Blogcritics Author: Pratyush Khaitan

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

RIP Bob Woolmer

Pratyush Khaitan — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 00:27:17 EDT

Bob Woolmer's death has come as a huge shock. As a keen follower of South African cricket in the 90s, I had the opportunity to see how brilliant Woolmer's cricketing mind was. Cricket is a game which has plenty of room for strategy and innovations if someone is creative. Cricket suited Woolmer perfectly in this regard. He brought innovations and thought about the game with a modern perspective for which he was widely regarded as the best coach in the world. As a coach, he had success with Warwickshire county club and then reached great heights with South Africa. Australia has been the best cricket team in the world for what now seems an eternity. However, for a period in the 90s - 1996-99, South Africa had the best one-day side in the world. No small credit for that goes to Bob Woolmer. Woolmer always had that new point of view no one could have thought about and it was evident every where - whether it was team strategies, field placements or team compositions. All rounders and lower order batsmen started getting a new meaning in international cricket. South African lower order batting would have guys like Shaun Pollock, Lance Klusener, and Nicky Boje. Even Pat Symcox made runs and was contributing to the team apart from his bowling. I remember a match versus Australia where Woolmer opened with Lance Klusener and brought Pat Symcox in at number 3. Klusener made 92 and Symcox made 26. South Africa ended up with 301 and won comfortably in the end. That's just one match which shows how brilliant Woolmer was. Many people suggested that Woolmer shouldn't coach, Pakistan but he followed his beliefs. Not that long ago, the team was progressing exceedingly well. Woolmer was creating depth in the batting and bringing in more options for the team in bowling. Woolmer always had a vision with a team and specific players were backed if it was believed that they could do a job which would add to the over all team strength of the team. So Shahid Afridi was brought back when no one gave him much of a chance. There were many other interesting things done in Pakistan cricket in that phase where they were looking good - things like Shoaib Akhtar being disciplined and then brought back which could extract the best output out of him. In his short time with Pakistan, Woolmer managed to create an attachment in the hearts of the common Pakistan cricket fan just like he had done in South Africa.In 1999, Woolmer couldn't win the World Cup with South Africa. Pakistan in 2007 was to be Woolmer's redemption. Sadly, Pakistan cricket went from one low to another in the past months culminating with the exit of Akhtar and Asif from the world cup. Without the bowling spearheads, there was little chance of Pakistan winning the world cup. First as a player, then as a coach, Woolmer served cricket and added a lot to the game. RIP.

Pratyush Khaitan is a young entrepreneur. When he is not handling business, he is the sports editor of Desicritics, a movie buff and a sports writer. He analyses sports at Sportolysis.

French Open: Last Four Preview

Pratyush Khaitan — Wed, 7 Jun 2006 13:20:49 EDT

The French Open is my favourite grand slam ahead of Wimbledon - the battles fascinate me more than the quick matches we see on grass. This year though, the football and NBA has meant I haven't been able to talk much on the French Open.On the women's side, the stories so far have seen Hingis outsed by Clijsters - showing she has a lot of work still left to do in her tryst with destiny. The biggest story has been Nicole Vaidisova though. Is she the next big thing in women's tennis? Defeating Amelie Mauresmo and then striding over Venus Williams is no mean thing. The last four sees Vaidisova face the real test when she faces Svetlana Kuznetsova - the in form player at the moment and likely to go through to the finals. The other semi has another Belgian battle between Clijsters and Henine-Hardenne. It is a match for which no one seems to have any clue about who will advance - the ingredient which makes Clijsters-Henine encounters exciting prospects.The big action is happening in the men's side though. The top 4 seeds have all reached the semis. When you consider the history of players from no where reaching the last 4 - be it Michael Change, Thomas Muster or Gustavo Kuerten, it is amazing to have the four best players on paper coming to the party. More importantly, Nadal and Federer look all set for the show down of the clay court season. Before that, Federer has to defeat a challending David Nalbandian, one of the best clay court players in his own right. Nadal faces an easier challenge against Croat Ivan Ljubičić. Ljubičić has overcome Julien Benneteau, the first local hero to reach the last eight since Sebastian Grosjean in 2001. Can the out of the norm Ljubičić cause Nadal trouble? Maybe, though I seriously doubt the Nadal winning streak will be halted in the semis. There is the greater possibility of Nalbandian playing the spoil sport and depriving us of the match we have been waiting for from the moment the clay court season started. Nalbandian fans aside, every one will be hoping that does not happen.The clay court detractors should start watching now and experience for themselves when clay court tennis is enrossing like nothing else in tennis. If you cannot watch and still want to have fun, you can always listen to the live commentary at the official French Open site. The guys there are hilarious. For example, at the break between games, one of the commentators started singing "The Fool On The Hill" by The Beatles. On a serious note, when was the last time in men's tennis two players battled like Federer and Nadal have this clay court season? We have seen the Graf-Seles finals where it was certain the two would face each other in the tournaments they were taking part in. In phases, we have seen Agassi-Sampras beat the competition. When have two players faced each other final after final in the tournament they took part in over a season or specifically a clay court season? Who knows what the future will hold for these two. Regardless, it has been a memorable season and the next few days promise much more.

Pratyush Khaitan is a young entrepreneur. When he is not handling business, he is the sports editor of Desicritics, a movie buff and a sports writer. He analyses sports at Sportolysis.

Arsenal/Barcelona: Champions League Final Should Be A Classic

Pratyush Khaitan — Wed, 17 May 2006 00:52:36 EDT

It's almost here! The match that promises so much. The match every one -- particularly the Barcelona and Arsenal fans -- have been waiting for. Arsenal, in their best years in the recent past (a couple of years ago when they were winning domestic titles) were performing very miserably in Europe. It was a very good team but critics said that it could not be termed great until it won the big ones in Europe. This, the performance so far, is probably a couple of years late. It was totally unexpected that Arsenal would reach the Champions League final in the year it almost finished 5th in the English Premiership - something which exemplifies how it has been a crazy ride of emotions for Arsenal fans. The ride isn't over. There is still pondering regarding Henry going to Barcelona (some thing I, as a Barcelona fan am very much over excited about). Regardless of that, the season could be perfect for Arsenal if they do manage to win the Champions League.There is one problem though - FC Barcelona. Barcelona play their own style of attacking one-touch football which is so difficult to replicate and so wonderful to watch. There is possession. Passing. A lot of brilliance. Add to it a lot of goals -- and those are just some of the aspects which make Barcelona the best football team in the world (though Chelsea and English fans might still disagree). Messi might stage a return if he passes the fitness test. That Barca dominated last season without him and have managed to reach the Champions League final despite him not being there for crucial matches shows how the team relies more on team work and less on individual brilliance - despite brilliant Ronaldinho being ever present.A Champions League win would crown the young Rijkaard-era perfectly. It would almost be tragic if Barcelona fail to win the Champions League this time around. It was unbearable when the loss to Chelsea occurred last year - it will be much more painful this time around. However, the threat from Arsenal is real. Arsenal has a solid defense and play attacking football very much like Barcelona does. More so, even if they do not dominate possession, a Thierry Henry special can never be ruled out till the last moment when the referee blows his whistle - which means that the match is always on. Both Arsenal and Barcelona play beautiful and mostly clean football. Both teams like to go for goals and keep up the attack - which makes the game very exciting and pleasurable to watch. When the two teams play against each other, regardless of who wins, football fans are likely to go home happy. The game is also a chance to watch some of the bigger names in world football ahead of the World Cup in all their glory. Expect at least three goals and some brilliant football. How far Joga Bonito will be applied on the field during the World Cup remains to be seen. A lot of that spirit is likely to be present in a romantic evening in Paris.

Pratyush Khaitan is a young entrepreneur. When he is not handling business, he is the sports editor of Desicritics, a movie buff and a sports writer. He analyses sports at Sportolysis.

Nadal-Federer Could Be The New Agassi-Sampras

Pratyush Khaitan — Mon, 15 May 2006 22:08:31 EDT

Nadal has equalled the record of Vilas. CNNSI Reports:Rafael Nadal equalled Guillermo Vilas' record of 53 consecutive claycourt wins when he beat Roger Federer 6-7 7-6 6-4 2-6 7-6 in the final of the Rome Masters.Nadal's victory, his fourth in a row over the Swiss world number one, made him the first player to win back-to-back titles in the Italian capital since Thomas Muster of Austria in 1995-96.Was it one of the best matches ever on clay? Probably. The stakes were high as I mentioned yesterday, "This one promises to be another cracker."It sure was! Federer came the closest he has ever come to beating Nadal on clay. That Nadal won was only apt though. It would have been a shame if he failed to equal Vilas after such a tremendous run. The setup - facing Federer for the Rome Masters finals at the backdrop of Federer in the midde of loosing streak to Nadal could not have been better scripted.This is brilliant for tennis too. Now, tennis has a rivalry to match the Agassi-Sampras rivalry of the '90s. Sampras was a little more than 15 months younger than Agassi. With a gap of more than four years between Nadal and Federer, the age gap is bigger - some thing which makes the rivalry all the more intriguing. The Agassi-Sampras rivalry hardly saw the two players battle it out versus each other at their best. We very much are seeing Nadal and Federer face each other in top form - it would be wrong to judge when was actually their best till both the careers are over.The games are perfect contrasts - always a key ingredient for memorable rivalries. While Federer is brilliant on grass, Nadal has so far been unbeatable on Clay. This does not mean either of the two players will not be able to battle each other on other surfaces. Federer (as shown in the recent matches versus Nadal for those who didn't know) is one of the better clay court players - some thing we could never say of Sampras. Nadal, meanwhile, is proficient on hard courts. Though we don't know yet completely how well Nadal will fare on grass, the talent and the attitude he possesses, it is unlikely that he will be a miserable failure.Most importantly, these two players are champions in their own rights and hate to lose a point, let alone a match. So when different games and fight-till-death attitudes meet, it is bound to produce matches of the highest quality. At the stage of his career where Federer was beating every one quite easily, the rivalry is a sheer joy for tennis and a trigger which can boost the Federer game even higher. Federer is down 1-2 versus Nadal even on hardcourts. Can Federer match Nadal, particularly on clay? How will Nadal fare on grass? There are riveting questions which are bound to form the foundations of a memorable rivalry.

Pratyush Khaitan is a young entrepreneur. When he is not handling business, he is the sports editor of Desicritics, a movie buff and a sports writer. He analyses sports at Sportolysis.

Tennis: The Equality Issue

Pratyush Khaitan — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 09:03:24 EDT

The pay issue in professional tennis has ingredients that captivate the mind: authority versus player, man versus woman. The issue has reached boiling point with the announcement of the All England Club. Reports CNN:The All England Club announced on Tuesday that its singles winners would receive a four percent increase, but with the men's champion receiving 30,000 pounds ($51,000) more than his female counterpart.This leaves Wimbledon as the only Grand Slam which gives away less prize money to its champions. French Open announced equal pay for its champions earlier this year. However, they still give more money to the men compared to the women. The US Open gives its prize money down the middle though as seen by the 2005 distribution.The women are fuming. Former player's Chris Evert and Billie Jean King's views from the same CNN article:Three-time winner Chris Evert called the decision "a black mark for the sport.""Wimbledon should do the right thing and award all women's players equal pay to the men," added the American.Six-time winner Billie Jean King said: "Wimbledon needs to join the modern world on this issue."The current players are making no small talk either. Venus William's says, almost threatening:"We want to be treated equally as the men. This is not just about women's tennis but about women all over the world," she told BBC Sport." At Wimbledon we would like to have equal prize money to prove that we are equal on all fronts."We will keep lobbying on the matter. We don't want to deprive fans from seeing women's tennis but we are willing to be extremely proactive in our stance." Maria Sharapova has logic to back her: "Women's tennis players are getting as many sponsors and media coverage as the men, and I understand that our TV ratings at the Grand Slams are pretty much equal to and often better than the men so I don't understand the rationale for paying the men more than us."All England Club chairman Tim Phillips counters the views. From Fox sports:Phillips said the WTA Tour paid 63 percent less to players in an average week than the ATP Masters Series did."Whereas we're 87 percent," Phillips said. "So it seems to me we are much closer to equal prize money than they are on the rest of the tour."One issue, a lot of statements and a lot of layers if the surface is scratched a bit. Women give as much effort as men. So why should they not be paid equally is one argument. Well, I am sure the curling players also give as much effort. So why not pay them money too then? Or why not pay all the women equally then as they all put as much effort?The second argument from the other side borders on insanity. Women play three sets and not five. So they are bound to be played less. Michael Jordan does not play basketball any more. Still he earns more than many women players. So maybe Jordan should come out of retirement? Or what about boxers. They box far less compared to how much time tennis players play. So maybe they should be paid less then?The airtime question comes up. As women occupy less airtime because there matches are shorter, the sponsors get much less exposure. So it is justified that the players are paid less. Well, women have played five-set tournaments in the WTA season ending championships. So it is not as if the women aren't capable of playing five sets. So do women have to play five sets at Wimbledon to get equal prize money?The question I want to ask is, why is the WTA paying women lower compared to the ATP if we exclude the Grand Slams? Should not the WTA, champions of equality, pay women equivalent to what men get by the stand they take? The opposition to this is on the lines - 'it is the WTA's business what it does in other tournaments. When men and women, both play, we should get equal prize money.'I scoff at the idea. The issue is not about women's rights. The issue is not about equality. The issue is about market worth. If women's tennis is more sellable, I would not grudge it even paying more than men's tennis does. I do not like that the other three Grand Slams have succumbed to the pressure tactics in one way or another, at one point or the other.Women's tennis and men's tennis are different sports. So if one has more spectators than the other, one gets more revenue and distributes more to the players. The issue of equal prize money is not new. A feedback to BBC from 2002 looks as relevant now as it did back then. I spoke on the issue with blogger Sujatha Bagal who could give a proper woman's angle on the issue: The market forces theory is good, but it does not take into account so many other relevant variables Market forces can be created if there is the will. Equal prize money is about recognizing women for the effort they've put in, acknowledging that they've reached the pinnacle of their sport and rewarding them for it. Why are women's finals played on Saturdays while men's are on Sundays?Why are the market forces not created then? If I was a promoter of a tournament, I would look at maximizing the demand. Or is it just a case of revenues not going back to the players who generate them?The WTA stars certainly believe they deserve higher pay. Wimbledon would bear huge losses if the stars do not turn up. With three Grand Slams agreeing to the demand of the women, Wimbledon's stands weak on the bargaining table regardless of how fair this is. The women know it and are letting Wimbledon know it as well.I do have an issue with equality though. The female prostitutes get paid a lot more than the male prostitutes because there is higher demand for the female prostitutes. It would look very silly if the male prostitutes ask for equal pay. The platforms are different but the point of contention remains the same.

Pratyush Khaitan is a young entrepreneur. When he is not handling business, he is the sports editor of Desicritics, a movie buff and a sports writer. He analyses sports at Sportolysis.

Cricketer Fardin Qayyumi Died Too Young

Pratyush Khaitan — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 18:28:28 EDT

Fardin Qayyumi was funny, enthusiastic, passionate, lovable, confident and a wonderfully nice guy. I just came to know about his passing. A 15-year-old cricketer from northern California, Fardin played in the North California Cricket Association (NCCA) league.Ganesh Sanap, who played with Fardin, recalls: He had his own way of dressing up for the game and it was fun seeing a 15-year-old among us. He was our future Captain-designate. He had an amazing will to succeed. Some of us can only dream about possessing as much talent as him.About halfway through last season Fardin started opening the batting for Valley Cricketers and showed tremendous defensive techniques. During this year's team meeting Fardin asked what his batting position was going to be this season and I asked him what position would he like to bat. He mentioned that he would like to open and then I told him that he didn't even need to ask about his position. Such was the kid's manners and attitude, he didn't take things for granted. One of the most important aspects for anyone to succeed, not just on the field, but off it too. I came to know Fardin from his posts at the cricketweb forums. Fardin proclaimed that he had defense like that of Dravid and spin like that of Vettori. His enthusiasm was there for all to see. The way Fardin spoke about his exploits would not make people go angry at him for bragging. He was just too lovable.Fardin won the hearts of many people through his humour as well. People loved Fardin for who Fardin was.Fardin's younger brother, Farhad Qayyumi, recalls that between his brother's wisecracks -- of which there were many -- Fardin also taught him to take his education seriously. "He wanted me to graduate, study a lot," Farhad said.Whether it was his friends, team-mates, coaches, internet folks or any one else Fardin came in touch with, Fardin touched hearts. His MySpace page says that he has only 118 friends. I am sure there are many, many more.I can confidently say that every one who even interacted with Fardin will remember him for the rest of their lives.Tribute threads for Fardin can be found on the NCCA Cricket site, Cricketweb, and Planetcricket.Ganesh Sanap wrote on the NCCA Cricket site:Fardin's family has migrated from Afghanistan in recent years and has very few means. The family is still to come to terms with the reality. Fardin's father has made an appeal for financial assistance for immediate expenses and more. Valley Cricketers/ East Bay Cricket Club and a few wellwishers have pledged some amount but we need a lot more. I would like to request all NCCA Clubs and cricketers to donate generously for this noble cause. Please contact me for details. Every dollar will count and no amount will be too small. Your privacy will be maintained. Shounak Ganguly has created a PayPal fund account. People are encouraged to donate to it. Alternatively, checks in the name of Shoaib Qayyumi, Fardin's father, can be sent to: Ganesh Sanap, 4240 Ramshall pl. Santa Clara, CA 95054.

Pratyush Khaitan is a young entrepreneur. When he is not handling business, he is the sports editor of Desicritics, a movie buff and a sports writer. He analyses sports at Sportolysis.

The Plight Of The Chinese Sportsperson

Pratyush Khaitan — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 16:23:22 EDT

Chinese woman footballer Sun Wen made her debut appearance for the national team at the age of 17. She played 13 years for the China. During that period, she was part of the team which won the Olympic Silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta games, took part in the first four women's FIFA World Cups, won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball for the 1999 World Cup (where China finished runners up), and shared the FIFA Player of the Century award with American Michelle Akers. What is Wen doing now? At 33, Wen is washing her own kits. China Youth Daily reported it initially and an English report on it can be found in Malaysian The Star:Sun Wen and her teammates are accommodated in rooms no more than six square metres with dirty sheets on tiny beds, malfunctioning television sets and air-conditioning and a leaking toilet, according to a report in the China Youth Daily."I buy a plastic basin to do my laundry wherever I go," the 33-year-old Sun Wen told the newspaper. "I'm afraid I'll have to bring my own bedclothes next time."Wen's life was going well till a few years ago. She was signed in 2001 by the Atlanta Beat of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) and living the life her talent deserved. WUSA, of course, started with much fanfare roping in the top plight women's footballers in the world in 2001 before folding up shortly thereafter in 2003, but that is another story. Wen was then recalled home to China. She joined the Fudan University in Shanghai, China to study journalism and looked forward, rather than back at this crucial juncture of her life. In December 2005, Wen announced her comeback and returned to the women's national team.If an extra ordinary talent in Wen reaches the situation she has, why would any one take up or want to take up football in China, at least as far as women are concerned? What about the situation of the men's football team and sport persons in general in China? China expects world standard performers. It is focussing on building young sports stars to perform internationally. But why should some one follow sport in the country seeing the situation some stars find themselves in?A few weeks ago, news emerged of former weight lifting champion, Zou Chunlan. At 36, Zou is nearly destitute and working in bath houses. Reports Yahoo:Zou Chunlan, 36, won several gold medals in China's National Games between 1987 and 1993 but following retirement was unable to find steady work due in part to poor health she blames on drugs taken during her athletic career."I said to my coach... I'm now always growing a beard, during training I was always made to take a 'power supplement', now I've become like this, you won't get me work, what am I to do?" she was quoted by the Beijing News newspaper as saying."I was once very proud of these medals but now they only give me painful memories."I am not going to go the drug story path as that is an often repeated story. Also, it is a story which is speculated upon about many countries and not just China with the degrees of usage varying. What I am concerned about is the Chinese sportsperson. Often times lack of money in a sport is linked to lack of success or lack of demand among the general public ceasing to bring sponsorship to the sport and it's athletes.In China, the demand for sport is there as people love sports in the country. There is even the success, as shown by the tremendous achievements of Wen and so many others. The recognizable example would obviously be Yao Ming and his NBA success. Why then, does the money not come to the sport or the sports persons? Things are changing in China, but they aren't obviously changing enough. Else stories such as the two stated would not have arisen in the first place.The good news is that with the Internet and the speed at which information travels, knowledge increases. How else could I have known about all this? How else could you be reading this piece? The internet is a medium impossible to get rid off completely. The China Youth Daily, which reported this for example, is the first independent newspaper existing in China. As information travels, questions are asked. People become answerable when earlier they weren't. Changes occur. I hope changes occur more swiftly though.Additional links:Profile of Wen from the official World Cup site ahead of the 2003 World Cup.Another news item previewing Wen before the same tournament. CNNSI announcing Wen's deal with Atlanta Beat and Wen's comments back then. Wen's profile from Fifa.com.

Pratyush Khaitan is a young entrepreneur. When he is not handling business, he is the sports editor of Desicritics, a movie buff and a sports writer. He analyses sports at Sportolysis.

Arsenal Needs to Win the Champions League

Pratyush Khaitan — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 19:42:04 EDT

Thierry Henry’s brilliant kick meant that Arsenal drew the game versus Tottenham Hotspur. However, the concerns of the possibility of a club in trouble in the future are very real. Arsenal now has no chance of qualifying for the Champions League until either:1. The Spurs do some thing stupid, or 2. Arsenal wins the Champions League.Arsenal Review explained before the match why today was a must-win game. In the end, Arsenal only managed to draw courtesy of Henry's brilliance. A lot of Arsenal would cry over Davids’ going on and would feel he should have stopped.Soccerworld explains why this is a misled perception:Arsenal had nothing to complain about. I don’t think Spurs were under any obligation to kick the ball out after two Gunners tripped over one another. The Tottenham players simply took advantage of a mistake by their opponents. That’s far less egregious than Henry’s quick free kick against Chelsea a season ago, so I don’t want to hear any post-match complaining from Wenger. Doesn’t Arsenal have themselves to blame more than anything? Why did Arsenal not play 5 of their first XI players from the first minute -- knowing how crucial this game is going to be? Henry was on the pitch only 18 minutes and scored a goal. Wenger decided to give the Champions League tie which lies ahead more importance. So if you have to blame any one, blame Wenger.The major issue here is that Arsenal could become a selling club. Patrick Viera has left. Henry and Pires might leave; or at least there are huge speculations (different from rumours which exist for almost any player) regarding this. Football players usually start off at a lower profile club. At the prime of their career, they like to play for a club which wins or at least has a chance of winning bigger trophies. You want to play with the best as well as against the best. So if a player does not prefer Arsenal, do not begrudge him.If Arsenal does not finish 4th in the English Premiership now (check out the league table), which looks likely with the defeat, the only way they can qualify for the Champions League next year would be by winning it (like Liverpool last year). Wenger has chosen to give the Champions League much more importance by not starting with the best Arsenal XI in the Spurs match. Wenger now needs to use every bit of his tactical mind to first, win against Villareal in the second leg of the Champions League semis, and then, to triumph over one of the two -- Barcelona or AC Milan.It is not going to be easy.

Pratyush Khaitan is a young entrepreneur. When he is not handling business, he is the sports editor of Desicritics, a movie buff and a sports writer. He analyses sports at Sportolysis.

Tennis Preview: The 2006 Clay Court Season

Pratyush Khaitan — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 08:14:14 EDT

The clay court tennis season has taken off from the sluggish first gear, if there ever exists one on clay. The serious business has already begun with the first two rounds of the Monte Carlo Masters tournament over.Justin Gimelstob writes over at CNNSI:This past week, a sport within a sport began: clay-court tennis. What is arguably tennis' toughest season tipped off around the world with events in Houston and Valencia, Spain.Clay surfaces offer totally different challenges than the hard-court tennis that dominates the early part of the ATP Tour calendar. Clay-court tennis hinges on movement, strategy and defense. Sliding effectively on clay is an art unto itself. It combines the artistic flare of ice skating with the athletic grace of a ballerina. The season ends with the French Open, a prize most clay court gladiators of Europe consider the ultimate prize in tennis. Clay courts provide gruelling battles. You cannot win games on serves and volleys. The ball slows down considerably once it hits the surface. So you have to defeat the opponent despite the surface. At Wimbledon, you would have to grass on surface aid you with bounce and pace after bouncing. On hard courts, you do not have the support of the surface. However, it doesn't make you toil much more like clay does.Clay provides the raw battle of man versus man as nothing else does in tennis. Clay court specialists thrive in such conditions. They can run forever, hit deep shots forever, and come back at you forever. It doesn't matter if the match has gone for over four hours. Hell, some matches have even gone on for over five! There have always been clay court specialists in the game. However, the specialist field is getting thinner with the ATP points system requiring players a minimum matches on each surface the way it is structured now. There still exist players like Coria and Ferrero though.Nadal was the King last year. He is still at a 38-0 winning streak on clay - a stat that says much about his dominance on clay than any amount of words can. Federer sniffed at Nadal last year though. He was almost there but not good enough in the final last year at Roland Garros. Had Federer won then, we could have possibly looked a wee bit differently at the clay season last year. After all, Federer too had a superb clay court season.Do not mistake Federer's grass court success as a reason to discount his clay court ability. Born and brought up in Basel, Switzerland, Federer is as comfortable on clay as he is on any other surface. The man strives for perfection and success and knows how to achieve it. So expect him to come back strongly this year. Or at least make a strong battle out of it and come bloody close.What about the rest of the field? The people remaining in Round 3 at Monte Carlo would give a good idea of the people who can have a good clay court season. The 16 players include, apart from Federer and Nadal, Coria: Juan Carlos Ferrero (on a come back of sorts and can do a lot of close to his best), Ivan Ljubicic, Fernando Gonzalez, Gaston Gaudio, Tony Robredo, David Nalbandian, and Nicolas Keifer (check out the tournament draw. I am not going to bore you by going into the past achievements of the given players.From the field, I will be closely watching as to how Ferrero shapes up. "The Mosquito" -- as he is widely known -- has played some of the best clay court tennis I have seen. Ferrero, though, has been a pathetic shadow of his former self in the recent seasons. Can he play at the same level once more? David Nalbandian is another player who can defeat the best on his day. Would he up the notch this season? Or would it be some one no one expects? Like Chang or Gustavo Kuerten maybe?The field is wider than ever before. Who will dominate the clay court season? Who will come out triumphant in Paris? Your guess is as good as mine. The next few days will give us a fairly good idea though. The last four rounds of the Monte Carlo Masters will see some serious battles which could tell us how things will shape up this season. The promise of some classic tennis looms large.

Pratyush Khaitan is a young entrepreneur. When he is not handling business, he is the sports editor of Desicritics, a movie buff and a sports writer. He analyses sports at Sportolysis.

Sharad Yadav: "India should not host the Commonwealth Games"

Pratyush Khaitan — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 14:32:31 EDT

Sharad Yadav, opposition leader, has protested against India hosting the Commonwealth Games: Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Yadav said participation in the Games is wasteful expenditure and a country like India can ill-afford to spend such a huge amount of money for a few medals. "I understand that the Indian Olympic Committee, headed by Suresh Kalmadi, spent Rs 23 crore on an eleven-minute song and drama sequence, in which several film actors took part, at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games.What is the big deal in hosting games like the Commonwealth Games in India? What do we gain, barring a few medals and some IOA officials having a good time? I believe that the huge amount of money that would be spent on hosting the Games could have been used for giving grants to Delhi University and other academic institutions of excellence. We could have created more IITs and IIMs with that fund." So essentially, Yadav raises two points:1) Public money should not be wasted.2) Public money should be used in activities for development of the nation.Public money should indeed not be wasted. Amit Varma spoke on the Bollywood stars being funded by public money a few days ago: What gets my (constantly aggrieved) goat is that the Rs 29 crore comes from the taxes that I pay, and is also drawn from indirect taxes paid by millions of people too poor to even buy the ticket for a Saif Ali Khan film. This is a shocking and unnecessary use of public money. The Board of Control for Cricket in India, for example, already has a lot of money so would not require using public money for bidding for a World Cup, whenever it would. The Indian Olympic Association does not have this cushion. So to undertake any venture at a large scale, it would need to use public money.This venture should result in gains in financial terms apart from development of infrastructure that comes along with these games. Yadav implies that it would not happen when he says: "What do we gain, barring a few medals and some IOA officials having a good time?" This aspect has to be investigated: whether Games are a profitable venture or not (usually they are profitable despite initial expenses for bidding and infrastructure).If the Games are profitable, I do not understand Yadav's contention. For money is needed for development. Profitable ventures such as hosting a Commonwealth Games can be the proponents of bringing in new money into the country. It is common knowledge how much hosting an Olympic, for example, boosts the economy of a nation. Just recently, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that India wanted to host the Asian Games and the Olympics in the near future.Also, it is too late for Yadav to raise the issue. India cannot withdraw from hosting the Commonwealth Games now at this late stage when the contracts have been signed. I am all for raising issues, but why not raise them when they can be resolved? Yadav's raising points right now just points towards creating a furor and gaining attention. And we all know politicians thrive when they get attention.EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks to a commenter, the article has been edited to reflect that it is Sharad Yadav who made the statements.

Pratyush Khaitan is a young entrepreneur. When he is not handling business, he is the sports editor of Desicritics, a movie buff and a sports writer. He analyses sports at Sportolysis.