The armchair athlete’s list. Not quite ten, but my favourites nevertheless.
As I compile this list, I realize that most of my favourites have retired. One, in fact, is already racing on that great track in the sky. Even though this shows that I am nearly a hundred years old, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
It just proves that their appeal, for me at least, is timeless.
I’ve had brief flirtations with the Andre Agassis, the David Coulthards, the Waqar Younises and the Swedish Ice Hockey teams. But much as I admire and support these guys, my enduring love affairs lie elsewhere.
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Mr. cool, Stefan Edberg
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My favourite athlete ever. My favourite human being, in fact, for a long long time. Winner of 6 grand slam titles including the Wimbledon, US and Australian opens, Edberg came within a whisker of winning the French in 1989. There are a lot of stats one can recite about Edberg, but I’d like to focus on some of his performances. The 1988 Wimbledon final, where he beat the favourite Becker. His sublime serve and volley demolition of Jim Courier in the 1991 US Open Final. His equally impressive, come-from-behind victories in the 1992 edition of the same tournament.
Other things I like about Edberg? Other than those fabulous legs and the backhand volley, it’s got to be the dignity with which he has always carried himself. Maybe his scandal free approach to life doesn’t make for very interesting reading, but I admire him for keeping a low profile even after retirement, surfacing only occasionally for charity exhibitions and camps. I hope he never gives in to temptation and joins the senior tour.
If there are any more hard core fans out there, do check out these sites: ste fans and The Stefan Edberg Column.
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The late great Ayrton Senna
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He gave no quarter and expected none. 3 time formula one champion (1988, 1990, 1991), he was the enfant terrible of the sport. But people who knew him closely assert he was a gentle person, with a passion for machines.
Senna was driven – literally – to excel. He was legendary in the wet, and undisputed king of the tough street circuit of Monaco. In his later years, skirmishes with drivers notwithstanding, he was also passionately concerned about safety.
Senna was gunning for his fourth title in 1994. Finally, he had a worthy machine, the Williams Renault, after a couple of frustrating years of racing in a less-than competitive car. But the great team manager, the almighty himself, had other plans. Senna was killed when his car veered off the track at Imola, during the San Marino Grand Prix.
Fans, or just anybody who likes reading inspiring stuff, do read his biography “The Hard Edge of Genius”
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Fraulein Forehand, Steffi Graf
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She had some bad losses to Sabatini, Seles and many others. For ages, she ran around her backhand at every opportunity. But she endured. After the 5th or 6th grand slam title, we stopped counting. Like a true Gemini, her speedy footwork was one of her pluses. In fact, it was once reported that some of her sprint speeds were not far behind the world record speeds.
Many of Steffi’s finals, especially in the brief era of Seles domination, were nerve wracking, thrilling down to the third set. Some of them were better than the men’s finals of the same tournament, quality wise. If Seles got the better of her at the French, then Steffi would exact sweet revenge at Wimbledon.
Many times Steffi would be threatened by younger, hotter players. But she kept re-inventing herself. Staying a step ahead. And winning.
Hope to see her in the mixed doubles with Agassi soon, as promised.
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Soccer’s Mr. Nice Guy – Gary Lineker
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Former England captain and striker, Lineker was the perfect foil for his more flamboyant and controversial team-mate, Paul Gascoigne (Gazza). Lineker was known for his cool temperament and effective game. England’s second highest goal scorer ever, he shone in the 1986 world cup, winning the Golden Boot.
Ever the gentleman, he was also a prominent draw for the club sides Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspurs.
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Purely for patriotic reasons, The Indian Cricket Team
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I am not a big cricket fan. I do watch matches and cheer for my team, but I must admit I don’t eat drink and breathe cricket. While there are many individual players I admire – Tendulkar for his talent, Ganguly for his aggression, Dravid for his consistency – it’s the team as a whole that I care about.
Of late there has been a lot for us fans to cheer about. A little more display of killer instinct than earlier. Less slipshod mistakes. It’s wonderful being able to rejoice over victories over fancied teams.
That’s all I am willing to say on cricket – there are others who are much more qualified than I, to talk on it.
I’ll stop with 5, since these are the sports personalities whose careers I have followed avidly. Please forgive any statistical errors, since I have had to rely on my memory for the most part.
I am surprised that there are very few reviews on this topic, since it is so interesting. Maybe I'll start a deluge here!
Comments most welcome, especially from fans and even haters of the above!
