored by BNP Paribas (20th Century's Bank of France), time kept by Longines.The French watch companies are not good enough and the Swiss Companies continue to be official time-keepers. Roland Garros marks the end of the clay court season, the trophy itself the biggest reward for all the hard work and every clay court specialist looks forward to it.

This time, I could not pay much attention to the initial rounds although i knew some basic information that Nadal and Djokovic were placed in different half of the run-up.For the first time perhaps the legendary Roger Federer is no longer in spotlight. He is playing quietly there, strong enough to reach the quarter finals. The rivalry has shifted from Nadal-Federer to Nadal -Djokovic because of the supreme form Novak is in.But besides these big names which one cannot ignore, there are a couple of great players to watch out for. Del potro lost out to Novak, but I am waiting for the french player Richard Gasquet to display his lofty backhand drives, the flat,just- over- the -net forehand winners and the top-spin serves. he is much admired by the tennis watching community , though he is not very much used to absorb all the attention. He is also prone to be overwhelmed by the occasion and lacks tenacity when the situation is still not clear by the fourth set.

Rafael Nadal is indeed very special in this respect. He never takes any point for granted, never gives up till the last point has been won . He not only manages an impossible return to the most difficult of serves , but also he returns them so well that the Serving players find it impossible to play. He covers a lot of ground to nullify even the drop shots. He dispatches his opposition ruth-lessly for he knows the importance of winning the grand slams. Perhaps every player does, but rafa's intent is intimidating. The most special thing about him is that he did not get mesmerized or cowed down by Federer in his infallible form in 2004-2005. That made him famous and you can say, Rafael is probably the reason we all continue to watch the sport.

Rafael is now big enough a person to speak about the rules of the rankings and the tennis season schedules.