Okey, this is something Really Funny to read...

Monday October 2, 03:52 AM

First Set, Second Love: A Tennis Story

Indian Express

A quaint tennis venue - flanked by trees and with violet blossoms dropping right
onto the Centre Court - sprung up quizzically on the periphery of one of Indian
cricket's oldest shrines, [b]the Brabourne Stadium.
Taking its cue from the multi-disciplinary settings, a fanciful allegiance to football surfaced over the Mumbai ATP week when small talk with tennis stars digressed from the usual forehands and first serves.
Austrian Alexander Peya lost to Tommy Robredo in his opening round. What is little known though, is how a teenage craze for soccer was swapped for a ride on tennis' grinding Tour. "[b]I played football seriously till I was 12-13 years old, then picked up a racket full-time which meant an end to soccer. But most Europeans play when travelling, and I can bet I'm the best football player on the Tennis tour,'' he says unabashedly.

Add compatriot Stefan Koubek to those looking back on football forlornly. Koubek has fared better on a tennis court reaching the quarters in Mumbai, and says he knew a trick or two playing footie, just that tennis training didn't permit him the
luxury to show off those skills.
Czech world No 13 Tomas Berdych touched Olympic glory beating Roger Federer in 2004, but his big five-rings moment came when he met Czech ice-hockey players from the 1998 Winter Olympic gold medal team. There is mutual admiration, though Berdych is reluctant to slide alongside on ice. "It's very dangerous but I like watching it,'' he says.
Football on tennis courts finds takers in German Simon Greul, Italian David Sanguinetti, Czech Robin Vik and Russian Dmitry Tursunov - the last mentioned cautioning that he'd rather not be photo-framed playing soccer. "I love playing, but you don't want to see me on the field,'' he quips.
Tommy Robredo, whose extra-curricular activity included beating a 13-year-old in remote car racing here, confesses that the Tour has taken its toll on his interest in soccer. ''I still like Barcelona and Carlos Puyol, but now I don't go crazy if they lose,'' says the Spaniard.
Not so for Mario Ancic, who grew up at a time when sport (Davor Suker helped Croatia finish third in the 1998 soccer World Cup) and sportsmen (Goran Ivanisevic) were defining Croatia's national character. ''My older brother Ivica insisted I do well in sports. I chose tennis, but was enthusiastic about football and basketball as well,'' he says.

Zoom into the neighbourhood and Pakistan's Aisam Qureshi splashed around picking school swimming records for five years before he stepped on to the tennis courts. "There's cricket with friends, and soccer with cousins. You name the sport and I play it, except horse riding maybe,'' he says.
The strangest second love though, is Bjorn Phau's. This speedy German carries cones to play field hockey on tennis courts.