The Old Routine
‘HARD luck on Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski, who narrowly failed to beat Austria and so elevate Britains Davis Cup team to the top division.
|
| A tired double act |
However, their gallant failure is tarnished a little by Rusedskis lament to the Telegraph about the blister on his left hand.
Its hard to hold the racket, its hard to serve and it hurts when I hit the ball, explained the British No.2.
And its a pain unaided by the fact that had he not played in the final rubber against Stefan Koubek, Britain tennis fortunes would have rested on the narrow shoulders of Andrew Murray or Alex Bogdanovich.
Dont worry if youve not heard of them – the teams captain, Jeremy Bates, showed little signs that he recognised their abilities either, sticking with the pain-affected Rusedksi.
But sports can toss up a few surprises. And while we wonder what night have been had youth been given its head in Austria, the Independent notices the Premier League table.
And there, hovering in third place, ahead of Manchester United and just three points behind league leaders Arsenal are Everton.
Yesterday, the Toffees Tim Cahill scored the only goal in an away game victory at Portsmouth, a win that took a Wayne Rooney-less Everton to new heights.
Of course, as George Graham was wont to say, the league is a marathon not a sprint. And with so many matches left, the thinking is very much that the natural order of things will be restored.
And that means a rise for the likes of underperforming Liverpool and Newcastle and a steady drop down the table for Everton.
If the British mens tennis team and the status quo in English football were not enough to suggest that competition was dying, the state of Formula One says that it is all but dead.
The Guardian may well heap praise on the BRAVE NEW WORLD of F1 racing in China, but though the track was new and the crowds were excited, the result was the same: Ferrari won.
The red flag flying over a bit of China at the weekend may have had a horse on it, but it pointed to world every bit as uniform as that heralded by Chairman Mao Zedongs famous flag bearers.’
Posted: 27th, September 2004 | In: Back pages Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
