Tennis Forever

[raagadevan]

Saluting a triumphant trio

The Hindu - Editorial; September 12, 2013

"Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams didn’t need to win the U.S. Open, which concluded on Monday in New York, to join tennis’s pantheon; they have been a prominent part of it for some time now. Nadal had progressed from being a wrinkle in the argument that Roger Federer was the greatest male player of all time to being a contender for the honour himself. Serena, after her first-round defeat at Roland Garros last year, had dominated the women’s tour, winning three of five Grand Slam titles, an Olympic singles gold and causing former players of the stature of John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, and Chris Evert to suggest that there hadn’t been a better female player."

"Another remarkable instance of mind over matter was to be found in the continuing success story of Leander Paes (40). Partnering Radek Stepanek, Paes won an eighth Grand Slam men’s doubles title to add to six mixed-doubles crowns. Doubles might not have the competitive depth singles has, but this doesn’t detract from Paes’s achievement. The oldest man to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era deserves his place among the finest doubles practitioners of all time."

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