On sports: Federer win the latest battle of the generations

When Roger Federer beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in bookend-like fashion, 6-4, 6-4, to win his eighth Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship crown on Saturday night, it marked his 100th career title.

Federer gave a stunning performance that lit up the Emirates. He needed just 69 minutes to beat one of the rising stars of tennis, Tsitsipas, who is almost half as old as the 37-year-old tennis icon. Federer proved once and for all that age is just a number.

In the latest battle of the generations between Federer and Tsitsipas – their third this year and first since Tsitsipas ousted Federer in the round of 16 at the Australian Open in January – the evening belonged to Federer, much to the delight of so many in this Arabian Desert city.

Before the match, Federer was quoted as saying, “I’m just going to try to focus and play good tennis.”

Federer did more than just play good tennis. He came out focused from the start and broke Tsitsipas in the opening game. OK, game on! Playing brilliantly at times, and with a chess master’s mentality lining up his moves, Federer kept Tsitsipas thinking on his feet. He opened up the court and continually applied pressure, moving the young Greek star back and forth across the hard-court surface. Although Tsitsipas attacked Federer’s backhand often, the Swiss maestro proved up to the task and even capped one particular 23-shot rally with a lovely, back-handed half volley winner that brought the capacity crowd to its feet. Later, Federer saved the only two break points he faced after going up 40-0 while serving for the first set. Finally, on his fourth set-point opportunity, Federer secured the elusive point to move to within one set of making tennis history.

Next, the two finalists stayed on serve through the opening eight games of the second set, before Federer was able to put together a string of four straight brilliant points on his return that broke the 20-year-old Tsitsipas. The service break pushed Federer ahead for good and put himself in the position of serving for the match. Title No. 100 suddenly loomed big. As it happened, Federer wasted no time in wrapping up the historic evening by winning at love – game, set, match, championship – which closed the book on his eighth Dubai title.

Immediately after his milestone victory, Federer spoke about winning his 100th career title meant to him. He also hinted at how long he’ll be around chasing trophies. “I’m delighted, I’m so happy. It’s an absolute dream come true right now,” he said. Federer gave credit to Tsitsipas after he defeated the Greek hero, saying, “I don’t know if he was born when I won my first title. I think barely. ... Tennis is in good hands, regardless if I’m there or not.” Afterward, it was announced by tournament organizers that Federer will return to defend his Dubai title in 2020.

The free-spirited Tsitsipas, who won the Open 13 Provence in Marseille just a week earlier, took his defeat in stride. He knows there will be better days ahead for him. Tsitsipas managed to crack a smile while he was interviewed by longtime British tennis commentator David Mercer during the trophy ceremony. He spoke positively about watching Federer as a child growing up in Greece. Tsitsipas congratulated him on his career achievements. “I’ve been idolizing him since the age of six ... and now sharing the court, it’s even better,” he said. 

When it was Federer’s turn to wax poetically during the ceremony for his 100th, Federer told Mercer, “It’s been a long, wonderful journey. I have loved every minute. It’s been tough, but the sacrifice has been very, very worthwhile, and we’ll see how much more I’ve got left in the tank.

“I’m so happy I’m still playing. It all started as a junior world champion. It’s been great. I wouldn’t do it any differently.”

The history-making victory moved the 20-time Grand Slam championship to within nine titles of tying Jimmy Connors, the men’s all-time leader. While it took Federer 152 finals to reach No. 100, Connors reached his 100th in only 141 finals. 

Soon, Federer received many plaudits from current and former players and the media, via Twitter. Connors chimed in with his congratulations. “Welcome to the ‘Triple Digit’ tournament victory club @rogerfederer – I’ve been a bit lonely – glad to have the company!!!”

No doubt, Federer is a future Hall of Famer and his C.V. is an impressive one. Yet, despite his advanced age – for a tennis player – Federer continues to add milestones to it.

For instance, Federer has lifted a trophy in at least one tournament in 18 of the past 19 years. Since 2001, when he won the first of his 100 titles, the only year that Federer has come up empty was during his injury-plagued 2016 season. Also, with his 100th singles title, Federer moved twenty ahead of Rafael Nadal, who has won 80. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has 73 singles titles. Meanwhile, the remaining 97 players in the current Top 100 have garnered a combined total of 333. Let’s not forget, one-fifth (20 percent) of Federer’s singles titles have come at Grand Slams. He’s won eight Wimbledon crowns, six Australian Open, five U.S. Open and one French Open. Also, he’s won 27 ATP Masters 1000 titles, 22 ATP 500 series titles, 25 ATP 250 series titles and six ATP Tour Finals titles. 

During his press conference following his Dubai triumph, Federer was asked if he’s ready to go after 10 more titles to break Connors’ 109. He replied, “We live in a world where every record has to be shattered. Not for me, I’m just happy I’m still healthy. If I reach milestones along the way, it’s wonderful, but I’m really not here to shatter all the records.”

Putting it all in perspective. That’s Roger Federer.

2016 Rio Olympics: Just because ...

Fireworks exploded during the Closing Ceremonies
for the Summer Olympic Games at Maracanã Stadium
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday night.

Every four years I fall in love with the Summer Olympic Games.

Just because.

It goes beyond just the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

NPR sports commentator Frank Deford once observed that the Olympics are "like an independent movie with foreign actors you've never heard of." Further, he said, it's quite all right if we "cheer for people you've never heard of in a sport you don't care about just because."

David Rudisha of Kenya won the men's 800-meter run.

During the Rio fortnight that just concluded Sunday night, in addition to rooting for American athletes like the swimmer Michael Phelps and Simone Biles, and for the American teams in basketball and volleyball to win and do well, I found myself:

• Urging on Kenyan and Ethiopian runners, such as David Rudisha and Almaz Ayana, who moved so gracefully about the track, excelling in the middle and long distances. Rudisha became the first male runner to successful defend his 800-meter gold since 1964 while Ayana shattered the women's 10,000-meter world record by 14 seconds.

Sanne Wevers of the Netherlands
displays her gymnastics gold medal.

• Cheering on a Dutch gymnast, Sanne Wevers, from the Netherlands, who steadied herself on the four-inch-wide balance beam and flawlessly performed a gold-medal routine. In doing so, she became the first Dutch gymnast to earn an individual medal of any color.

• Applauding a South African sprinter, Wayde van Niekerk, who broke a 17-year-old world record in winning the 400-meter run, then seeing the priceless joy expressed by his coach, a white-haired, 74-year-old grandmother named Ans Botha, who sat in the stands with van Niekerk's mother, watching over her pupil with admiration, confidence and enthusiasm.

• Smiling for the charismatic host Brazilian men's and women's football teams, with their iconic one-named stars like Neymar Jr. and Marta, as they provided their country with many thrills, none bigger than Neymar's decisive penalty kick that clinched the gold medal for Brazil over Germany.

• And, I think everyone around the world cheered for Jamaica's Usain Bolt as he once again ran faster than anyone in the world in collecting three gold medals in athletics for the third consecutive Olympics.

Malek Jaziri of Tunisia competed in the
Olympic Tennis Event.

Also, thanks to having a lot of Facebook friends from Tunisia, I rooted for their country's athletes like Malek Jaziri (tennis), Habiba Ghribi (athletics), Ines Boubakri (fencing) and Oussama Mellouli (indoor and outdoor swimming) to do well. This proud North African nation collected three bronze medals, earned in fencing, taekwondo and wrestling.

Closer to home, I thrilled in cheering for the United States on the basketball court, in the swimming pool, in the gymnastics arena and on the Olympic Stadium running track throughout the past two weeks. I ached for Kerri Walsh-Jennings, whose quest for a fourth consecutive gold medal in beach volleyball was dashed by Brazil, but delighted in seeing her and teammate April Ross rebound the next night to win a bronze medal. They were elated and so was I. The same goes for the U.S. women's indoor volleyball team, arguably the best women's volleyball team in the world. After going through pool play undefeated and winning their quarterfinal-round match, they stumbled against Serbia in the semifinals. Their gold-medal hopes were broken, but the Americans regrouped nicely to win the bronze medal with a satisfying four-set win over the Netherlands – and they were beaming with their bronze medals around their necks on the awards platform. Sometimes, medals can be color-blind. It's the thrill of achievement, sometimes under adversity, that we'll remember years from now.

Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad became the first American woman
of Muslim faith to compete wearing a hijab.

The late American poet Maya Angelou, who wrote about diversity and inclusion throughout her distinguished lifetime, once observed: "We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color."

Swimmer Simone Manuel became the first African-American
woman to win an individual swimming gold medal.

I was so very proud to see the swimmer Simone Manuel break a color barrier in becoming the first African-American woman to win an individual swimming gold medal, when she tied for first with Canada's Penny Oleksiak in the 100-meter freestyle, setting an Olympic record along the way.

Afterward, Manual said the gold medal wasn't just for her. "It was for people that came before me and inspired me to stay in the sport. For people who believe that they can't do it, I hope I'm an inspiration to others to get out there and try swimming. You might be pretty good at it."

I was just as proud of American fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad for being the first American woman of Muslim faith to wear a hijab while competing in the Olympics. There were many other first set during the Rio Games – most of them positive – and I applaud those nations who won gold medals for the first time, including: Singapore (swimming), Vietnam (air pistol), Kosovo (judo), Fiji (rugby sevens) and Puerto Rico (tennis).

The Parade of flags during Sunday's closing ceremonies.

Throughout this Olympic fortnight, the host nation Brazil displayed for the world to see why they are a sports-loving country.

I found myself rooting for athletes from around the world I had never heard of in sports that rarely receive any mention in my country like team handball, judo, and weightlifting.

Just because ... just because I cared enough to want to. And it was fun.


Photos: A variety of sources was used for the photographs included in this blog post.

Kendrick Lamar: Mirroring the energy of his music

Kendrick Lamar is a 28-year-old poet and lyrical genius whose body language during a performance mirrors the energy of his music.

Lamar's raps incorporate elements of funk, spoken-word poetry, and jazz. He prefers to label his music simply as "human music." His sense of freedom and willingness to explore many music genres, such as jazz fusion, sparked and inspired the late David Bowie as the musical icon worked on his final album 'Blackstar.'

Lamar's new "Untitled 2," which he recently debuted on NBC's The Tonight Show, explores a backstory of his life and his view of America.

"Music moves with the times. It's not something we have to consciously do," Lamar revealed in an interview earlier this month in The New York Times. "This is what's happening in the world -- not only to me but to my community. Whenever I make music, it reflects where I'm at mentally."

Lamar's critically-acclaimed concept album To Pimp a Butterfly (which was ranked by Rolling Stone as the best album of 2015) has been nominated 11 times in nine Grammy categories, including Song ("Alright") and Album of the Year (for the second time). According to Nielsen, it has sold more than 750,000 copies and been streamed 375 million times -- all without a hit single. However, it should be noted that "Alright," which garnered four Grammy nominations, has become a unifying soundtrack to the Black Lives Matter protests nationwide.

On being chosen as the best album of 2015, Rolling Stone wrote: "Musically, lyrically and emotionally, Kendrick Lamar's third album is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece -- a sprawling epic that's both the  year's most bumptious party music and its most gripping therapy session. A rap superstar at last, after years on the underground grind, Lamar wrestles with the depression and survivor's guilt that followed his fame and success by turning to heroes from Ralph Ellison and Richard Pryor to Smokey Robinson and Kris Kross to Nelson Mandela and Tupac. He lives large. He contains multitudes."

Kendrick Lamar / His 'To Pimp a Butterfly' is
part bumptious party music, part gripping therapy session.

"Being acknowledged for your work is always a great accomplishment," said Lamar, "whether it's people in my city, kids in the street, all the way up to the Grammys." The Compton, California native, born Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, and also known as K-Dot, added: "This album did what I wanted it to do. That's not necessarily to sell tons of records -- though it didn't do bad at that either -- but to actually have an impact on the people and on the culture of music."

I'll admit, I'm not a big follower of rap or of Lamar's career. However, as a devoted viewer of late-night television, I took notice when Stephen Colbert anointed Lamar to be his first musical guest when he took over as host of CBS's The Late Show from David Letterman last September, and I tuned in with great interest to see him perform. From that appearance to last week's performance on The Tonight Show, it's easy to see why critics make a point of saying "make sure you're watching and not just listening" to Lamar's raps because of the way the movement of his body relates to the energy of his message. His raw voice and self-interrogative style have its pleasure and rewards.

Kendrick Lamar / "Make sure you're watching and not
just listening." His raw voice and self-interrogative style
have its pleasure and rewards.

As I watched and listened, I warmed to Lamar's personal style of simple braided hair and attire that included non-baggy jeans, white kicks and a plaid long-sleeved shirt over a dark t-shirt that said "Faith Love." He was unconsumed by expensive chains and did not fit the mold of most hip hop artists.

As Lamar performed "Untitled 2," one could see a building intensity that one critic the next day called "absolutely mesmerizing."

To see the lyrics to "Untitled 2": http://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-untitled-2-blue-faces-lyrics

Another critic, writing for Slate.com, wrote: "Lamar's emotion builds throughout the song and reaches its triumphant peak at the end, as Lamar repeats, 'You ain't gotta tell me that I'm the one,' and finishes with 'Yes, I'm the one'."

To learn more about Kendrick Lamar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendrick_Lamar

Video: Courtesy of YouTube. Photos: Courtesy of Google Images.