Kei Nishikori: Almost But Not Quite

Kei Nishikori:  Almost But Not Quite

          

              He was perspiring profusely as the match extended to the fifth set. Sweat was dripping down his face. He wiped it with his own shirt, unable to wait for the utility man to hand him the towel. Playing for more than three hours, he didn't look too tired. If there was anything going for him at that stage, it was stamina. His serves remained powerful, his shots almost clear, deliberate and strong. With a jam packed coliseum, he disposed of tennis superstars Steve Wawrinka and Milos Raonic in spectacular fashion. Not yet contented, he beat world number one Novak Djokovic in four sets to become the first Asian to reach a Grand Slam final. Before a stunned crowd, he dropped his racquet and looked upwards with both arms high up in the air.

Kei Nishikori playing aggressively in his match against Canadian Milos Raonic, winning in 5 sets (skysportspic; caption is mine)

Canadian Milos Raonic in his losing match versus Kei Nishikori (usopenpic; caption is mine)

Kei Nishikori goes after the ball in his long match with Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland, beating him in 5 sets. (abcpic; caption is mine)

Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland fires back with a backhand but loses the fight to Nishikori. (ibtimepic; caption is mine)

World number one Novak Djokovic gestures in his semifinal match versus Nishikori. (nationalpostpic; caption is mine)

Kei Nishikori rejoices after beating world number one Novak Djokovic in 4 sets in their semifinal match at the US Open. He is the first Asian ever to advance to a Grand Slam final. (nationalpostpic; caption is mine)

              Kei Nishikori grew up in Matsue, a quiet city of Shimane Prefecture in Japan where beautiful lakes, rivers and other water tributaries can be seen. His father is an engineer and his mother is a piano teacher who allowed him to play tennis even when it conflicted with his studies. At a very young age, he would challenge and beat bigger and older schoolmates.  Soon, he was capturing titles in the youth division. In 2004, he relocated to Florida to undergo training at a renowned school where tennis is a priority. To help defray expenses, Masaaki Morita, younger brother of the Sony Corp owner, took Kei under his care through a scholarship. In the ensuing years, he improved his world ranking and was beating seasoned tennis players. He ranked number 10 at the start of the 2014 US Open.  The sporting world has taken notice.

Matsue City in Japan where Nishikori grew up. (globeimagespic; caption is mine)

Matsue boasts of beautiful rivers and lakes. (shimanetourpic; caption is mine)

Cherry Blossom trees by the banks of a river in Matsue, Japan. Cherry Blossoms are spring flowers. ( matsuetravguidepic; caption is mine)

The boy who grew up to be a tennis superstar. (hcpic; caption is mine)

Young Kei with his parents (cnnpic; caption is mine)

               With his  two-handed backhand as part of his arsenal, Nishikori uses a Wilson racket and changes rackets during the middle part of the match.  He draws from his bag a new one wrapped in plastic sheet. During dead ball situations, he would run his fingers through the strings, checking the level of string tension. Kei is so much proud of his country that he sports Japanese brand Uniqlo shirt which has come out with one special edition bearing his name. Nissin Noodles is printed on his playing shirt.  He wears Adidas Barricade 8.

Ken Nishikori packs a mean two-handed backhand. (articlewnpic; caption is mine)

Kei uses a Wilson Steam 99 racquet. He changes racquets in the middle of a match. (tenniswarehousepic; caption is mine)

Closer shot of Wilson Steam 99 racquets (tenniswarehousepic; caption is mine)

Kei Nishikori always wears a Uniqlo t-shirt. Uniqlo is selling limited edition t -shirts bearing his name. Uniqlo is a Japanese casual wear brand. (uniqlopic; caption is mine)

Uniqlo outlet in Ginza, Japan.  Uniqlo is short for Unique Clothing. (wikipic; caption is mine)

Novak Djokovic is another Uniqlo product endorser. Kei beat Novak in 4 sets at their semifinal match at the US Open.It was a  match between two Uniqlo endorsers. (uniqlopic; caption is mine)

Kei has a Nissin Noodles patch on his playing shirt. (mariposapic; caption is mine)

Kei endorses the Japanese-made Nissin Cup Noodles. (tenniswarehousepic; caption is mine)

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Nishikori wears Adidas Barricade 8. It sells for $99. (tenniswarehousepic; caption is mine)

Kei Nishikori has earned $9 million in product endorsements alone. (forbespic; caption is mine)

               Match time came and thousands flocked to the playing arena at Flushing Meadows in New York. There was tension, there was pressure.  It was for all the marbles. Determination was written on Kei' s face as he unleashed his usual shots. But Croatia' s Marin Cilic was more determined and fired-up. With powerful serves and high accuracy shots, he beat Nishikori in three straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to win the 2014 US Open title. It was a painful loss for Kei. Though falling short, it was still an encouraging finale for the Japanese tennis player who nearly succeeded in achieving his dream at the age of 24. He has climbed near the top, close to the 'golden crown' . In the process, he broke records, he hurdled obstacles and he transcended his limitations. To the man from Matsue, Banzai !!

- Konted

The Arthur Ashe Stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows in New York.

Marin Cilic beat Roger Federer to advance to the US Open Final versus Japan's Kei Nishikori. (newyorktimespic; caption is mine)

Marin Cilic displaying his powerful serves en route to winning the US Open title. (theguardianpic; caption is mine)

Cilic drops to the ground after finally winning the US Open title in 3 straight sets, pocketing $3 million. It is Cilic' s first grand slam title. (bleacherpic; caption is mine)

The 6'6" Croatian Marin Cilic is US Open champion while the 5'10" Japanese Kei Nishikori is runner-up. (bleacherpic; caption is mine)

Croatians cheer for Marin Cilic. (mailonlinepic; caption is mine)

Marin Cilic's girlfriend Kristina Milkovic cheers after Cilic scores a point. (larrybrownpic; caption is mine)

Bruce Willis with wife Emma Henning watch the championship match at Flushing Meadows in New York.  Flushing Meadows is a big park. (mailonlinepic; caption is mine)

Bill Gates watches the championship match at Flushing Meadows in New York.(georgianewspic; caption is mine)

Townmates of Kei Nishikori watch the tennis match at Matsue in Japan. (mailonlinepic; caption is mine)

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The Left-Handers

The Left-Handers

              At first, I didn't know.  It was only through Audi and Jim Lanford that I learned that there is an International Left Handers Day and it falls on August 13 of each year. It is dedicated to all the left handers in the world. Because left handers comprise only a little percentage of the population worldwide, they are a minority.  Most are right handed and the world seems to be meant for right handers. Being right handed is the standard and being left handed is the unusual one. 

International Left-Handers' Day intends to promote awareness of the difficult situation most left-handers are in.  (oddcalendarpic; caption is mine)

Writing with the left hand is considered as unorthodox.

             We notice this in school where desks are for right handed students. Left handed students have to make that hook or semi loop to be able to write on the desk.  Oh, I remember my classmates Ben Jacinto and Eric Cammayo making the necessary adjustments. At the work place, left handed workers at a garment factory or at a shoe shop, have to contend with the scissors when cutting fabrics or cutting leather. They don't see the searing edge. Scissors are for the right handed. But these workers adjust well to the situation. The same is true with those who work with the computers.  Mouse is designed for the right handed. The old style slot machine is for right handers.

Desks are designed for right handed students.

Left handed workers don't see the shearing edge when cutting fabrics or leather. (shann.compic; caption is mine)

The old one-armed bandit is designed for the right handers. Today, slot machines have buttons. (uscasinorentalspic; caption is mine)

The manual can opener is for the right handed. (g'gle pic; caption is mine)

Lefties experience difficulty with the left click and the right click.

               Left handed are called lefties. A boxer or a baseball pitcher who is left handed is called a south paw.  When fighting or playing, he stands with the right foot forward. Many lefties have distinguished themselves in their respective fields, be it in politics, business or sports. They have excelled. Incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, is left handed. Former President Bill Clinton is also a leftie. Bill Gates is left handed. Entertainers Ophrah Winfrey, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Keannu Reeves, Paul McCartney, Angelina Jolie, Robert de Niro and Robert Redford are all left handed.

Incumbent USA President Barack Obama signing documents. (wikia; caption is mine)

Former USA President Bill Clinton at the White House (wikia; caption is mine)

Tony Abbott is Australia's Prime Minister. (wikia; caption is mine)

 Napoleon Bonaparte was called "the Emperor of the French". His wife Josephine was left-handed too. (fanphobia; caption is mine)

Mugshot of the left-handed Bill Gates in 1977 when he was arrested for careless driving. (digitalspypic; caption is mine)

Bruce Willis of Die Hard fame (theage.compic; caption is mine)

Demi Moore starred in the film The Scarlet Letter, acting as Hester Prynne. Demi is left-handed. (g'gle pic; caption is mine)

Paul McCartney is known as the left-handed guitarist of The Beatles. (flametreepic; caption is mine)

Angelina Jolie is the highest paid movie actress, per Forbes Magazine. She is left-handed. (thewallpaperspic; caption is mine)

Robert de Niro played the role of the young Vito Corleone in Godfather Part II. He won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor  for that role. He won another Oscar for Best Actor in Raging Bull as boxer Jake LaMotta. (wikipic; caption is mine)

Robert Redford starred in films like The Great Gatsby, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Horse Whisperer. (weadiamediapic; caption is mine)

               It is in the field of sports that many left handed athletes have excelled and have earned the admiration of countless fans all over the world. 8-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao is a southpaw. His powerful left has knocked the living daylights out of many opponents. Paeng Nepomuceno is a 6-time world bowling champion. World number two in tennis, Rafael Nadal, is left handed and his powerful forehand has continuously posed problems to top ranked Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. Tennis ladies champion Petra Kvitova is a south paw. Multi-titled Manu Ginobili of NBA champions San Antonio Spurs is a leftie who easily penetrates the tight defense of opposing teams to score crucial points. Ace golfer Phil Mickelson is a leftie too. At the local front, left handed Allan Caidic, dubbed the Triggerman in his heyday, is one of PBA's 25 greatest players. Mike Bilbao had a prolific career, playing with De La Salle College, Tanduay, Beer Hausen and Mariwasa until he was permanently sidelined after a car crash. The list is long.  So many left handed persons have truly excelled in sports and other fields that they have created the impression that lefties are most likely to succeed in their line of work.  I, for one, am impressed.

- Konted

Ricky Hatton is knocked out by Manny Pacquiao with a vicious left in Round 2 as referee Kenny Bayless halts the fight even without counting. .(theguardianpic; caption is mine)

Paeng Nepomuceno is perhaps one of the greatest Filipino athletes of all time. (wallpoperpic; caption is mine)

Rafael Nadal has won 14 Grand Slam titles. He is currently ranked number 2. (g'gle pic; caption is mine)

Petra Kvitova in action versus Italy's Marion Bartoli at the Rogers Cup in Montreal in 2012.  Kvitova won the Wimbledon Tennis championship in 2011 and 2014.  Kvitova is from the Czech Republic.(zimbiopic; caption is mine)

Manu Ginobili is a 12 yr NBA veteran. He has won four championship rings with the multi-titled San Antonio Spurs.  He is from Argentina. (g'gle pic; caption is mine)

Phil Mickelson has won The Masters in 2004, 2006 and 2010. He won The Open championship in 2013. He is left handed ONLY when playing golf. (golfdigestpic; caption is mine)

Allan Caidic holds the PBA all-time record for most 3 pt shots made. He played for University of the East, San Miguel and Great Taste. (spinpic; caption is mine)

Left-handed Mike Bilbao played for De La Salle College, Tanduay, Beer Hausen and Mariwasa.  He was a wily court general. (interbasketpic; caption is mine)

Shifty guard Willie Miller currently plays for Barako Bulls in the PBA. He has played with the Alaska Aces, Talk n Text, and Barangay Ginebra. (hoopnutpic; caption is mine)

Now a senior, left-handed Ben Jacinto can still beat much younger opponents in golf. He is an all-around athlete. 

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