I love you, Rafa!!!

I was just watching the Wimbledon 2008 Men’s finals match – yes, it is the same historic 5-setter between Rafa darling and Fedex the great that I am talking about. I was watching probably for the millionth time and even today my fingers were crossed in an involuntary action. Talk about reflexes! What a match it was! The two best Tennis players of our generation fighting it out on a surface that one of them was already a champion of; while the other had come so close to becoming champion on it for the last two years. Undeniable masters of the game, both of them. And watching it, as much pleasure as it gives me as a Tennis lover, it also makes me think.

It is not the first time this thought has occurred to me, but this is the first time I am attempting to pen it down. Blame it on my lazi-ass-ness (although I prefer the term “writers’ block”). There are two ways to be a winner – fight for every minute until you win (the Rafa style), or fight only when it is needed (my style). For example, Rafa goes after every point, hits the ball to win the current point irrespective of what the scorecard reads. In order to be able to do this (or even attempt to do this), you need to be extremely fit like Rafa. I (or any other lazy ass like me, for that matter), wouldn’t do that. I will always have the scoreboard in mind. I wouldn’t even play for the point when the scorecard reads 40-0 against me. There was no point in sweating it out for 3 more points and get to deuce and then get 2 more points (note: these are all consecutive points to be won). I would rather give up on that game and move to the next game where I will look to dominate from the first point. This way of working makes more sense to me. It makes me feel like a smart worker, but then it is certainly not the sign of a true winner. A true winner never quits – no matter what the stakes are, no matter what the scorecard reads, no matter who the opponent is – he would always go for the kill. In that sense, Rafa is a true winner. A true champion. A great role-model.

That is one of the many things I want to learn from Rafa and incorporate in my life – the others being maintaining that level of humility even when he is #1 in the world, maintaining such an enviable body and being physically fit throughout the year, holding his nerves and not losing his cool even when he is playing the most crucial of points, giving his everything to his game (a lot of us don’t give our everything to our work, do we?). I consider him to be a role-model for our generation. Well, now don’t argue with me as to why I did not write about Sachin Tendulkar as a role-model to our generation. There are two reasons:

1. I was not watching cricket when it occurred to me that I should write this. I was watching Tennis.
2. I can’t write that God is a role-model; I need someone who is more human than divine. Let’s leave God out of this!

There is so much to learn from a 7 minute youtube video. And obviously, I am quite smitten by Rafa to say the least.

Dear God,

Please let me be like Rafa. Make me strong and happy in whatever I do. Make me a winner. Let me meet Rafa. Let him fall in love with me. Let him propose to me. Let us get married and have a bunch of kids and live happily ever after.

Yours sincerely,

Sandhya

Ayyayyo… I wanted to write something else altogether. Rafa always does this to me. Sigh… What started off as a things-to-do ended up as things-I-wish-happened.

PS: I know my sister will kill me for the title of the post. In case I get killed, you know who was behind it! ;-)