Heart Wrencher

Australian Open action just got over.Yes, Mahesh and Hingis won.Good . But the action was somewhere else.

Marcus Baghdatis , an upbeat,enthusiastic, talented though erratic Cyprian, made it to the final , beating a host of highly seeded players.A player who overwhelmed competition by the speed of his movement, his coverage of the tennis court and a power-packed forehand.Dubbed an 'unstoppable freight train' by Alan Wilkins, he matched and bettered the shots of all his opponents upto the final , thus firing the imagination of the Australian public and the hearts of millions of spectators worldwide.

Playing against Roger Federer , the acknowledged champion, Baghdatis was like a fiery tornado in the first set , winning it in style , whats more , he had the champion all over the court. But patience and the silent confidence of Federer saw him through in what was , probably , one of the most exciting matches in recent tennis history - simply for the quality of tennis on offer. Federer went on to win the championship, but Baghdatis' infectious smile , his go-for-the-guns attitude and his incredibly cavalier game found him new fans all over the world, including yours truly.

Baghdatis, you're the new heartwrencher. You're the one who'll keep coming close to the champions to try to beat them . And we will keep loving you for it.

While watching the game , I couldn't help but remembering the last one - Goran Ivanisevic....and he brought back a flood of memories.

Someone rightly said -

'Champions make good discussion. The Heart-Wrenchers make great nostalgia.'