Roger Federer and the World Series of Poker

Yes, I am writing a blog. It has been more than two months and I don't have an excuse on why I haven't written, at least not a good one. But with so much sports going on, I finally decided that I am writing again. So here is my take on Roger Federer and the sports event that has had me glued- the World Series of Poker. I haven't written on the World Cup because we are well in to the tournament. May be I will write when it is all over. Here goes...

Roger-

I have heard so many random theories on Roger Federer's early departure from Roland Garros and The Championships that I figure why not share mine. I am a die hard Roger Federer fan and it pains me to say this, but it is time we stop expecting him to win or reach the final of every grand slam he enters. That period is done. He is the greatest player to ever play the game but even he must lose eventually.

Do I think Roger has a couple of more slams in him? Yes. I think he will win a few more, may be even this years U.S. Open. But that period which we saw from 2004-2009 is over. Yet I hear theories from people about how he doesn't care anymore, how he has lost his concentration, how if he really wants to win he can beat anyone, how his kids have impacted him, the list goes on. I even heard a wild one about how his loss in an exhibition match to Sampras impacted him. The best part about these theories is they come from people like you and me. I guess my friends know Roger on a personal level to comment on what is going on in his head. I don't think there is anything going on in his head. I just think that a time comes in an athletes life when you can't do the things you did at your peak. It happens to every single athlete in the world.

Besides having won the most slams, I think Roger was also the greatest because of how he dominated the game from 2004-2009. That period is unheard of in most sports. What he did was unreal and that is unfortunately his curse. Because that is all that we know of him. We don't know any other Roger. We only know the guy who reaches every final and wins most of them. We don't know a guy who loses to the 12th seed at Wimbledon. We don't know the guy who loses to Hewitt on grass. Who is this man? And that is why everyone is shocked. I agree with some Facebook status updates, Wimbledon is not the same without Roger. But reality has hit my friends. We have to accept it.

People forget that in Sampras' last year he lost in the second round of Wimbledon to the 145th ranked player. This was a tournament he had won 7 times. It happens. He then won the US Open that year and retired.

I am not saying that Roger is done and should retire. I am not saying that he will not win again. I am not saying that we will not see one or two more Roger-Rafa classics. All I am saying is that if you still expect the Roger of 2004-2009 to be around, then you will be disappointed. It is very hard to see the start of the demise of a man whose matches I have watched nervously for years. But I have to come to terms with this fact. At next years wimbledon he will be just short of his 30th birthday. He is not the same guy and I don't think he every will be. So if he loses early, we can't stop watching the rest of the tournament. And if he wins again, believe me, we will feel more joy than we ever have for him.

I'll conclude with this statement for Roger fans, lets not fret, he is still the greatest of all time.

World Series of Poker

Most people I know play poker now, but I am still not sure how many people watch it. It is one of the most exciting things to watch. Just like any other sport, it has legends, upcoming stars, characters and tremendous excitement. The only difference is that the legends are still playing. Imagine seeing McEnroe, Sampras, Roger, Laver, Nadal, Tilden all in the same tournament and all at a level playing field. That is the beauty of poker. Age is no barrier, fitness is no barrier, entry in to tournaments is no barrier, all you need to do is buy in. Anyone can play and anyone can win. It is the truest form of open competition.

In the past 2 years I have started watching a lot of poker. And I have become a fan of many of the players much like I am a fan of other sportsman. Doyle, Daniel, Ivey and my personal favorite at the moment, Tom 'Durrrr' Dwan.

The World Series comprises of 57 different tournaments played over a 6 week span. I have followed most of them. Almost every day I find myself on the wsop website looking at chip stacks, who is leading, what tournaments are my favorite players playing and how they are doing.

I was shocked that I followed it this intently. Yes, I sometimes I go a little bit insane over sports but for an event like this, it surprised even me. I knew I was hooked when Tom 'Durrrr' Dwan was in the final table of an event and was making a run for a bracelet (that is what you get when you win a tournament). I followed that final table by hitting refresh on my screen every 5 minutes to stay updated. It was like I was following any other sports event. The excitement was killing me.

The reason I am writing this is to tell sports fans and poker players who don't watch poker to start watching. You wont regret it. The more you watch the more you will get in to it. The stories of some of these guys and how they became professional poker players are amazing. Some of the hands you will see will keep you talking like you were in the game. For any true sports fan, this is a must try.

As a starting point watch one of the previous years world series or high stakes poker season 4 on youtube. The main event kicked off today in Vegas. Hopefully next year, I will be playing in the series (setting the record for the fastest elimination ever)

More later.

Photo Credit Federer and Nadal http://www.topnews.in

Photo Credit Tom Dwan http://www.highstakesnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/tom-dwan.gif