Tiger or Roger?

So who is better?

Both have dominated their sport for more than a few years now. Both are legends that will always be remembered in sports history, even in our great-grandchildren's generations.

Both are gracious atheletes yet flawed in their character, they curse and complain (just so that you know they are humans afterall). Both collected Majors like they were on the Great Singapore Sale, Tiger has 14, Roger has 15...

Both command the respect and an almost overwhelming aura among their fellow peers in their own sport. Both are indisputably the most famous sportsmen, drawing fans from outside of their sport, yes... including those who still think a tie-break is something you wear on yourself and that the only birdie is one that actually sings.

Or perhaps, its quite simply that Roger and Tiger are untouchable gods in their respective sports. Nobody comes close to emulating them, not the past, not the present, I wonder whether the future, well.... no one even comes close enough. The stardom, the money they generate for their sponsors, the domination, the wealth that comes with total domination... no one comes close to Roger Federer and Tiger Woods.

And the worst thing for the Ordinary Joe of tennis and golf is this, they are your guy next door. A nice family man, friendly chap you see at the supermarket, adores their wife and children, respects the folks... just your normal guy next door, except of course they aren't... ... they kick ass once they come on the courts and the greens, wielding their weapons of choice with such poise and nonchalance if you would, leaving a world awestruck.

So who is better? What do you think? Is it Tiger or Federer?

Oh... by the way... did I mention that they are best pals.

Serena ought to be ashamed

Serena Williams made headlines during her semi-final clash which left her disqualified and gave Kim Clijsters the victory and eventually Kim being crowned US open Champion following her return to professional tennis.

Serena was obviously in bad shape and form, conceding defeat to Clijsters in every aspect. But her form and her play on the day is not the interesting bit. Rather, its her sickening outburst at the line umpire which has left a bad taste on everyone's mouth after witnessing it.

Clearly, Serena should be banned from the sport for at least a few months for her tirade at the line umpire. Spewing vulgarities and cursing at the umpire, threatening her like how a bully will to his/her victim, Serena displayed public outrage in front of a live audience of hundreds of American tennis fans and millions more on television. The vile remarks that she made were hideous and derogatory to the point of being censored on many replays in sports reviews.

Without a doubt in my mind, such bad and may I say "un-lady-like" behavior need no explanation and no excuses can and should be given. ATP should consider a more serious punishment for what is the most outrageous behavior I have seen in sports from any sportsman/woman. Just because you did not have a good day in the office does not grant you the right to insult and berate another. Imagine the thousands of tennis fans, including young children who are watching their favourite player on the court, what will they learn from such a bad example?

Absolutely disgraceful for a beautiful sport like tennis. Serena as one of the top players and representative of her generation ought to be ashamed of herself.

Murray Out, Return of Nadal to No. 2

Looks like good things just don't come the way of Andy Murray at GrandSlams. Despite being touted as favourite to win the US Open, the Scot and when he is winning, a Brit could not cross his mental barrier at the crucial stage, this time round falling short of the quater-final.

Unable to beat Marin Cilic who has never beaten him in a previous match before, Murray bowed out to a hard-hitting Croat whom he should have an answer to based on his kind of game. That is counter punching tennis for you, sometimes the risk of an attacking game pays off better as compared to a passive approach.

Rafa Nadal meanwhile held his head up high by sweeping aside Frenchman Gael Monfils to advance to the quarterfinals. Rafa signals his return to the big stage in pretty much the Rafa way we know him for, all willpower and guts. Monfils has no answer for the determined Spainard.

Joining Rafa and Cilic are giant forehander Fernando Gonzalez and the ever consistent Argentinian Number 1 Juan Martin Del Potro. They join the big boys Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Spanish hearthrob Fernando Verdasco as well as Roland Garros finalist Robin Soderling for the full quarter finalist line-up.

All the matchups will be interesting. I fully expect Roger to beat Soderling again, even if its at a lesser stage than in Roland Garros. Djokovic and Verdasco will be a close call, but I reckon Nole will pull through this one.

Rafa should overcome Fernando's big hitting and get to the semis where he will likely meet Del Potro whose consistency should have him an edge over the a relatively less experienced Cilic on the big stage.

Hardly any surprises if this is indeed the outcome but tennis is often unpredictable from hereon.

The Enigma that is Safin

At the US open, the world of tennis says goodbye to Marat Safin who has played his last Grandslam match of his career at the US open after being defeated by Austrian Jurgen Melzer. The man himself is a wonderful entertainer both on and off the court (who can forget the black eye he sported on court because of a fight he had in a bar in Moscow?) and his press conference after the match at Flushing Meadows was a fantastic reminder of the dry humor and easy charm of a tennis star who burst onto the scene at a young age and took on a bumpy ride ever since.

Marat Safin is the classic example of a tennis player who never lived up to his great potential. Despite claiming two Grandslams in a career that saw him took the world by storm at a young age, Marat Safin was a enigma. Nobody understood the burly Russian's mind and especially his tendency to self destruct on the tennis court.

Safin has the total package for a tennis player. He has an overwhelming physique. *The Head Prestige he holds in his hands look more like a badminton racquet than one for tennis. That physique alone gives him great power in his serves and groundstrokes. Many have commented that Safin has the complete game when at his prime. A big server, solid on both forehand and backhand and a natural volleyeur.

You know the Russian has talent when in 2000, at a tender age of 20, he outmuscled the best player on the planet then, Pete Sampras at the US open final, in front of Sampras's home crowd. Safin lived in great expectation ever since. He was touted the next big thing. But the Russian never went on to dominate as he was supposed to. Perhaps the attention plus the huge expectations took a toll on the huge shoulders of the Russian hero.

Since then, Safin won the Australian Open in 2005 and cemented his place as a gifted player. But again, as fate will have it, Safin has numerous setbacks with injuries and he had never found his top form again.

These days, Safin is a pale shadow of what he once was. He makes more unforced errors than winners and his mental game is always a major crux on his performance. Despite the fire that makes him a intimidating opponent on the court, he never quite got a hold of his game when things don't go his way. For one, Roger Federer managed to curb that mental aspect early on in his career and as we all know it, Roger has since become the best player in the world. Safin never found a way beyond that part of his game despite having arguably bigger potential than Federer.

Personally, I will miss Marat Safin. Its that unpredictability in his game that makes it so entertaining for tennis fans all over the world. You just never knew which Safin will come onto the court. The genius or the loser. But one thing is for sure in every Safin game, he is bound to surprise you, whether a powerful backhand down the line or an angry decapitation of his racquet on the tennis court.

Although the season is not yet over, Safin has officially said goodbye in his last game at a Major. And while people might never mention his name that often again as perhaps the name of Sampras or Agassi, Marat Safin will forever be remembered as an engima, a tennis genius that never did quite fulfill his potential... ...