Dare to Achieve Your Dreams!



And there I was standing in the city of my Role Model- Stefanie Graf. Not believing my eyes, I rubbed my eyes twice to make me believe that I read the sign correctly. It read Las Vegas.

As a small girl growing up in a country where tennis was a far-fetched dream, to be able to watch tennis was a luxury not afforded by approx. 80% of kids of my age. I clearly remember my childhood being shaped by memories of Stefanie Graf and her matches. I was just 10 when I saw the match which completely changed my attitude in life.
The match is considered as one of the classic matches in Women’s tennis history. Stefanie was down 1-4, 15-40 in the third set against Jana Novotna at 1993 Wimbledon’s final. At that moment I thought- all is over and my favorite player will lose. I was so disappointed and was sitting with a bad mood. My mom asked me for food and I was- No , I don’t want to eat today. Everyone in my household knew my passion for Stefanie Graf and her matches so she didn’t poke me further. And then I saw a comeback which I had never imagined. Graf won the match. All was well for me but as I lay in the bed that night, I couldn’t sleep. I was staring at the wall above me and lost in my thoughts. When everyone had given up, here she was holding it strong trying to win. My small mind was asking questions- why do people give up so easily?  Why did I give up? I was ashamed of myself that day when my favorite player didn’t lose hope, why did I?  My last thought before I slept off was Apeksha- You will not give up in any situation now and if you do then you are not a true fan of Graf.
From that day, I never missed any single match of Graf that was shown on TV.  I still remember how I used to crawl slowly to my parent’s room (which had TV in the night) at 3 AM to watch US Open matches. Without making a noise, I would switch on the TV, put it on mute and watch the complete match without making any noise scared a bit to wake up my parents and get a scolding for not taking proper sleep. But then Graf was my role model and I just so wanted to see her match every time to learn something new. And now when I look back, I still amaze in wonder about the things I have accomplished I my life.
I have done all the craziest things possible: be it traveling  6 times a week to study for my MBA and coming back to make sure my attendance is not short in my engineering course, be it coming back at 6 AM in the morning after a 10 hour journey and knocking on my friend’s door to know the syllabus to give my university exam at 9 AM, Arriving in the interview late by one hour as I was celebrating my friend’s birthday and clearing it with flying colors to land up a business analyst role when the company had come for candidates with technical expertise,  the only girl to participate in 6 sports events simultaneously in 2 days winning 4 of them, built a basketball team from scratch when no one was ready, practicing in the mornings  daily for one month before classes to defeat our senior team which  people had thought as an impossible feat, taking up a supply chain summer internship when I had 3 marketing offers(my area of expertise) just to try out a new field and acing it to get a pre-placement offer from the No. 1 FMCG of the world, hosting a 1000 people event in my sixth month only to be complimented from Asia Head to be the best he has ever heard and the list can go on and on……
I had dreams and in order to fulfill them, I took on the impossible paths, people called me crazy but then did I care about them? No I cared about my dreams and one of it was to visit the city of the person who defined my life. And there I was standing in front of the sign that read Las Vegas!
One match and how it completely changed my life. People think of me as intelligent, talented, confident, gifted, lucky but the truth is I am none of these. I am just a common person with a simple mind, average IQ but armed with one lesson I learnt from my role model: Never give up on your dreams, try and try till you achieve them.
Dreams do come true. You just have to be confident about yourself. Doesn’t matter what people think of your dreams, they are yours. My advice- being a common person should not hamper you from dreaming- If you think you can- you will. I now have new challenges and new dreams after visiting the city of my dreams and I am ready to take them on- Are you?

Inspire Others- Share your Stories!

Sports has played an important part in our lives and even inspired us to achieve the impossible.

Ever felt the need to inspire others- This is our chance now to give back to others.

Please share inspirational sports stories at apekshaha@gmail.com and it will be published as it is under your name.
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Are you ready to inspire others?



3 Lessons from Basel: Federer, Nishikori & Djokovic!



Roger Federer won his 5thtitle and second of the year in his hometown Basel yesterday. He defeated the upcoming Japanese player Kei Nishikori in straight sets 6-1, 6-3. Lots of articles have already been written on Federer’s triumph. Let me take you all towards a different path and pen down the lessons that I have learnt from Federer’s hometown tournament last week:

0% ATTENTION:

Surprised? But before you think the opposite- it means pay 0% attention to people who don’t believe in you. After Federer’s failure to win even a single GS in a year since 2002, media has been inundated with articles of Federer’s time for retirement or how his age is a demotivating factor. Even in life, as you will rise in life and move ahead on the path of achieving goals, most of the times people will try to pull you back. But pay 0% attention to them and continue in your quest for perfection. Isn’t Roger Federer a great example!

GIVE UP:

There are times when you face hardships in life and feel that things are not in your favor, what do you do? 99% times we lose hope- That’s what we need to fight against- GIVE UP this feeling of helplessness, get up and give our best till the last moment!

Just 2 points away from losing the match Kei Nishikori from Japan fought back to win the match against player of the year- Djokovic. Though Djokovic’s shoulder was a worry, no one can take away the fact that it takes guts and tremendous self-belief to fight from 0-30, 4-5 down in the second set. Kei Nishikori has beaten a top 10 player 4 times this year: The future looks promising for Asia’s finest!

LISTEN OR PAY THE PRICE:

You think overexertion can make you achieve your goals early? Take a break and listen to your body-what is it telling you? Stop running in the rat race and the desire to achieve the best.  Djokovic’s shoulder again betrayed him second time this year. He played the entire tournament in pain and one just wonders whether it was a right decision or not? Listen to your body- if it is not 100% fit, there is no way in life you can achieve any goal no matter how big or small.

To end this article, let me quote Federer after his victory:  “I've got different priorities than some of the younger guys who are ranked around me, I needed to take that time off, it was best for my mind, my body, my family and my fitness. I want to be a danger everywhere that I play.”

Also: Lost Hope?

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Lost Hope?


Today, for a change as I am sitting here in my apartment, I thought rather than posting on tennis, I will post you a video I found extremely touching and inspirational on you tube. Life is all about dreams and so often we give up in our lives due to hurdles faced during the course of following that dream.

How about this?





All I want to say is that we have just one life to complete our dreams, don't ever give up. Even when you think that things are not in your favor, during those moments control your mind and say to yourself that you can do it.

Trust me, say it 10 times and watch this video, you will be pumped up to go back and do everything to complete your dreams.

Always remember that other people are not lucky. They achieved their dreams because they never ever gave up when others had lost hope!

One life, One dream-Go and Complete it!



If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com
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Roger Federer, Rank No. 4- Are His Days Over?




With Andy Murray winning 3 titles back to back and claiming the No 3 ranking in the world- What does it mean for Roger Federer - Are his days over?

Let’s look at some figures and then come to a logical answer: 
Roger Federer has won 67 career singles titles in all (4thoverall in the ranking with Jimmy Connors at 109). He has won 16 GS and been at No 1 for 285 weeks (just one week behind Pete Sampras) and probably is the player with the highest number of records to his name.

He said in an interview: I’ll probably be picking the tournaments I like to play the most at this point because I’ve achieved so much. It’s important that I work hard, I practice well, I do all the right things. Olympics is obviously part of that. “.  He also said that he is at peace with the rankings. There is nothing else that he can do.

Isn’t it obvious that a person who has achieved so much in his career will not bother about rankings? He has his goals set and amongst them, GS win and Olympics are prioritized higher.  He is at a stage where he has to listen to his body and be wise about his playing decisions. He cannot go on and play back to back tournaments like earlier. So it was inevitable that he will slip in rankings. The fact that he is taking rest and preparing himself to be in the right situations to win is a sign of danger for his rivals.

So my answer to the earlier question would be – No, even though Andy Murray has surpassed him, it will not affect Federer and his game. And it definitely does not mean that Murray is playing better than Federer now as we all know that Murray has a tendency to choke at a GS stage against Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.  For me rankings are insignificant as rarely a person has won a GS after 30 as World No 1. It’s about the quality of play and mental toughness that takes the person to a GS title and with his 80% win record this year; he surely can surprise us all in 2012!

As Tom Landry once said: “Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it & staying with that plan.”  Sounds like what Federer is currently implementing! What do you think?

Here is a recent pic of Federer practicing in Dubai: Enjoy Federer fans!



If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com
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Djokovic’s 2011 stats; his No.1 ranking; and, Kaizen!

This article was first published on TennisConnected.com as http://tennisconnected.com/home/2011/10/13/djokovic%e2%80%99s-2011-stats-his-no-1-ranking-and-kaizen/By Apeksha HA on October 13, 2011.



With Rafael Nadal’s defeat in Shanghai, Novak Djokovic is all set to end 2011 as World No.1. It will be the first time since 2003 that a player other than Roger Federer or Nadal will end the year as the No.1 player in the world (the last player to do so was Andy Roddick in ‘03). A lot of things have been said about the unbelievable achievements of the Serb and how he has been able to achieve his success this season.

Let’s take a look at Djokovic’s stats from 2011 compared to 2010.


 When looking at his game stats, one will be surprised to know how much Djokovic has elevated his game since last year. He has reduced his double faults and break points faced by a whooping 60 percent and 40 percent, respectively. Also, his return games won in 2011 have been 41 percent compared to 32 percent in 2010. For me, this summarizes the effort that has been put forth in his game to achieve the pinnacle of success this year.

There’s no doubt that some qualitative factors such as a change in his diet and Davis Cup victory attributed to his recent success. But his overall focus on the weak areas in his game have really taken him up to the next level. The principle of Kaizen (continuous improvement) fits perfectly into his game. His quest for continuously improving his game—early racket preparation, penetrating forehands, shallow spin on service returns and fitness—along with willingness to change, aided him to identify the weak links in his game and work upon it. He is what Nadal was in 2008 (solid defense) but with more aggression. His dominance throughout the year is remarkable as it has been accomplished in the presence of two greatest players in tennis history (Federer and Nadal). 

Whether he can continue his success in 2012 is a question best left for the future, but the key lesson to take away from Djokovic in 2011 remains a simplistic one: In order to succeed, you have to continuously work on yourself to remain at the top. If you don’t, you will become obsolete and someone else will come along and take away your position: Is Roddick listening?


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Emerson, Sampras, Federer: The Myth of Invincibility?


Life is all about moments and memories. If these two are cut off from a person’s life, he/she will live like an automated machine tuned to complete daily chores at fixed times. I just walked into a Nike store and there it was- A Big poster of Roger Federer.  I looked at it and my thoughts went to one basic question of life: Can anyone be invincible?

My thoughts wandered to the past history: When Roy Emerson won his 12th GS in 1967, at that time he was hailed as the champion that tennis never had. You fast forward it to 32 years later, and Pete Sampras equaled his record! And fast forward it to 10 years further, Federer won his 14th GS title at FO 2009. Amongst all these victories there is one common thing: The belief that the record cannot be broken: Too difficult for anyone to catch on!

Although Federer’s record is yet to be broken, it’s inevitable that it will be broken one day. Not true only in tennis but in business also if you look at the top companies in the last 100 years only handful have survived and the rest went into extinction. The motto here is not to demotivate you to not to pursue your goals but to make you realize that even though you think your challenge in life is too difficult to accomplish- it’s just a myth. The fact is that if you don’t accomplish it, somebody else will!

But then another question which comes to my mind if someone else will overcome our achievements, then why do it? Simply because that’s all life is all about- building moments for you. The satisfaction at the end of life that you gave your best is more important than knowing that you didn’t try because you/others thought you couldn’t. It’s this feeling which  keeps champions like Federer keep on going to achieve even more when they can be satisfied with what they have already accomplished.

Think about it- at the end of your life- lying down do we want to think- Oh I wish I could have tried just once more to achieve my dreams? My choice- Try it out while you can, go on and give your best and you may or may not achieve goals but one thing is for sure- you will make a lot of memories which will bring a smile on your face in the end- something you can be proud of and brag about!

No goal, no life and no memories or One Life, One Goal, One more try and Multiple Memories!

Which one would you chose?

If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com
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Anger: Difference between Good (McEnroe,Murray) & Great (Federer,Nadal)


Sitting right now in a café shop, as I sip my cup of tea, I am lost in deep thoughts about the biggest mystery of my life: Anger. It’s a small word but it can create havoc in anyone’s life.  You, me, everyone gets angry at the smallest things in life. The question that haunts me is – why we are so intolerant towards mistakes? Why can’t we just accept the reality and move on to give out our best the next time? Or in simple words why do we get angry? 

As these thoughts pass my mind, I go back to my childhood idol – Steffi Graf, and think whether she got angry in any match. Even when she lost the famous first round in Wimbledon against Lory McNeil, she still was the calm person I have always known. Be it on the court or off the field, she was a serene and graceful personality to look up to. 

Another athlete I have never seen shouting profanities is Rafael Nadal. No matter, how tough the situation gets, here is a player who, in my knowledge, has never lost his cool. Toni Nadal said for Rafael Nadal: "He has never broken a racket in anger. It would be showing a lack of respect to people who actually have to buy the equipment to play the sport." Amazing as it is, looking at the history of tennis, one would find that people have been able to realize their full potential and become the greatest only when they have mastered this thing called “Anger” in their life.

The classic examples are Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. When I watched Federer playing, I used to think what is it that drives this person- how can he be so perfect? I realized that he was also a mortal like many of us in his teen years. No doubt he had talent – don’t we all in some field or the other – but he was short tempered and not focused. But then one incident – death of his childhood coach Peter Carter and later meeting with Peter’s parents – transformed his life, made him focused at his game and relaxed on court. The result is for all of us to see – 16 GS and unending list of achievements. Djokovic has been no different. From being the brash Djoker to the funny and respectful champion – his journey this year has been incredible.

We get angry because we cannot accept mistakes but it’s inevitable in tennis as well as in life to make mistakes. But it’s very important to control anger because if we don’t then mind stops working and rash things happen and you have to bear the repercussions.


You can see the examples in tennis: Marat Safin is the first one I can think of – If only he could keep control on his emotions, John McEnroe is another player who I think could have won more GS than 7. And at present Andy Murray is also a good example. In US Open SF, one of the reasons he lost so was his inability to control his emotions. When you are frustrated after almost every point, you tend to lose focus and make errors. Showing anger is a big advantage to opponents like Nadal/Djokovic who get a message that you cannot do it. And then rest is history!

So how do you control your anger? Suppressing your anger might not be possible but then showing it to your opponent might ignite him to play even better. It’s important to learn this art as it can allow you to focus on the next point no matter which situation (winning or losing) you are in. It’s a habit that can only be developed over a period of time and cannot come overnight.

Breaking racquet or glass is the option tried out by many but what will separate you from the normal would be the ability to channelize your frustration to positive energy and vent it out in your game just like Djokovic in US Open SF (at two match points) or Steffi Graf in 1999 FO finals. Slowly you will get to a stage where nothing can rattle you (like Federer & Nadal) and no matter how tough your situation is, you can still try to battle it out rationally rather than losing it out.

There are many techniques available to do the above on net and I am not going to write it down as it can be different for everyone. For me, what seems to work, at times, is that I close my eyes whenever I am angry and visualize my favorite player and think how he/she would have reacted.

So coming back to my original question – We get angry because we make mistakes and breaking things and shouting is the easiest way out. "A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise person keeps himself under control." What I have learnt in this half an hour time is that if we need to realize our full potential, this is one art I, you and everyone will need to learn in order to become great champions in our lives. It’s tough and really hard but I am ready to set it out on this journey: Are You?

If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com
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Juan Martin Del Potro - Fall and Rise Of The Fighter?



Sitting in my apartment, looking at high rise buildings and watching people walking on the streets, I sometimes wonder What is it that motivates people to get up every day and pursue their goals. At times we think life is tough and why it is that we have to endure hardships? Lots of questions pass my mind without any clear answers in sight. As usual, like a habit, I turned towards my favorite sport to seek the answers to the unsolved mysteries of life.

The past two weeks saw a lot in Tennis: Djokovic’s unbelievable comeback after trailing by two match points against Federer, Murray’s continuous ranting during Semi Finals when he lost points, Nadal’s pouring body and heart on every single point in the Finals and Djokovic’s 17 winners in the final set to clinch the US Open title. What a fortnight it was for all of us to revel in the glory or disappointment of our favorite players.

Then came Davis Cup and things took turn for better or worse in very short time; we witnessed - Nadal, Federer all emerged out on top and the person who was on top fell on the court with severe back pain and possibly out from the tennis circuit for next 4-6 weeks.

But one player who stood out for me during all this was Juan Martin Del Potro. Just by looking at him made me go back to the previous question- What is that motivates a player or person to get up every day, practice in and out without fail to achieve his/her goals. Look at him - everything was perfect for him in 2009 when he won US Open defeating Nadal and Federer and claiming his first GS until injury struck him and forced him out for nearly a year. In the past two years, he has seen Nadal winning 3 GS and Djokovic accomplishing a yearlong of achievements which no one had even imagined in their dreams.

I just wonder what made this player fight with his injury and practice every day to make sure he comes back in fine form. There would have been so many doubts in his mind: Will I ever play again, Will I be the same Del Potro again? He suffered early exits in all the GS he played on his comeback. People had high hopes from him and were expecting a lot but he was not able to deliver until now.

It all looks so easy to us sitting here, but imagine, he is like us- he would have also wanted to sleep till 12-1 in the morning, go out and enjoy with friends party every day till its late , eat every possible cake and food and roam around freely. But as I can sense, he chose to forego all of this and maintained his daily schedule , managed to drag himself out of his comfort zone and practice  to achieve his goal of returning back to his peak form : 2009 US Open and possibly achieve even more. Amidst all the focus on Top 4, here is a player who has silently taken his country to Davis Cup Finals and possibly could write another golden chapter in tennis like Djokovic did last year. Who knows we might see another Djokovic born in him next year if all goes well in Davis cup for Argentina and Del Potro.

But coming back to my main point- why is it that we are not able to resist temptations in life and succumb to comfort and luxury whereas all these top players who have all the comfort and luxury stick to discipline in their life when they can relax and not sweat it out for hours on and off the court.  Can't we do the same? Look at Del Potro, here is a person who is working hard even when all the limelight is on Djokovic/Nadal, not letting his body win over his mind and working it out when he can easily succumb to all the pleasures of life.

Finally, I got the answer I was looking for: It’s all in our mind. Even we can go and give our heart out to achieve our goals but we tend to falter because of lack of determination. No wonder - People who are lazy will not have luxury and people who have luxury will never be lazy!


Reversal Of Roles at US Open: Djokovic & Nadal- How did it happen?



2010: Nadal defeated Djokovic - 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 !
2011: Djokovic defeated Nadal – 6-2, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 !

Do you want to know the real reason why the tables got reversed? I had said earlier also that winning points on his own service can be a potential cause of concern for Nadal and that’s what exactly happened yesterday: Look for yourself at Nadal and Djokovic match stats in 2010 & 2011 Finals:

Nadal
US Open 2010
US Open 2011
  1st Serve %
67%
68%
  Unforced Errors
31
37
  Winning % on 1st Serve
73%
52%
  Winning % on 2nd Serve
57%
42%
  Winners
49
32
  Receiving Points Won
42%
42%
  Break Point Conversions
6 of 26 = 23 %
6 of 14 = 43 %
  Net Approaches
80%
76%


Djokovic
US Open 2010
US Open 2011
  1st Serve %
66%
66%
  Unforced Errors
47
51
  Winning % on 1st Serve
64%
65%
  Winning % on 2nd Serve
46%
44%
  Winners
45
55
  Receiving Points Won
32%
51%
  Break Point Conversions
3 of 4 = 75% 
11 of 26 =42 %
  Net Approaches
62%
66%


Nadal on the other hand won only 52% of his first serve points (73% in 2010) and winners also went down by 17-clearly shows the increased court coverage capability of Djokovic.

How much Djokovic has improved is clear from the above table: His receiving points have gone up to 51% and he had 26 break point chances as compared to only 4 last year.

After seeing the above comparison- no doubt Djokovic was the better player yesterday and Nadal has lots to improve in the coming days. All in all what a thrilling match we witnessed yesterday and soon I will be publishing a list of articles comparing both these players  in 2010 and 2011 and what can be learnt from them.  If you need inspiration and feel that your goals are too tough to accomplish- join my site and you will soon learn that nothing is impossible!

If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com
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Federer Vs Djokovic- What Does Stats Have To Say?



As we all get ready for the most awaited showdown tomorrow at US Open- Best Player of the Year  vs Greatest Player in the History : Djokovic against Federer , it will be a good idea to look at their stats so far in the tournament and year so far as to see where they both stand and how it compares to possibly the best match of the year-French Open Semi Final.


Roger Federer

French Open SF
US Open  2011
Year So Far
1st Serve %
65
65
64
Unforced Errors
46
136

Winning % on 1st Serve
77
78
78
Winning % on 2nd Serve
50
57
57
Winners
48
169

Receiving Points Won (%)
40
47
27
Break Point Conversions (%)
16
43
39
Net Approaches (%)
79
68

Novak Djokovic

French Open SF
US Open  2011
Year So Far
1st Serve %
67
65
66
Unforced Errors
41
110

Winning % on 1st Serve
60
72
75
Winning % on 2nd Serve
61
57
58
Winners
40
111

Receiving Points Won (%)
33
52
39
Break Point Conversions (%)
31
57
48
Net Approaches (%)
50
66


As one can clearly see from above that although Federer has not been playing at his best this year, at French Open he managed to defeat Djokovic who is having a record year and possibly the best season in the history (66-2). If you look at the stats, one will realise that although Federer did not play good this year but he raised his game at FO SF : His receiving points won and net approaches shots won were more than Djokovic in FO SF.


Djokovic played at a level less than his normal best this year as seen from above. His first serve points % won were less than this year average as well as receiving points won which made the difference.



If Federer has to win, he has to play at his current level that he has been playing in US Open  and If Djokovic plays at his current level, he has a major shot tomorrow at winning the match. But we have to remember that tennis is also a battle of minds and Federer has an edge over Djokovic with him being the only player to have defeated him in best of 5 match. But Djokovic was under a lot of pressure in French Open with No.1 position at stake. So this time he will be a bit relieved to play with less at stake.

All in all, it will be a battle of baseline for both these players and the one who can mange to keep his cool, will come out with flying colors. This time I will just end with- May the best player win!

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New:Reversal Of Roles at US Open: Djokovic & Nadal- How did it happen?
Also: Federer vs Tsonga- Reasons for Federer's Impressive Win!