2013 Review

To call this a review makes it sound too authoritative.

Instead here’s a highly personal, selective, subjective Hornby-style list of my favourite sporting events I saw live this year, in chronological order:

1. Man U 1 Real Madrid  2, Uefa Champions League round of 16. Modric.

2. Barcelona 4 Milan 0, UCL round of 16. Messi.

3. Wales v England, 6 Nations rugby. A close contest was expected, but Wales ran away with it in the end

4. Uefa Champions League final (Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund) Robben wins a big final

5. Froch v Kessler super-middle world title. A ring war.

6. Djokovic v Nadal, French Open semi-final. If Nole hadn’t fouled the net…

7. Murray v Verdasco, Wimbledon QF. Comeback

8. Sabine Lisicki v Agnieska Radwanska, Wimbledon SF. Great variety with net play, lobs, drop shots & 9-7 in the final set.

9. Djokovic v del Potro, Wimbledon SF. Best match of the tournament.

10. Wimbledon Final, Murray v Djokovic. The final game alone, the tension was nearly unbearable.

11. Mo Farah’s last lap sprint, 10k final, World Championships

12. San Francisco 49ers 42 Jacksonville Jaguars 10

13. Nadal v Federer, SF, ATP World Tour Finals. I was courtside for the two GOAT contenders.

14. Man City 6 Arsenal 3. My team got whopped, but in a cracking game

The Winning Habit

No Rugby Union team in the professional era had gone through an entire season unbeaten, until the All Blacks denied Ireland with the final play of their game in Dublin. It seemed to me that their final try was inevitable. They had the composure and  technique  to keep going through the phases and  popping the passes until they breached the line.

Seb Vettel shares the winning habit, & he matched Ascari’s record of nine wins on the spin after comfortably winning at Interlagos . Vettel’s total domination is probably the reason the FIA has proposed the last race of next season should carry double points, a suggestion which has attracted widespread derision.

Rafa Nadal has been the man of the year in tennis. He has made an astonishing comeback from a seven month layoff, winning the French & US Opens and finishing with a 75-7 win-loss record. Djokovic was not far behind though, with a 74-9 tally. The Serb had the last word, beating Rafa in the final at the O2.

Comeback of the month :  the New England Patriots, down 24-0 at half-time to Super Bowl  favourites Denver Broncos, but squeaked through 34-31 in overtime.

Performance of the Month

The All Blacks.