My tryst
with
Roger
B
efore the match began, a rational
thought was that, Nadal would win.
Records seldom lie, Nadal had been
Federer's nemesis more often than not, and
however hard to accept, it was the harsh truth.
Roger was the underdog in this �ght too, like he
was now accustomed to be since 2012. But a tiny
hopeful voice in my heart still said, records,
like promises, are meant to be broken.
e game was on. Here we go. Federer
won the �rst set, and I was ecstatic.
But Nadal bounced back and clinched
the second. en Federer thrashed
him 6-1 in the third. I couldn't be
more happy. Nobody
had lost
t h e
Rafa by
Naaz Afreen
2825, Batch 2010
AO(Australian open) after winning the third set
in the �nals. Can you continue the tradition
Fed? Please. But then Rafa showed that he
wasn't called the king for no reason. ere went
the four th set in his pocket ; Federer,
uncharacteristically, submitting a bit meekly.
Before the �fth set began, I was almost praying.
(Imagine an atheist praying! You have no clue as
to whom the prayer is addressed to, but you still
make promises, make deals!!) Anyhow, the �fth
set began, my heart in my mouth! en Nadal
broke his �rst service game, and oh dear God! I
was heartbroken. I actually banged my head
into the wall. Rafa held his serve and the match
was slipping away. But then Federer proved
rational thought wrong, the records wrong, age
wrong. He broke Nadal twice, and I was able to
hear every pulse of mine as he served for the
championship. e drama at the end was just
the perfect climax, before the celebrations
began! At Rod Laver Arena, in my heart and in
all those hearts who had waited for this
moment for 5 years to the precision of
milliseconds.
Roger by
Arushi
3240, Batch 2016