Old boys' club: the spirit of champions

I noticed that after Federer won the French Open, they started showing that Spirit of A Champion show about him again. Must have been because he won and they had nothing else about him to show or something. What struck me most about the show was how different he and his wife looked then and now.

And what has struck me about this year's Wimbledon last 16 is how many old warriors and old champions are still in the draw.

I must say I really admire the spirit of the ex-champions and older players. To soldier on during and after the rise of Federer and all the young pretenders is really something. I don't particularly like their on-court bratty behaviour and have no comments on their off-court lives (except that Hewitt's little girl is so cute now; too early to say for the boy) but when you see Roddick and Hewitt play these days, you can still see their passion and competitiveness. I used to routinely feel sorry for them in the days when they were routinely playing Federer in finals and semis. But I realise that they don't need anyone to feel sorry for them. They were fighters then and are still fighters now. Look at Juan Carlos Ferrero, at 29, after injury and poor rankings and all, he is also still in the draw.

So perhaps one should still see them as champions and not ex-champions.

Also in the 'old boys' group, Stepanek and Haas, both 31 and definitely fighters too. ('Old' being relative, of course; they are all a lot younger than I am, ha ha.)

Let's see how the young pretenders fare from this point on.

Farewell, Gloved One

Am/was not a fan but of course I will acknowledge talent when I see and hear it.

Michael Jackson was indeed a superbly talented singer (and dancer) and his contribution to the world of music is unparalleled.

I like this clip of him singing Ben, with various people like Beyonce talking about him.

And perhaps his most meaningful song (just my opinion), Man in the Mirror.

May he rest in peace.

Third is not last

Rather amusing how people rushed to write letters praising and 'defending' Changi Airport when the news came out that it was ranked -*gasp* - third by Skytrax. Even CAAS got into the act.

Aiyoh, third, so third, lah! It's not like we were ranked last or something. Beauty, airport rankings and many other things lie in the eyes of the beholder, so why be so uptight?

For some reason, I have almost zero recollection of Incheon but the husband and the boy are very sure that it is a great airport. And we all agree that Chek Lap Kok is good.

But with things lying in the eyes of beholders, in all likelihood, there may also be people who hate Incheon, Chek Lap Kok and Changi.

Like Kansai Airport is #1 for me but I don't know if it was ever ranked #1 by Skytrax. And I liked Sukarno Hatta Airport (except that its length can be quite a problem - I practically had to run when I realised how far away my gate was) but nobody talks about it, do they?

So, just be gracious and humble and learn (especially from #1 and #2). People have written (not that many letters have been published, though) about what's better in other airports so I will not go into that.

Speaking of which, today's ST Forum had someone writing about how Hong Kong has sanitisers in shops and lift buttons covered with plastic that is sanitised regularly. If I may add, Hong Kong TV runs regular ads reminding kids and families to be hygienic and socially responsible in these times. Hong Kong and China have had sensor-type taps and even soap dispensers and no-need-to-touch flush activators (that work - some such flush activators in S'pore either don't work well or activate an inadequate trickle of water) in many public toilets for some time. How many such toilets can you think of in Singapore?

If we can't stand not being #1 (like, we don't want to have the biggest number of H1N1 cases, right?), why don't we learn from others AND do better?

BORING!

I am suffering from Nadal-withdrawal-symptoms. So are the commentators, I think. They were all going on about Nadal said this, did that, Nadal should have been playing this match, etc. Well, let's see if they talk about him less as we move on from Wimbledon Day 1.

But, it's so BORING and bland just thinking about the draw without him. I really, really hope some people (not named Federer) liven things up.

And, of course, there is nothing much to say for the women's side, which has been boring, boring, boring since Justine left. Except that Serena has got a nice trench coat (again; but could only find pictures of last year's on the net, so for today I'll just have this picture of last year's Nadal). Wouldn't mind a coat like that if I were going for a cool holiday.

Oh, and I wouldn't want to be in poor Safina's shoes. Everyone keeps harping on 'never won a slam before', 'always losing in the final'. Just like for pre-French Federer - 'never won the French Open', 'always losing to Nadal'. Poor girl. Maybe she should go have a chat with Federer.

Came across this article about last year's final. Captain Cardie versus Muscleman with the secret crochet hook - SO funny! Good thing Captain Cardie has dropped his bygone-era cardie but I can't say I like his new jacket either. I still prefer Serena's trench coat...

History making

Perhaps the time has finally come for Andy Murray, who yesterday became the first British winner since 1938 at Queen's Club. Good. Hope this bodes well for his Wimbledon campaign.

Young Andy Murray (from here)

It was certainly a more engaging final than that other history-making final that took place last week. Historic as it was, I can't say I 'enjoyed' watching it. Thought Soderling didn't play with enough of the urgency that was required by the occasion. Boring. It was topped only by the washout of a women's final (glad Kuznetsova won) the day before. Nevertheless, I will (grudgingly) say good job, Federer. Not everyone can win 14 Slams. Still, I must point out that he won it not beating Nadal or Djokovic...

As for Nadal, I wonder if he should seriously consider quitting tennis altogether. I'm sure he wants nothing more than to play for another 10 years or so but if he has the knees of an old man (so we are told), he should take better care of himself. Just some pragmatic (me as a Singaporean) and motherly (me as myself) advice. Imagine the rheumatic pains he will have in his knees in his old age. Or maybe he is already feeling them now, since he has the knees of an old man...

Young Nadal (from here)

But if he does quit or even drops off the tour for a bit, with things having turned out as they have over these few weeks, Federer may just claw his way back to number 1. Ugh. What an unappealing prospect.

So I really hope Murray's time has come. Or maybe this other young man, of whom I am not exactly fond, will pull off something? Thought that I'd be watching him play Nadal in the French final, actually... Oh well... Anyway, he was so cute as a kid...

Young Djokovic (from here)