As a matter of habiutual ritual, I was flipping channels... India was getting thrashed at the hands of the archrivals Pakistan in an important Asia Cup cricket match. How could I have continued watching the ordeal! Hence, as a natural progression, I switched to watching the Wimbledon!!! Let me tell you, it's one of the most classy sporting tournaments held accross all disciplines accross the wide spectrum of international sporting arena. Everything about the tournament exudes class, from the ground staff to the ball boys to even the crowd. Even the
applause after every point somehow sounds perfectly in sync and rhythemic.Yesterday, I happen to catch the Quarter Final clash between the World No. 1 Roger Federer and Mario Ancic, who has the distinction of being the last man to have defeated FedEx, on his preffered grass surface, way back in 2002... The champ, hasnt lost a match since!!!
The match, mildly put, was a highly boring, one sided affair with short streaks of brilliance on display by the gutsy challenger, Ancic. But as anticipated, he failed to make too much of a headroom and lost the match in straight sets. And then in hindsight I sat wondering.... Why do so many people die to see such boring matches?? What's so great about this dumb guy who just doesnt know the art of loosing?? What's so great about him??
And then, on serious contemplation... I slowly began to find answers to my questions. The first premise I established was "Champions, more often than not, are boring!!"
More often than not, all of us are in our average lifetime, are faced with our big moments of truth. These are moments which decide, how the coming generations would remember us, or rather, will they remember us at all or not! Champions, as species, are plagued with this habbit of treating such important moments as if they are inconsequential!!!They go about doing what they do best, the way they know best, which in most cases, is by beating the rest!!! Champions are almost always on top of their game. They are sheer antonyms of excitement. Obviously as one gets excited and nervous, only when one is uncertain about the result. Champions are always sure of what the result would be!!
More importantly, and boringly true champions are humble. As a press person, you will never be able to extract a 'headline statement' out of them which would provoke further sensationalism. They'd never criticise, never throw brickbats as their peers. Aaarrggghhhh so irritating!! They are agonisingly monotonous and colourless in their personalities. They are a gossip columnist's nightmare!!
Also, something which baffles me, is the sheer hunger to win that these morons have. I mean.. why would Sachin want to score a run more in his lifetime... he already has thousands of them stacked up anyways.... or probably.. whats the joy Federer would get in lifting the same damn wimbledon trophy 6 consecutive times...isn't he bored of doing the same thing again and again??? Or to top it all.. whats the fun, Schumi would have got... going almost insanely around a race circuit at top speed like a rat lost in his hole.... for more than a decade!!!
I mean.. there are no answers to these questions!!! But yes, through all this contemplation, I have finally concluded that "Champions are boring" - Probably that's what makes them the champions they are!!!
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