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Squash: Tennis’ prize guys serve up fine example - Willstrop
CHAMP: Novak Djokovic retained his Oz crown by beating Rafael Nadal Down Under.
The month of January is usually an exciting time for squash and tennis fans. For the former it’s the month of the Tournament of Champions, the most exciting of all professional events in New York, and for the latter it is the Australian Open.
Experience prevailed in New York. Natalie Grinham, now in her best shape since giving birth to her first child over a year ago, beat Dipika Pallikal of India to win the women’s title. Nick Matthew beat me 3-1 in an all-Yorkshire final, and in February takes back the world number one position that I prized from him this month.
On my return at the weekend I was pleased to read some glowing reports of the semi-finals and final of the men’s event in the first major tennis tournament of the year. Andy Murray has had his critics, but this time they gave him credit for a fine performance against Novak Djokovic, despite a loss. The final, between Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, many seem to think, was even better.
Men’s tennis is undoubtedly represented by a fine generation of players, who not only play and compete with style and aggression, but are excellent ambassadors for the sport.
Discipline
It is a shame that the most popular sport on earth cannot claim to have any such thing. The articles on the back pages about football are more depressing than ever. The main story reported that Anton Ferdinand had had a bullet shoved through his letterbox and on another page came a photograph of hard-nosed, churlish Liverpool fans holding a banner aloft which read: ‘We’re not racist, we only hate mancs’.
Will anyone ever do something to save this sorry game?
The authorities could do no worse than invite top rugby referees to conduct a day course in how to discipline players on the field. Rugby players in both codes, the toughest of the tough, do not utter a word to officials because they will be sent off for doing so. Consequently, decent behaviour filters through the sport to its fans, who are now becoming a massive problem in football.
No other sport allows their players to swear at referees, and in fact the one time Serena Williams did berate a referee in tennis saw her vilified by the media, who soon forget that this sort of thing happens daily in professional football.
We should salute the Nadals, Federers and Djokovics of the world and hope that some of the football glitterati might one day watch them to see how it should be done.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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