No Such Thing as Nosaj's Thing

The first listen i had of Nosaj Thing's album "Drift" was when i was driving down a relatively lonely dual carriage way on a dark afternoon with huge fat rain droplets pelting down on my windscreen. The sky had just about closed up and there was nothing but the stark distinction between wet and dry as i sat in my little car with the hard, starving rain threatening to break through my windows.

"Drift" sounds like that space between the wet and dry, the space that i feel relatively sheltered in but all the while i can feel the tension that builds as the rain gets harder. If i put down my window it will attack me, though i can't help but want to do it anyway.

The hugely exciting openers "Quest" and "Fog" sounds like what would happen eventually if i decided to open my windows and doors to a torrential downpour, and my car was consumed by rain water; dark and dank and delightfully distressing, and me stood in the midst of it, soaking through and through. By the time the glitchy synth action of "Caves" came around i would spiral into a state of mania, not contemplating my actions but reliving the necessity of them in denial.

On the first listen, i could only get up to track 6 and got impatient with the rest of the album- i thought most of the infectious swagger of this record and the 'drops' were already exhausted from tracks 1 to 6 . How wrong i was! Lords the last track "kicks 7 different types of ass" as one person put it on a album review comment on a site i was on earlier.

I do like this video a lot too- "Aquarium" from the Views/Octopus EP.

Good Literature for an Emotional Breakdown...with love from Russia

My struggle with reading for want of a more interesting book each time this summer has got me thinking of the Twentieth Century Russian Literature module i grew to adore in First Year. The module was the most depressing thing i've ever studied (obviously not because i didn't enjoy it) but because the process of falling in love with it required ripping the literature apart tentatively, layer by lamentable layer to it's bitterly sorrowful core. I remember sobbing over open pages the night before the exam, not because of fear of failure, but because it hurt to come to the realisation that through the swathes of surrealism, dark humour and fantastic tales of dodgy science and lovingly fraudulent characters in these books, there lay only (and not so well disguised after all) genuine human suffering.

I think i felt more emotionally destroyed by these books because of the brilliantly submissive style of writing the authors adopted to follow censorship guidelines set by the Soviet government. As a result, everything about the books; the characters, the plots seemed 'unreliable', not because of the author's intention to deceive the reader exactly, but because of the need to reveal as much as possible through as little as possible, which felt slightly abusive. In practical psychology, the individual is easily reduced to a vulnerable state through the realisation of their childhood state. I felt like reading these books did something similar to me, because of the sense of struggle to find and validate the familiar or 'the obvious'.

The module covered some lesser known works of russian literature (as opposed to the Tolstoy or Dostoevsky) in the context of the changes that occurred within the country during the Soviet period.

‘Dammit, i spent five years doing nothing but extracting cerebral appages...You know how much work i did on the subject- an unbelievable amount. And now comes the crucial question-what for? So that one fine day a nice little dog could be transformed into a specimen of so-called humanity so revolting that he makes one’s hair stand on end.....this doctor, is what happens when a researcher, instead of keeping in step with nature, tries to force the pace, and lift the veil’.

I wrote my essay on Bulgakov's relatively under-appreciated 'Heart of a Dog' (the full english translation can be found here) as opposed to his most recognised novel 'The Master and Margarita" (which i actually haven't read yet). Heart of a dog has the 'mad scientist' moniker highly in place as it follows the story of a Dr. Preobrazhensky- a bourgeoisie surgeon with a typical distaste for the proletarians echoed by his ambition to transform a lowly street dog (Sharikov) into a human being- who ironically turns out to be a proletariat who Preobrazhensky must either come to terms with or destroy. As you can imagine the end is inevitable.. It is a relatively simple storyline that Bulgakov builds upon beautifully to allow for worlds of exploration in thematic structure which includes the obvious conflict between the bourgeoisie and proletariats and also class struggle to a Communist utopia in Russia.

Preobrazhensky complains about the carpet being removed from the staircase in his block of flats, by the management committee of soviet communists, he says in anger,

‘Did Marx forbid people to keep their staircases carpeted?’

Being somewhat of a 'scientist' myself, i particularly enjoyed the portrayal of science under the Soviet system in Heart of a Dog. The short comings of science in the novel reflect the short comings of the political system. Not only did the Soviet Union limit the ability of science to improve by restricting the type of research conducted (i.e. genetic research was discouraged in order to culturally isolate Russia from capitalist influence of Germany where genetics was a prime area of study), but also by channelling the obsession with space research and animal experimentation that lead to unethical scientific practise (i.e. Demikhov's two headed dog - also there was a program recently on channel 4 about Soviet Dogs in Space if one is interested)

"There is always a place for heroism in our lives"

"Omon Ra"by Victor Pelevin (full English translation here) was probably my favourite of all the novels we studied, because it epitomises the playfulness of Russian Literature in expressing those strong values of friendship, compassion, bravery, all the nice things that make good adventure stories, yet is a thoroughly harrowing, awesome bit of Russian sci-fi which follows the young Omon, a boy with an aspiration to leave his dull soviet life to be a fighter pilot. Omon's brilliant ability in aeronautics has him unexpectedly accepted into a space program to the moon where he is trained up to be a astronaut. Along the way, Pelevin sensitively presents humanity in a heartless world with a brilliant plot twist. Heart-Breaking:

"all of my childhood dreams about the future were born of gentle sadness native to those evenings that seem to be detached from the rest of your life, when you lie in deep grass by the remains of someone else's campfire, your bicycle resting nearby, the west still bearing purple bands from the sun that had just set, while in the east there are already first stars popping up. I haven't seen or experienced very much in my life, but I liked most of what I have, and I always counted on the trip to the Moon to absorb everything that I passed by in hopes of encountering it again later, to take it in more finally and forever this time; how was I to know that the best things in life are always seen as if from the corner of one's eye? While I was a kid, I often imagined extraterrestrial vistas: stone-strewn planes, furrowed by craters and illuminated by otherworldly light, sharp mountain peaks in the distance, black sky with the glowing coal of the sun and stars around it; I pictured the layers of space dust, many feet deep, and the stones resting motionless on the lunar surface for billions and billions of years - I was for some reason strongly impressed by the thought of a stone being able to remain in one place for all that time, and then I would bend down and pick it up with the thick fingers of my spacesuit. I thought of looking up and seeing the blue globe of Earth above, looking like the school globe distorted by the teared-over lenses of the gas mask, and how this ultimate moment of my life will connect me to all those other moments when I felt myself on the verge of something wondrous and unfathomable"

I should be reading that one again soon.

I wrote about Platonov's "Foundation Pit" in the exam; an account of dystopia set during the first year of the Five-Year plan, evolves around the idea of the Kohlhoz- the complete Collectivization of farms ordered by Stalin and the destruction of the Kulaks (rich peasants) resulting in a horrific famine and death of thousands of innocent people. The plot is straightforward; the peasants are building a 'foundation pit' so as to build on top of it a huge house to accomodate all the proletariats of the world where they can live in peace together, and find 'happiness through labour' away from the destructive world. The peasants are steeped in a hopeless existence glossed with illusions of a empty promise unable to recognise that they stand knee deep in dirt. Yet they 'do it for their children' and use the young girl Nastya as the little hope that they work for, the little girl who represents the new Russia who they are building the pit for. *Spoiler* one can't help but be amused that at the end of the novel the pit serves as a very large grave for the little girl who dies as a result of neglect from the workers, too caught up in their own dreams that they abandon reality.

However, reading this book is a little less straightforward as although from the outset Platonov seems to wallow in crude 'pity for the pitiful', his surreal style of writing (precursor to modern existentialism) about people and their lives rather confusedly, produces words just as futile as the endeavours of these peasants who dig mindlessly night and day for a pit that is forever doomed to be completed. It seems that Platonov has this extraordinary talent for immersing his characters and his readers in emotional angst, stubbornly producing the existence of the suffering peasants in his novel into the mind of the reader ever present now as they were back then.

‘they lay in their empty coffins as if they were cramped little homes, feeling shut in and at peace’.

It is interesting to note that Platonov grew up next to a railway, where his father worked as a railway engineer. It is said that the young Platonov considered the trains as living and breathing machines, which is most evident in the breath of life he gives to his works, especially the foundation pit, where the characters in themselves are represented as hollow, starving, hopeless souls, filled only with pretty passionate pointless words.....It is a great read if only for the writing style but be prepared to get serious, seriously absurd.

I hope to be this enthusiastic about a book again some day. Forster's "Passage to India" almost killed me. I can't start on "Midnight's Children" just yet either.

Swiss Maestro Vs American Hot Rod

*drum roll* Match Analysis!

Last time these guys were at a Wimbledon final together was 2005- Federer won.

Roger has a 18-2 winning record against Roddick usually achieved with breadsticks and bagels, by that i mean, 6-1 and 6-0 respectively. I am going to be extremely lazy and direct you all to THIS INTERESTING PAGE, it's not really laziness actually because this brilliantly accurate analysis is much better than what i could give you right now, with detail on the abduction angle, receiving stance, arm rotation on the serve and physical ability.

It's true that a lot of that analysis seems to be in 'survival of the fittest' mode, but it is often ignored when discussing tennis on t.v. or on commentary. Obviously the 'mental edge' is more interesting to talk about and more understandable, as a lot of people will probably not follow flexibility of the 'abductor muscles' but it is hugely intriguing nonetheless especially if you train and play yourself.

Other points to consider:

After the semis yesterday, Roddick half collapsed with emotion on his way up to the changing rooms, purely overwhelmed with what he has achieved. Coming this far after a heavy drought means the world to him, and it hasn't been easy...he played two very gruesome matches leading up to the finals... does he have enough left in the tank for sunday?

Can he hold serve? Can he keep his serve at least 95% first serve percentage? This is actually not a joke!!!! We can all expect a ridiculously dull final if Roddick cannot keep his best weapon polished at least half of the way.....

Its possible Federer will tank, that is, give an easy first few games to Roddick... Andy must not get excited and expend all his energy in the early sets, he should be experienced enough to know this already. Roger can go for hours at a incredibly high level of tennis, Roddick cannot do the same and he needs to really keep this in mind and cut the points short.

Federer's crown is pretty much inevitable. but hopefully Roddick will give us something to watch tomorrow, and maybe he will provide a useful platform for Roger to play some of his magic shots- which is entertaining enough....!

Player	Aces	Ist serve pct.	Sets lost/ Bagels dished	Unforced. Errors - Total/ Winners	Bk pt conv %	Time on court.	Matches played
Federer	77	67	1 / 0	71 / 239	49	11:29	6
Roddick	160	71	6 / 0	112 / 331	31	15:45	6

The world's a better place at SW19....

Returned from Wimbledon a few days ago feeling more enthusiastic than i have ever been about this slam. Just one visit for a tennis geek is enough to make it feel like home.

Standing amongst thousands and thousands of enthusiasts, seeing top players in every direction you look, ice creams and strawberries (no matter how overrated they are) and fresh green lawn courts on a bright summers day just wreaks of the thrill of the tennis season.

The trip to Laandan was indeed three days of total tennis intoxication, which Mike aptly called a 'propa tennis getaway this' when i rolled up at his house with tennis racquet and all. Living and breathing of the stuff, from our evening game to the mornings absorption of casual match chit chat while queuing. We rolled our eyes at the Murray articles every day, and spent the rest on courts and walking around the grounds. If that wasn't enough, after a short break of tube journeys home from Southfields station, we hit the t.v. to catch 'Today at Wimbledon' before bed. It was awesome!

Nothing matters at Wimbledon except the tennis. How wonderfully uplifting. The world is a better place temporarily.

I had always thought that getting into Wimbledon was almost impossible without putting yourself through great hardship, but Mike and i found that you can get there for 7.30am in the morning and still get guaranteed entry with a grounds pass by 10 am. Obviously this means a 2 hour long wait, but it is not a shuffling queue because they let you through in batches supposedly, so we only had to 'move' in the queue once. The rest of the time we sat on the grass outside in the sunshine, listening to our ipods and discussing players and matches. They apparently reserve 6000 grounds tickets, but one day we were 6135 and still got in just fine. (it is unwise to leave it too late however).

The trip was very much a success considering we were not really uber prepared or anything and kind of gave up on checking schedules of play for the next day (it is more fun when it is a surprise!). We saw loads of amazing players- Lleyton Hewitt, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon, James Blake, Andy Roddick, Juan Carlos Ferrero (mike said he saw Andy Murray and David Ferrer walk by), Santorro, Jamie Murray play doubles (he was a bit shit), Jelena Jankovic from a distance, Fernando Gonzalez (total joker, Thiago Alves, Amelie Mauresmo, Kuztensova (french open champ 09... My trip is in digital format here on vimeo

A few very handy tips i picked up on a first visit to Wimby....

1. It is always worth having a nice stroll around the grounds before you do anything to get yourself acquainted with the courts and with the Championship. It's relaxing and very enjoyable. (Also extremely helpful if matches have been moved around to different courts and you want to get there quickly without having to ask around for directions) The place is huge and confusing in crowds, and it is a good idea to kinda know where you are going. We also brought a notebook to keep a mental check of all the good matches on so we had a rough plan of the day....

2. Always make sure you know which court you are cueing for when you don't have reserved seating. The queues can take AGES, since they don't let you on the stands till a game finishes so that the players are not disturbed. This means something up to a hours wait, and you don't want to find that you have actually been queuing for the wrong match/court. (this did happen to us, but luckily we only queued for about 30minutes before realising)

3. If you want to see good players on practise courts, GET ON THERE FROM 12 ONWARDS. About lunchtime all the best players come out to play, not much chance of seeing them past 2pm.

4. Keep your eyes peeled, players just walk past you all the time. This is not to get pictures/signings- they are busy people and probably have a lot of things to get one with, but sometimes they will be walking towards a practise court or a unused match court to warm up. (we saw andy roddick this way). So it is sometimes worth stalking them and seeing where they go.

5. Take food, everyone does and they all munch sandwiches during the matches. It is easier this way, because you won't really have time to actually buy food and sit and eat because the important thing is to get your ass to as many matches as possible and the queues for food are not worth it! It is also of course more expensive to buy on grounds.

6. Don't go overboard with sensible footwear, you can get by just fine in sandals, but try and make it flat. HOWEVER, don't ever wear those primary coloured plastic sandals that are all the craze now, selling at your nearest Topshop. Yea, they look good, but your feet will DIE. DIE!!

7. They do not accept card for grounds passes. Have some cash on you £20 for first week grounds passes...i think 40/50 for show courts..(though you will need to camp)

8. Always check out ticket resale to see if you can grab a £5 show court ticket. When we went, Andy Murray was playing the last match on centre and there was a massive 6 mile queue for tickets at ticket resale, so hardly anyone was queuing for court 1 and we got a ticket on there to see Fernando Gonzalez (awesome player beat Murray at French) within 10 minutes...

9. Don't expect to see top 5 players on your first visit. Expect to see top quality tennis and good players, but not the best. You may just be disappointed, but really, everyone who plays at Wimbledon is a delight to watch even if they are not Rafa and Roger. You will have a guaranteed awesome time if you love tennis anyway, and just go with the flow, because luck is all around at Wimbledon...

10. If you are going as a pair, take someone you can honestly really put up with, i was very lucky, but the last thing you need is to spend an inordinate amount of time with someone who makes you want to fucking kill yourself/ (or kill them). And probably best to take someone who knows as much or more tennis than you, as player spotting is 10x more efficient, and also the whole experience is better spent in the company of a tennis enthusiast who will not get bored and nag you for food in the middle of a match.

Well, that is all i can remember right now... but hopefully it should be pretty helpful, because none of this info is available via the website or otherwise.

I apologise for anyone who is actually following my blog posts and has noticed it hasn't been updated during these Championships too well. I suppose this is not a problem really, but i enjoy keeping it 'up to date'. I just have little time in my life for everything including tennis sometimes. US open will be better organised on here for sure, since it is my favourite championship.

I also thought i would articulate my disappointment that Gael Monfils was not playing at Wimby this yr because of a knee injury. All my best wishes go out to him,i hope he recovers soon enough for US open.

I fell of my bike just like i always used to

I realise these posts are slowly becoming a bit personal and self-centred (it's probably why the font size has become smaller and smaller), but i am too lazy to start a new blog to separate this junk from, well, the rest of the junk....So today i went on a bike ride with my bro. I think the last time i rode my bike was a good year ago. Last summer in fact, so no wonder it hadn't felt like summer properly, until i went for a ride today.

My brother had already asked my dad to take my bike out by the time i got back to the house after my Oxfam volunteering shift, and i was quite happy to hop right on still sporting the inappropriate dress i wore into town that day. It was wonderful. There was a nice cool breeze, and no cars and just my brother shouting 'i am the supersonic' (whatever that means) peddling like crazy miles ahead of me. 

He has finally learnt to ride his bike without any stabilisers, and can't get enough of being outdoors on the two wheels. Though i am 11 years older than him, i am still 'young' enough to be just a bigger kid to my brother, and i enjoy spending these precious moments with him, where i can cling onto that dwindling childhood euphoria before it really gets too late. 

Sometimes i wonder just how long i can go on like this, before we both outgrow each other. 

Probably the most fruitful thing that came out of this bike ride was when i fell over. I was in such a intense day dream, thinking about all the good times i had on my bike, that i lost track of where i was going and my front wheel skidded of a deep set pavement. I went crashing down, but luckily on the pavement side rather than the road side- and grazed my knees and left leg pretty bad.

To my brother's surprise i lay down laughing hysterically despite the sting down my legs, and i treasured how it felt. Its been such a long time since i've had this kind of fall that i embraced it, hoping that i will get another one sooner rather than later. 

It feels good to get hurt like this. It seems that there is nothing but emotional pain with every year added on and sometimes you just want it to hurt where you can see it and where you can heal it.

I will be taking my bike out again tomorrow, and i won't look back. 

Day 11/12/13 reflections: I'm slacking, it's inevitable, but i am always inspired

There are some things that i enjoy to such an indescribable degree that i will gladly allow it to consume my daily havoc of a life, despite the fact that i should know better...

So even if i could go back a couple of weeks and get the chance to start all over, working harder, planning better, focusing my concentration, sleeping at decent hours, i would fuck it up all over again on purpose. Because anything that i would have achieved by doing all those things, would mean nothing to me in comparison to being able to follow such an incredible French Open.

Of course i would feel differently when i get older, and no longer have this unrivalled frivolity to wile away my time looking up match statistics, discussing player tactics and giggling at post-match interviews at 1am in the morning with my friends before exams. But i'm here and this is now, and i just. don't. care.

Every now and then, as a fan, you see a game of tennis which reminds you why you love hearing that ball bounce, and why that sound seems to be able to go beyond all the boundaries of perception to capture your attention time and time again, no matter what else is at stake. The Del Potro vs Federer semi-final was one of those games, and even with my unsettled post-examination head, and only being able to catch the last 2 sets, i could just about let all my worries subside me and settle down to watch the magic that occurs with a ball, a racquet, a net and just blistering desire.

There are probably only two people that i could just about stand beating Federer. Those two are Nadal and Juan Martin Del Potro.

Standing at 6 ft 6inch, Del Potro plays like his life is literally on the line, never ever giving in, he's almost like Murray in some ways, in that he is like this machine that will return every shot hit at him, except a huge difference is that Del Potro with enough honing will be miles more talented....Obviously his height gives him a major advantage, which is a big factor to why his serving motion is just so so good, and unlike some of the bigger guys, Del Potro actually moves pretty smooth on court, and just batters the ball every time it touches his racquet. With all the speed and power he is capable of generating, his passing shots are close to lightening, and i've noticed he has a gentle 'touch' at the net, which is an area that he would benefit a lot from with more practise. I have found it interesting to note, that the guys these days left lingering near the last rounds are all absolutely huge!- re: Monfils! Sam (Given-much(too much)-attention-2008) Querrey! Mario Ancic! etc.. But specifically Monfils and Del Potro are two of the most dangerous, and i was more than prepared for having to see Roger ousted by the Argentinian.

As i said, i didn't watch the first few sets, so i'm not sure what gave Potro the lead, but from seeing the last 2 (and a 1/2) all i could really decipher, is that he worked his little socks off, because he looked as tired and worn out as one could get being Juan Martin Del Potro by the time i tuned in. Federer's game isn't really the sort to grind people down physically, but certainly mentally. Just a Roger on top form is enough to put a huge mental barrier on the best players, and for a tender age of 20 years (!) Del Potro is doing such a beautiful job, and has the sort of fighting spirit that most players never adopt in their entire professional playing career. I always think that there is a very marginal line between the top 10 players and every other player, and the line is bound mainly by unrivalled mental strength....

This was evident when Del Potro so casually hit to the Federer forehand. Ok, so it is both Roger's downfall as well as his lethal weapon, but either way, you can only be very brave or very stupid to hit to that side...Del Potro is certainly the former, because if he avoided it, like so many players do just feeding to the backhand, Roger will have no mercy, especially when he is feeling good about himself, which was clear today.

One can tell when Roger Federer is a little nervous, behind that sheen of serenity there are all sorts of weird and crazy things going on up there. Up there is where the racquet battering is going on, and the only signs we see of that is when he tugs at the top right hand side of his shirt/ the left part of his shirt by his navel more often, or places a strand of hair into his sweat band a unnecessary number of times. The high is sometimes his ever so rarely heard bursts of frustration muffled by the towel he brings so quick to his face to hide the anxiety...

Just none of that today, cool as a fucking cucumber. The shots he missed he took in his stride, and the shots that were just too good, were taken with the utmost respect for his opponent. But in reply, these days, Roger adopts his 'i'm gonna serve it out motherfucker' attitude after he loses a point that shats all over his parade.

Some people see Federer's attitude as arrogant, but what they don't realise is that it is in fact genius. Why waste you energy on showing emotion? When you can use this as added fuel to up your game.

Two sets to love down. Again.

*Swoon*

How did he do it?

The beautiful thing about the fine physical specimen that is Roger Federer, is that, no one can ever really answer this question. But there are a few things today:

1. The Drop Shot- sweeeeeeeettttt as hell! I don't think Federer has ever been hitting drop shots this good for a loong time, and on clay too!- perfect. Clay is a base-line game (well duh, re: Nadal...), and this is the most perfect shot to play to an opponent who is a good few metres away from the baseline like most of the time.....However, it still needs to be executed with perfection (Murray take note): Federer is such an elegant player that all of his shots are precise, relaxed and flowing. The drop shot, even though it's basically a slicing action has to be just as relaxed and flowing to be good, pretty much. So it's no wonder Roger can do these so well. The backspin on the ball (can't remember which set/ game ><) was so good on one of the points, when Roger hit it as a inside-out forehand. The ball stopped in mid air and just dropped dead in it's tracks.

2. The inside-out forehand- Genius weapon, masterful. When it's good it's really good, and one only needs to see Roger's body take that wondrous turn to his forehand side to know with no doubt that this is going to pierce through the air and onto the line with no chance of retrieval. It was whip-like today, and i don't think i ever saw a hint of a slip. If it stays like this for the final, he will have no problems..

I have to say though, that i was a little disappointed with the Monfils vs Federer quarter-finals because i really did expect it to be so much more exciting. I have a lot of love for Monfils's drive and passion encompassed within such a young heart, and his serving motion is just plain awesome! (even though it is apparently modelled on Roddick's, but whatever). Gael is THE coolest player on the tour it has to be said, and it was a tad bit of a shame seeing him practically giving the game to Federer- but i do hope his knee gets better soon enough, because i love watching Monfils and all his heart thumping action. It was nice to hear someone call 'Come on My Son' from the stands ('My son' is Monfils translated :D)

I really have no idea WHAT to expect for the finals, but it will undoubtedly be e p i c. I can only be glad that i have been born at a time and into a world where i can observe such inspiring people.

Fuck this was meant to just go in my diary entry tonight...

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Day 6 short reflections

The picture speaks for itself, doesn't it?

Freaking 54% first serve percentage is NOT going to carry you through anywhere near the final. The shots were messy, he was allllll over the place, Tipsarevich wasn't even playing great tennis but he still managed to take a lead in the first set.

Lucky for Murray, Tips retired (what is it with these Serbians??!! RE: Djokovic) in the second set after calling a doctor on court, popping a pill, and then deciding enough was enough. The camera shot on Murray's face when Tips left the court after the game said it all. He knows it's not good enough. I hope he gets throttled by Cilic; the 20 year old Croatian player, currently ranked no 13.

6ft 6inch Cilic will bring the game, he has a tendency to get bashed around, and flopping over his long legs, but when he's focused, he is really good. Murray will be looking to swatting this fly out the way.

I am supposed to be revising for my Psychology of Addiction exam which is less than an hour away right now. This is how much i have given up on everything in my life except tennis.

Matches to look forward to today:

1. Paul henry Mathieu vs ROGER FEDERER (last match of the day) should be sweeeet.

2. Philip Kohlschrieber vs Djokovic (lets see what tricks Djokovic has up his sleeve)

3. IN PROGRESS NOW I WISH I COULD WATCH!!!!- IGOR ANDREEV VS DEL POTRO- both absolute warriors.

Tennis, where were we?

Seeing Federer drop tears like he used to drop winners at this years Australian Open was enough to put me off tennis for a good 4 months. I've since recovered, but amidst the inconveniences of, well, my degree :/ i've had to put tennis at the back seat for awhile, till now! Roland Garros is upon us- Clay Court Kingdom, for only one King. I need to pay severely for my lack of devotion and thus need to gather my thoughts on this one..

2009 aims for top players:

1. Nadal- Win Wimbledon again. This will absolutely set in gold his number one position, and his new legacy as face of tennis for the new generation. Perhaps most importantly, Nadal's aim will b

e to defend his winning position at Roland Garros. RG is HIS Tournament- it has been for four years, and if this becomes the fifth consecutive year he will have officially set a new record of five consecutive years as French Open winner (with only Borg being the runner up with four consecutive year wins).

2. Federer- HAS to try his hardest to at least GET TO THE FINAL at Wimbledon. Winning, is another thing, but if Federer can't make it to the final, he will lose a lot (probs all) of his cred not only from other players, but the majority of the tennis world. He also needs to capitalise on his good fortune of winning the Madrid Open, hope that Nadal's knees play up more, so he can bag the French.

3. Djokovich- I'm not entirely certain what's going on with Djokovic anymore, he always seems to be just swanning around, making it into tournaments, but never making any obvious 'mark of significance'. Djokovic lost to Nadal at Madrid, despite Nadal whipping out the unforced errors every few minutes..I am not impressed with Djokovic anymore, obviously this is not a nice thing for anyone to say, taking into account that i am not anywhere near the gruelling standards these guys are currently at, but still, i always accepted his arsey pretentious behaviour before, owing it to his self-righteous upbringing...? Djokovic always seems so ridiculously close to being a outstanding player, but just lets everyone down (including himself) in the process. I think we can all expect some 'drama' from him at RG in the form of some 'knee injury'.

4. Murray- There is just no getting rid of him. Obviously Murray's priority this year is to make it to make it to at least semi-final for Wimbledon. In his head, the aim is to be number 1 at the end of the year......Not happening. But he will try, he always does. The past few months have seen him improve in leaps and bounds, most notably in his fitness, his movement on court, mental strength and execution of tactics. If he wants to get anymore close to no 1, he needs to rack up all the titles he POSSIBLY CAN, and also has a ton to defend too. Murray needs to display all the potential he has, a young and promising player (has to be said, unfortunately) like himself needs to show people what he's got early, especially since there's more than enough young guns crawling up the ranks.

SO, last month's big news was Federer's win over Nadal at the Madrid Open; clay court, which has undoubtedly given Federer a HUGEEEEE psychological boost. This sort of circumstance is exactly what he needs before going into clay court season, and here's proof of that on an exclusive with CNN:

"He's won four straight times here in Paris which shows how tough he is, but if you play him the right way there will be chances, he is only human and we wait for that moment when he is not at his best; hopefully that will be this year," the Swiss said.

I am struggling to catch all the matches with revision and all, but Federer's win over Alberto Martin was a clean cut, 6-4 6-3 6-2, in just under two hours... Also looks like he has had a nice hair cut :D