My Path to Online Fame or Where I Pimp for Part Time work

(Warning: The apostrophe key on the laptop Im using is not working. So youll have to insert an apostrophe where you deem required. For example the Im and youll would have to be corrected as you read the previous line)

Before I started writing about tennis on a part time basis I wasnt very clear about how the entire season was structured. For me, as with most people, the for Grand Slams were the only events that counted. The Grand slams are still the most important tournaments but going by the fact that the player ending up being the number one in the womens tennis hasnt won a single grandslam begs us to understand the entire season. Now im sure not all of you are tennis fans and would not like a long lesson. Ive informed you of the importance of knowing the whole season schedule - now its up to you to go and find it.

Suffice to say that the season ending tennis masters cup between the top 8 mens and womens players is a very very important tournament in the calendar. This year the womens masters cup was held in Doha (These are the articles I wrote about it which were published on www.thesportscampus.com : http://www.thesportscampus.com/20081109211/tennis-news/sony-ericsson-championships-final-2008 ) and was won by a resurgent Venus Williams.

The mens tournament, that ended today, was held in Shanghai and saw Novak Djokovic taking the honours ( http://www.thesportscampus.com/20081116217/tennis-news/tennis-masters-cup-final2008 and http://www.thesportscampus.com/20081115215/tennis-news/tennis-masters-cup-2008-semi-finals )

Why im writing this post is that when I applied for the part time job I had to give a sample of our writing which would showcase the english skills and the excitement towards tennis. I had written a preview of this years tennis masters cup. And as that preview has not been published I can safely put it up here to give you guys a glimpse into the awesome article I wrote to secure my super high paying tennis correspondent role.

Here you go:

Masters Cup preview

It’s a qualifier list that has tennis lovers across the world rubbing their hands in anticipation. And booking tickets for Shanghai for the Tennis Masters cup in November , of course!
The men’s singles tennis scene hasn’t been too competitive for the last few years now. The Federer – Nadal rivalry, though great in itself, was becoming a bit monotonous and even though the tennis was top notch, we were all rooting for some new talent to explode on the scene and take the battle to this duopoly. Gone are the days when expecting a Federer – Nadal final was almost a given. Now, both the greats would think of the other players in the draw as ‘easy’ at their own peril.
The world is looking at this tournament as a dueling ground for Federer to reassert himself. It is amazing to see that Fedex has decided to take the usurping of his ranking and his coveted Grand slam as a personal challenge. The glint of grim determination in his eyes is all too evident now and gives goose bumps to all his fans. And the new look lean, mean and emotional Federer is a sight that would have all other players quaking in their designer tennis shoes. This Federer is not the Federer of old. He will fight tooth and nail for each point and scream if he’s frustrated. He’s not willing to give any quarter in a match now. And that presents a scary picture for Nadal who still hasn’t really got the respect that he deserves. He’ll have to dig deep and prove once and for all that sheer hard work and determination can, indeed, overcome ethereal natural flair. Nadal would be looking to put a stamp of authority in these year ending championships and ensure that he goes into the next season without any doubts.
But all this conjecture ignores the charge of the young brigade. Would Djokovic and Murray sit around and watch the veterans (if you can call two young men of 26 and 22 that) battle out their personal issues? I think not!
Djokovic has been on the verge of greatness on so many occasions this year that he would be raring to finally break into the league when his name is taken in the same breath as both the champions. His hunger for victory is going to take his matches to a whole new level, whoever the opponent. Murray’s prodigious talent is unquestionable. Add to that his liking for hard courts and things become tricky for his opponents. If Murray is able to harness his raw talent we could end up seeing a final featuring him and Djokovic with the Big two gracing the sidelines. It could happen! And that’s what is pushing up the excitement of this tournament.
One thing is for sure, with all players coming into the tournament with a point to prove to themselves and to the world, the battles are going to be epic and loud. Loud, you ask? After all, even Federer has started screaming on court now!


Remember, I am more than willing to take up freelance / part time writing projects at very reasonable rates (sometimes even a smile would suffice). So if you have to get something written, or know someone who wants to get something written, or know someone who may know someone who may want to get something written do send an email to swapnil.bhatnagar@gmail.com

Next Tennis Article Published...

My article covering the Paris Masters Semi Final happening in, unbelievably Paris (Bet you'd never've guessed it!), is up on The Sports Campus. The link is:

http://www.thesportscampus.com/tennis-news/paris-masters-semi-final

Go, go- read it and write lots of nice comments.

(For example:
'Sigh, this article brought a tear to my eyes. How could anyone one write such a brilliantly poignant piece? Amazing'

'If this doesn't get Swapnil a Pulitzer, I don't know what will. Hell, even a Nobel prize for literature shouldn't be too far away!'
)

My Own Byline!

Ladies and gentlemen your favourite blogger got his own byline! My second article on the Madrid Masters semifinal has been credited to me :)

Check it out: http://www.thesportscampus.com/tennis-news/madrid-masters-semifinals


Notice the 'SWAPNIL B' tucked just under the headline. I got my byline :)

Look Ma, I'm a Tennis Correspondent...

Yes, I am now a part-time tennis correspondent for www.thesportscampus.com. Yay! Someone is going to pay me to write about tennis. How perfect is that!

My first article reporting on the quarter final of the Madrid Masters tournament has been published on the website (http://www.thesportscampus.com/tennis-news/madrid-masters-quarterfinals). The article's headline is "Simon wins a Cliffhanger, Nadal up next!".

So all of you, go to the website increase the hits on the website and yes, do put in your comments (Only about the article, no personal stuff please - you can put those here). AND if you don't like the article DON'T tell me, ok?


Update (19 Oct) : Article on semi-final also published : http://www.thesportscampus.com/tennis-news/madrid-masters-semifinals