Have you guys ever felt that two seemingly unrelated things have much more in common? Sometimes more than you can imagine and all you need to do is probe a level deeper. Well, being a weirdo of sorts I do get this feeling most of the times and I try to find a connection between two altogether different things. Another day I was just sitting idly doing nothing and suddenly a thought came into my mind. What’s similar between the movie ‘Black Swan’ and Tennis. Funny, isn’t it!! But when I tried to understand the different characters in that film, especially Nina(Natalie Portman- in her Oscar winning role) and Lily(Mila Kunis), the two perfect prospective equals came from the world of Tennis. Yup, I’am talking about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, that part must be sorta obvious.
Well, how do these fictional characters relate to Fedex and Rafa. Lets see.
Nina & Federer:
For anyone who has seen the movie, the character Nina is someone who eats, drinks & breathes ballet and she is technically perfect in that dance. She was the perfect ‘White Swan’ with elegance, poise, beauty and perfection. She is so perfect, she couldn’t perform badly even if she wishes to. Doesn’t it sound like Fedex at his best? As per my opinion ‘Playing against Fedex at his best is like playing Chess against a super computer’ (flattery intended :P) and we have rarely seen him show his emotions on the court(at least a couple of years back). But I also feel that his brilliance is something that should be admired from a distance and he has a sort of emotional detachment from everything else when he is deep into the game, just like Nina, who cannot think there is a life beyond ballet and when she comes to contact with that life her whole world crumbles around her. Is that what is happening with Fedex now, I dunno, but who am I to comment on the greatest tennis player of current generation.
Lily & Nadal:
In the movie, Lily is the perfect ‘black swan’(though Nina gets the part, its at the cost of her life), she might not have the technical brilliance of Nina but she is more sensual and can ‘let it go’ and completely transform into the role she performs. Nadal also has the same qualities and he portrays his human side many a time on court and the level of passion and enthusiasm he brings into the game is contagious. A punch in the air, a jump, a VAMOS after every well played point puts a fan in the player’s shoes. We tend to feel his emotions when he is smiling with joy or grimacing with pain. That kind of human quality will stop him from being too perfect but will make him more adorable on court. You can get up-close and personal with a guy like him. Sometimes, showing too much maturity is just plain dull. We need to show anger, joy, love and pain when we feel it. That’s what Lily and Nadal are capable of.
All that said & done, there’s no ‘Swan Lake’ without Lily and Nina and for Tennis to be thoroughly enjoyable, we need both these great players.
