(Image via indiatoday.com)
With major celebrities all over the world participating in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, superstars of the Tennis world couldn’t be far behind. The UnReal Times Tennis correspondent Sujay Amritraj brings you this exclusive report on how these stars took the Ice Bucket challenge in their own inimitable styles.
1. Rafael Nadal:
All set in his sleeveless jersey, and shorts extending to well below his knees, Rafael Nadal strode in onto the clay court, tucking his long strands of hair behind either ear. Nadal looked a bit edgy at first, lifting the bucket tentatively, but rapidly grew confident towards the end, and eventually poured the ice water over him emphatically. Then, in characteristic style, he bit the edge of the bucket.
2. Roger Federer:
The Swiss legend, elegant as ever, picked up the bucket, effortlessly overturned it over his head, and splashed its contents over his head with razor sharp precision. Ecstatic at having completed the challenge, he proceeded to kneel on the grass court and covered his face with his palms. Seconds later, tears streamed down his face, and soon the teardrops outnumbereded the droplets of water trickling down from his wet hair. Federer’s friend, Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, who had traveled all the way to Switzerland to watch him from the sidelines, stood up and applauded.
3. Maria Sharapova:
The leggy lass walked in with a banner that read “I know Tendulkar” and gingerly picked up the bucket that read “Sugarpova“. She lifted the bucket high over her head, but the water that had frozen into a block of ice, wouldn’t budge. Maria then let out one of the loudest screams of her life. The ice block shattered into smithereens, turned into water and splashed all over Maria.
4. Boris Becker:
Dressed smartly, an enthusiastic Becker arrived and waited in front of the bucket as the crowd cheered him boisterously. A pumped up Becker picked up the bucket, shook it up and down exactly thrice before lifting it high and handsome and overturning it over his head.
5. Andy Roddick:
To the delight of his fans, Andy Roddick walked swiftly towards his bucket, adjusted his cap, shook his forearm until his watch slid down his left arm and pulled either end of his shirt out front. He then picked up the bucket and in a flash poured the ice water all over him. Needless to say, Roddick was the quickest among players who took the challenge.
6. Sania Mirza:
Indian tennis player Sania Mirza came in all excited, with husband Shoaib Malik. With great enthusiasm, she picked up the bucket and overturned it high above. Only, the water missed its spot completely and fell beside her.
7. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi:
After their 132652332th split, Lee and Hesh came together yet again, as it was for a very good cause. They lifted their buckets in high spirits, splashed the water on each other and reminiscing old times, jumped and executed a hard chest bump. Immediately after the challenge was successfully undertaken, they announced their split again.
8. Marat Safin:
The tall Russian made his way in, to raucous applause from fans who hadn’t seen him in a long time. Wiping himself with a towel, Safin lifted the bucket and began pouring the water over him, but in a sudden fit of rage, threw the bucket hard on the floor, shattering it into pieces.
9. Novak Djokovic:
Djokovic set a new record – an unprecedented 9 buckets of ice water, as he imitated all the others before him before undertaking his actual challenge.