#RAFA STANS WE RISE

[lokiiied]

I DO NOT APOLOGISE FOR THE PERSON I WILL BECOME ON OCTOBER 6TH

[steelbluehome]

"Stan . . . is at his greatest whenever he taps into this marriage between a swollen superiority complex and paralyzing insecurity that make up the fabric of the reality TV star turned unlikely President of the United States"

The Playlist

The Apprentice’ Review: Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump? It Works! (click for article)

Rafa Sales Ross

May 20, 2024 3:22 pm

Five years ago, Iranian-Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi broke out internationally with the Oscar-nominated “Border,” a thorny little beast of a fable about love, complicity, and guilt. His latest prods at some of the same themes, although the thorny little beast at the center of “The Apprentice” is far from a fictional creature of fables.

Abbasi’s newest chronicles the rise of former American president Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) through his relationship with lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). Before diving into the fatidical first meeting between the two men, the director makes an important disclaimer about the film that is to come: the people you will see on-screen are real; their stories might have been fictionalized. Then, he cuts into a very factual piece of footage: Nixon’s infamous 1973 speech at the height of Watergate. The grainy tape shows the soon-to-be-fallen president sternly claiming: “I’m not a crook!”

This on-the-nose initial parallel brilliantly sets the tone for the two hours ahead, a ride that does away with subtlety without leaning into overexposition. Said ride begins in a swanky members-only club in New York, where the overconfident Cohn gravitates towards a meek, unsure Trump. He brings him under his wing, first offering to help get him out of a discrimination lawsuit filed against his family’s property development business and later stepping into a much more fatherly position. His advice ranged from Bribery 101 to the clauses that should be added to his pre-nuptial agreement.

The crucial decade separating that initial meeting and the tragic demise of the relationship between the two men encompasses many of the main tidbits we associate with the Trump of today, from his unstoppable quest to build a phallic-shaped empire at the heart of the Big Apple with his Trump Tower to his troubled marriage with Czech-American model turned socialite Ivana Trump (Maria Bakalova). The cinematography follows this transition, going from the lush, grainy texture of ’70s film to the washed-out hues of ’80s camcorders.

When the project was first announced, many were skeptical of the idea of a biopic about one of the most contentious public figures of modern times starring a hunky Marvel alum and eyeing a big premiere at a glitzy film festival. While all these concerns remain true, especially given this is an election year in the US, Abbasi manages to thread the lines between tabloid fodder and veiled endorsement with great skill. There’s a running comic vein throughout the film that flirts with mockery while bypassing the pastiche, like when the camera catches a glimpse of an empty-brained Donald as he sits alone at the big boys’ table, with no big boys to play with or when the broad man bumps into the slim, cool Andy Warhol at a party he has no business being in, his ineptitude making him feel smaller and smaller while his ego begins showing the first signs of inflation.

Stan finds in Strong a great match. Abbasi’s latest sees the “Succession” actor play a Roy once more, although this time he is not as much the plagued victim of daddy issues as his benefiting perpetrator. The big, boisterous Roy of the early ’70s is much, much fun to watch, and when the larger-than-life scammer disguised as a prosecutor begins suffering the consequences of AIDS, Strong plays him with a pained reticence that is at once greatly moving and deeply effective in its understanding of how the illness affects the dynamics between the duo. Cohn was a closeted gay man for all professional intents but led a very open life with his younger partner, who also died from the complications of AIDS.

With “The Apprentice,” Stan continues his run of lining up weird, big-swing projects of the likes of “Fresh” and “A Different Man” to shake off the ghost of Bucky Barnes. The bet pays off. Stan plays Trump without an overreliance on the frazzled blonde wig and increasingly pronounced prosthetics. The actor is at his greatest whenever he taps into this marriage between a swollen superiority complex and paralyzing insecurity that make up the fabric of the reality TV star turned unlikely President of the United States.

Trump’s reaction to Cohn’s lifestyle is one of the most interesting (and formative) aspects of the evolution of the central relationship. While at first young Donald emulates Cohn in all major aspects of his life — from copying the prosecutor’s number plate to leaning more and more into the orange-hued pleasures of fake tan — Cohn’s frailing health nags at the mogul, not necessarily because it is a physical reminder of his mentor’s sexuality, but because it makes him look weak.

Weakness, of course, has no space in the life of Donald Trump. No longer the whining mentee of his much savvier friend and pumped to the nines with diet pills filled with amphetamines, Trump morphs into a delusional broken radio, one stuck on the audiobook for his best-selling business bible “The Art of the Deal.” There is, of course, a fear that a film like “The Apprentice” might pose a dangerous chance to endear this buffoon to audiences. Alas, the Trump at the center of Abbasi’s sleek satire is the same Trump already etched in the cultural consciousness — an incompetent, disloyal, criminal fool. That, one hopes, will only cater only to those already indoctrinated. [B+]

[urlocallsimp]

I am once again pushing the agenda that Tenoch might be a Leo rising.

Here's my reasoning:

Solar essence: he has such warmth to him.. look at the way the sun hugs him she loves him, as we all do. ✅

Bright bold energy ✅

Broad shoulders ✅

Idjsuzhzklqmslslnsns this pic... I wanna climb him!

Lush set of hair (have u seen him as Rafa) ✅

Sharp eyes: I always said he has siren eyes/gaze it's so intense ✅

I wouldn't say he has short wide nose but he has such specific unique nose that i LOVE SM!!

About the bold personal style: I keep thinking to when he wears bold colored suits, feather jewelry or that feathered cape and his looove for sunglasses!

Some other leo rising male celebs are: Jason Momoa, Chris Hemsworth and Sebastian Stan..... Intressting....

[josephqunnies]

Hunny bee. Please keep your head up. Come back when you feel safe okay? I’m going to miss your tweets/IG posts. You were and still are an OG Lone Star stan. You helped Ro and Rafa with their rise in fame. We love you Shaz. I’m with you, I hope this fandom changes back to what it was before.

Seriously much much love. 💜🐝

Thank you; I'll still be around. But not as much. This has taken more out of me emotionally than I thought and I'm not gonna pretend that these con stuff doesn't hurt.

But above all else; I'm here for the guys and despite what they throw at me; my love and support for them will not waiver

[dragnews]

Tennis: Zverev mentally ready for French title bid, says Wilander

LONDON (Reuters) – The raw material has never been in doubt but Germany’s Alexander Zverev now has the mentality to start punching his weight in the grand slams, according to two former French Open champions.

FILE PHOTO: John Isner of the U.S. in action during his Madrid Open quarter final match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Susana Vera/File Photo

Zverev, 21, is seeded two at Roland Garros after rising to third in the ATP rankings and all eyes will be on him as he attempts to shrug off a surprisingly poor record at the majors and stamp his authority on the Parisian clay.

He has yet to beat a top-50 opponent at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon or U.S. Open and has still to venture past the fourth round at any of them.

In Melbourne this year he appeared demoralized after losing 6-0 in the fifth set to South Korean youngster Hyeon Chung in the third — earning only five points in a deciding-set meltdown.

Few expect such a statistical anomaly to last much longer though and after Zverev’s Madrid Open title, his third Masters 1000 crown, and reaching the final in Rome where he worried claycourt king Rafa Nadal, he looks a prime candidate for a long run in the French capital.

Three-times Roland Garros champion Mats Wilander says Zverev has now put together the final pieces of the jigsaw.

“I don’t think it’s a mental block (his poor run in grand slams). A bit of bad luck, a bit of uncertainty about what style he should play on all the surfaces,” Wilander, who will be hosting his Game, Schett and Mats show for Eurosport during the Paris fortnight, told Reuters.

“Tactically he is way more mature now in the last two, three, four months, even then he was at the Australian Open.

“He’s way more certain of how he needs to play now. Tactically he is going to be as good as anyone we’ve ever seen now he’s figured out what he’s doing.

“He really is thinking and playing an intuitive game plan now whereas at the Aussie Open he was searching for something.”

Zverev will get an early chance to lay down a marker in the Parisian dirt on Sunday when he plays Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania in the first round.

His first big test could be a potential fourth-round clash with 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka.

American Jim Courier, champion in Paris in 2001 and 2002, said Zverev will on a high after his impressive build-up on the European claycourts.

“He won Madrid and reached the final in Rome so he will have a huge amount of confidence and momentum,” Courier, who will be analyzing for broadcaster ITV, told Reuters.

“Whether he still has doubts about whether he can do it in the slams only he knows that. But we will find out. He has a pretty attractive draw early on. He doesn’t have too many weaknesses.”

Zverev has been at pains to play down his questionable record on the biggest stages.

“We all know I’m going to beat a top-50 player at some point in a grand slam. I mean, this is not something I worry about, to be honest,” he said. “Those things are not going to be on my mind. It’s not going to be on anybody’s mind.”

The post Tennis: Zverev mentally ready for French title bid, says Wilander appeared first on World The News.

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[party-hard-or-die]

Tennis: Zverev mentally ready for French title bid, says Wilander

LONDON (Reuters) – The raw material has never been in doubt but Germany’s Alexander Zverev now has the mentality to start punching his weight in the grand slams, according to two former French Open champions.

FILE PHOTO: John Isner of the U.S. in action during his Madrid Open quarter final match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Susana Vera/File Photo

Zverev, 21, is seeded two at Roland Garros after rising to third in the ATP rankings and all eyes will be on him as he attempts to shrug off a surprisingly poor record at the majors and stamp his authority on the Parisian clay.

He has yet to beat a top-50 opponent at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon or U.S. Open and has still to venture past the fourth round at any of them.

In Melbourne this year he appeared demoralized after losing 6-0 in the fifth set to South Korean youngster Hyeon Chung in the third — earning only five points in a deciding-set meltdown.

Few expect such a statistical anomaly to last much longer though and after Zverev’s Madrid Open title, his third Masters 1000 crown, and reaching the final in Rome where he worried claycourt king Rafa Nadal, he looks a prime candidate for a long run in the French capital.

Three-times Roland Garros champion Mats Wilander says Zverev has now put together the final pieces of the jigsaw.

“I don’t think it’s a mental block (his poor run in grand slams). A bit of bad luck, a bit of uncertainty about what style he should play on all the surfaces,” Wilander, who will be hosting his Game, Schett and Mats show for Eurosport during the Paris fortnight, told Reuters.

“Tactically he is way more mature now in the last two, three, four months, even then he was at the Australian Open.

“He’s way more certain of how he needs to play now. Tactically he is going to be as good as anyone we’ve ever seen now he’s figured out what he’s doing.

“He really is thinking and playing an intuitive game plan now whereas at the Aussie Open he was searching for something.”

Zverev will get an early chance to lay down a marker in the Parisian dirt on Sunday when he plays Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania in the first round.

His first big test could be a potential fourth-round clash with 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka.

American Jim Courier, champion in Paris in 2001 and 2002, said Zverev will on a high after his impressive build-up on the European claycourts.

“He won Madrid and reached the final in Rome so he will have a huge amount of confidence and momentum,” Courier, who will be analyzing for broadcaster ITV, told Reuters.

“Whether he still has doubts about whether he can do it in the slams only he knows that. But we will find out. He has a pretty attractive draw early on. He doesn’t have too many weaknesses.”

Zverev has been at pains to play down his questionable record on the biggest stages.

“We all know I’m going to beat a top-50 player at some point in a grand slam. I mean, this is not something I worry about, to be honest,” he said. “Those things are not going to be on my mind. It’s not going to be on anybody’s mind.”

The post Tennis: Zverev mentally ready for French title bid, says Wilander appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2KTPjLl via Breaking News

[newestbalance]

Tennis: Zverev mentally ready for French title bid, says Wilander

LONDON (Reuters) – The raw material has never been in doubt but Germany’s Alexander Zverev now has the mentality to start punching his weight in the grand slams, according to two former French Open champions.

FILE PHOTO: John Isner of the U.S. in action during his Madrid Open quarter final match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Susana Vera/File Photo

Zverev, 21, is seeded two at Roland Garros after rising to third in the ATP rankings and all eyes will be on him as he attempts to shrug off a surprisingly poor record at the majors and stamp his authority on the Parisian clay.

He has yet to beat a top-50 opponent at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon or U.S. Open and has still to venture past the fourth round at any of them.

In Melbourne this year he appeared demoralized after losing 6-0 in the fifth set to South Korean youngster Hyeon Chung in the third — earning only five points in a deciding-set meltdown.

Few expect such a statistical anomaly to last much longer though and after Zverev’s Madrid Open title, his third Masters 1000 crown, and reaching the final in Rome where he worried claycourt king Rafa Nadal, he looks a prime candidate for a long run in the French capital.

Three-times Roland Garros champion Mats Wilander says Zverev has now put together the final pieces of the jigsaw.

“I don’t think it’s a mental block (his poor run in grand slams). A bit of bad luck, a bit of uncertainty about what style he should play on all the surfaces,” Wilander, who will be hosting his Game, Schett and Mats show for Eurosport during the Paris fortnight, told Reuters.

“Tactically he is way more mature now in the last two, three, four months, even then he was at the Australian Open.

“He’s way more certain of how he needs to play now. Tactically he is going to be as good as anyone we’ve ever seen now he’s figured out what he’s doing.

“He really is thinking and playing an intuitive game plan now whereas at the Aussie Open he was searching for something.”

Zverev will get an early chance to lay down a marker in the Parisian dirt on Sunday when he plays Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania in the first round.

His first big test could be a potential fourth-round clash with 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka.

American Jim Courier, champion in Paris in 2001 and 2002, said Zverev will on a high after his impressive build-up on the European claycourts.

“He won Madrid and reached the final in Rome so he will have a huge amount of confidence and momentum,” Courier, who will be analyzing for broadcaster ITV, told Reuters.

“Whether he still has doubts about whether he can do it in the slams only he knows that. But we will find out. He has a pretty attractive draw early on. He doesn’t have too many weaknesses.”

Zverev has been at pains to play down his questionable record on the biggest stages.

“We all know I’m going to beat a top-50 player at some point in a grand slam. I mean, this is not something I worry about, to be honest,” he said. “Those things are not going to be on my mind. It’s not going to be on anybody’s mind.”

The post Tennis: Zverev mentally ready for French title bid, says Wilander appeared first on World The News.

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[the-independent-spt-yahoopa-blog]

Roger Federer beats Rafael Nadal in five-set thriller to win Australian Open and claim 18th Grand Slam title

We should never have doubted him. Five years after winning his last Grand Slam title, 35-year-old Roger Federer claimed the 18th of his extraordinary career when he won the Australian Open with perhaps his greatest victory.

The final against his old rival, Rafael Nadal, was always going to provide a remarkable climax to this event, but few could have imagined that it would produce a finish as stunning as Federer conjured with his 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victory.

The oldest man to play in a Grand Slam final for 43 years had appeared to be heading for an honourable defeat when he left the court for treatment on a leg problem after losing the fourth set and was then broken in the opening game of the decider. Federer, however, dug deep to break Nadal twice and then serve out to complete his stunning victory after three hours and 37 minutes.

The greatest player in history was in tears afterwards and, for once, seemed almost lost for words during the presentation ceremony, though as usual he found the right tone. “There are no draws in tennis but I would have been happy to share one with Rafa tonight,” he said.

When Federer missed the last six months of 2016 with a knee injury few would have imagined he could come back and do this. After winning his 16th Grand Slam title here seven years ago he had added just one to his tally, at Wimbledon in 2012, since when there has been frequent speculation as to when he might retire.

However, at 35 Federer has become the oldest male Grand Slam singles champion since Ken Rosewall won this title in 1972 at the age of 37. As the world No 17 Federer is also the lowest ranked Australian Open champion since Thomas Johansson (world No 18) in 2002 and the lowest ranked at any Grand Slam event since Gaston Gaudio (world No 44) at the 2004 French Open. He will rise to No 10 in Monday’s updated world ranking list, while Nadal will climb to No 6.

Federer’s fifth Australian Open came seven years after his first, which is the longest gap between titles here in the Open era. He is the first man in history to win five or more titles at three different Grand Slam events, having also won seven Wimbledons and five US Opens.

Nadal, who has also returned from injury this month after a wrist problem, had won six of his previous eight Grand Slam finals against Federer, who had beaten him only in the Wimbledon finals of 2006 and 2007.

The defeat was clearly a disappointment for Nadal, who had also been a break up in the deciding set when he lost to Novak Djokovic in the final here five years ago, but the 30-year-old Spaniard can take great heart from his achievement in reaching his first Grand Slam final since winning his ninth French Open in 2014.

Federer, who said his team would be “partying like rock stars” later in the night, thought it would not be until he returns to Switzerland that he will appreciate what this victory means to him. “The magnitude of this match is going to feel different,” he said. “I can’t compare this one to any other one except for maybe the French Open in 2009. I waited for the French Open. I tried, I fought. I tried again and failed. Eventually I made it. This feels similar.”

After a glorious summer’s day the temperature was a balmy 25C when the players entered Rod Laver Arena. It was hard to judge who received the louder of two thunderous ovations, but it soon became clear that Federer was the man most wanted to win.

It was a match full of remarkable drama and some excellent tennis, though in terms of quality it could not compare with some of their previous finals. The two men were rarely at their best at the same time and one was clearly on top in each of the first four sets. The best tennis came in the decider as Federer went for broke and Nadal tried to hang on to his lead.

In the opening set Nadal struggled to find his range as Federer dictated the pace, making the only break of serve in the seventh game. A change of tactics brought an immediate reward for Nadal in the second set. The Spaniard played further up the court and hit his forehand with more power and top spin into Federer’s backhand, which has so often proved a winning ploy for him in the past. Nadal was soon 4-0 up and although Federer retrieved one break the Spaniard took the set with something to spare.

Nadal pushed hard again in the opening game of the third set but Federer, crucially, held firm. Nadal had three break points and Federer saved each of them with an ace fired with pinpoint accuracy beyond the reach of his opponent’s forehand. From that moment Federer started to serve better and also found great rhythm on his backhand. He broke serve in the second game with some stunning returns and again before taking the set.

The momentum was now clearly with the Swiss, but once again Nadal turned the tables, breaking in the fourth game of the fourth set and then serving out to level at two sets apiece.

Just as he had in his semi-final victory over Stan Wawrinka, Federer left the court at the end of the fourth set for treatment on an upper leg injury and once again he returned to complete a memorable victory.

Nadal broke serve in the opening game of the deciding set, but for most of it he was the man under pressure from Federer’s bold shot-making. The Spaniard saved break points in the second and fourth games, but Federer broke to level at 3-3 and again to lead 5-3 in a game full of breath-taking points, including one 26-shot rally which ended with the Swiss cracking a sensational forehand winner down the line.

Serving for the match, Federer went 15-40 down but saved two break points with an ace and a thumping inside-out forehand winner and went on to convert his second match point with a forehand winner.

Ivan Ljubicic, who joined Federer’s entourage last year, and Severin Luthi, a long-time member of his coaching team, led the celebrations in Federer’s player box. “It’s obviously special for the entire team,” Federer said later. “It was Ivan’s first Grand Slam final as a player or as a coach. Obviously he was nervous all day. I tried to calm him down. The same thing with my physio, too. I think I could sense that this wasn’t something that he’s seen so many times.”

Asked how he had come back in the deciding set, Federer said: “I told myself to play free. That’s what we discussed with Ivan and Severin before the matches. You play the ball, you don’t play the opponent. Be free in your head, be free in your shots, go for it. The brave will be rewarded here.”

He added: “I kept on fighting. I kept on believing, like I did all match long today, that there was a possibility I could win this match. I think that's what made me play my best tennis at the very end.”

Nadal admitted afterwards that he had sometimes lacked a little speed in his legs following his five-hour victory over Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals on Friday night, but said that Federer had deserved his victory. “It was a great match,” Nadal said. “After I had the break in the fifth set he played very aggressively, hitting a lot of great shots, so it was tough to hold serve every time.”

Federer said at the presentation ceremony that he hoped to be back next year, “but if not, then it was a wonderful year here and I couldn't be happier tonight.”

He denied later in the evening that he had been hinting at retirement but added: “I have only so much tennis left in me. If I do get injured, maybe if I miss next year who knows what happens? You never know when your next Grand Slam is going to be, if ever. I had a tough year last year. Three five-setters [here] are not going to help. I hope can I come back, of course.”

[junker-town]

2000s era tennis rivalries are getting a surprising encore

Venus vs. Serena and Roger vs. Rafa defined tennis in the 2000s. This wasn’t supposed to happen again.

Rivalry defines any sport. It creates appointment viewing.

In tennis, however, it’s even more significant. Rivalry has a face. It forces you to raise your game in specific ways because of a specific person. Like boxing, tennis is an individual sport in which you almost need a dance partner to prove your greatness. And unlike boxing, a rivalry features a lot more than two or three battles.

Rivalry plus history produces something even more special.

If we wanted to, we could use this weekend’s Australian Open finals as an indictment of tennis’ future.

When the top two seeds go down — as men’s No. 2 Novak Djokovic did in the second round and No. 1 Andy Murray did in the fourth — it is a prime opportunity for a rising star to pounce on the opportunity.

Instead, the No. 3 seed, 26-year-old Milos Raonic, lost to a 30-year-old former champion in the quarterfinals. So did No. 6 Gael Monfils. The No. 4 and 5 seeds, Stan Wawrinka and 27-year-old Kei Nishikori, lost to a 35-year-old. No. 7 Marin Cilic, gifted with an opportunity to win a second slam, lost in the second round. No. 8 Dominic Thiem, a rising 23-year-old, lost in the fourth.

On the women’s side, it was the same story. No. 1 Angelique Kerber got blasted out of the tournament by CoCo Vandeweghe, but rising stars like Karolina Plíšková (last year’s U.S. Open finalist) and Garbine Muguruza (the reigning French Open champion) couldn’t take advantage.

We could look at it that way. But we won’t. Because the two finals matchups are a damn blessing.

Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images

Serena and Venus Williams.

Years after their prime, years after they defined the sport, two all-time rivalries will decide the Aussie trophy holders: Venus Williams vs. Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer.

How unlikely was this? Consider one of tennis’ most celebrated runs: that of Jimmy Connors to the 1991 U.S. Open semifinals. Connors was an old star at the tail end of his career. He missed most of 1990 to a wrist injury, and he had to withdraw from the 1991 French Open with a back injury.

But there he was, outlasting Patrick McEnroe in a first-round five-setter, sweeping No. 10-seed Karel Nováček in the third round, beating Aaron Krickstein in a fifth set tiebreaker in the Round of 16, and dominating Paul Haarhuis in the quarters. It was thrilling enough that we still remember it 25 years later.

Connors was 38 when that tournament began. Venus Williams will turn 37, and Federer and Serena Williams will turn 36, this summer. Federer missed much of 2016 with his first major injury.

In 2011, Venus was diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that forced her to completely redefine how she trains and how she draws up her schedule. Between the 2011 and 2014 U.S. Opens, she never advanced past the third round of a Slam, and she missed two with injury issues.

In 2015, however, a new act to her career began. She made the quarters at both the Australian and U.S. Opens and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. In 2016, she reached two more fourth rounds and the Wimbledon semis. And her semifinal win over CoCo Vandeweghe on Thursday set up her first Slam final appearance since 2008 Wimbledon.

She beat Serena at that one, naturally. They’ve met for all the marbles just a few times.

Then there's Nadal. His grinding game both knocked Federer off of his pedestal and created a steady stream of injury issues. He missed portions of 2009, 2012, 2013, and 2014 with injury, and after runs to the quarterfinals of the first two slams of 2015, he had gone just 8-5 at his last five slams and missed Wimbledon last summer. He is a mere 30, but the odometer is awfully high.

But in Friday's semifinal, he outlasted a fit, sharp Grigor Dimitrov in five sets and nearly five hours. This after he was taken to five sets by rising 19-year old Alexander Zverev in the third round and four sets by No. 6 Gaël Monfils in the fourth. The battle with Raonic was the easiest he's had since the second round. He has been forced to grind for nearly two weeks. It’s what he does. And now he’s three sets from title No. 15.

That Nadal looks like Nadal again, and that Serena Williams isn’t off of her all-time 2015 form at age 35, is remarkable enough. That all four are here together is impossibly special. And if Venus Williams or Federer were to win the title, it would be more than a heartwarming story: It would be a rivalry reversal. As Chris Evert can attest, those can be particularly sweet.

Photo by Trevor Jones/Getty Images

Chris Evert won her 18th and final slam title in the 1986 French Open against Martina Navratilova.

Age was beginning to catch up to Chris Evert-Lloyd, as she was then known, when she took down Martina Navratilova in the 1986 French Open finals. It was the typical Evert-Navratilova match in a lot of ways: lengthy, with plot twists and full court coverage.

Navratilova cruised through a 6-2 opening set, but as was typically the case in Paris, Evert battled back. She took the second set 6-3, then broke Martina twice in the third. On championship point, the two exchanged a brief rally at the baseline, and Evert charged the net on her first opportunity. A gorgeous drop volley won it.

It was Evert's seventh French Open championship and her 18th and final overall slam. She was the bridge between the King-and-Court era — her first two slam finals were losses to Margaret Court in the 1973 French Open and to Billie Jean King at 1973 Wimbledon — and what would become the more power-based era of Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.

The Chrissie-Martina rivalry defined women's tennis for more than a decade, between their first slam final battle (1975 French) and last (1986 French) and the 12 such meetings in between.

But you could probably forgive Evert for perhaps occasionally wondering what her accomplishments might have been if, say, a young Navratilova had taken up skiing instead.

As impressive as 18 slam titles might sound, Evert also lost 16 slam finals, and 10 came to her chief rival. She beat Navratilova three of four times in the French finals but went just 1-9 in the other three. Winning Wimbledon three times is an incredible accomplishment, but she fell to the same person five more times in the final round.

Such is life in tennis. Rivalry builds your stature and raises your game. It gets you 30-for-30s. But it also creates a massive set of what-ifs.

In an Earth-Two-style alternate universe, where Nadal and Venus�� little sister find their passion better suited in some other sport, these two legends would find their already incredible résumés significantly bolstered. The elder Williams sister has seven slam titles but has lost to her little sister in a slam final six times.

Federer, meanwhile, is 17-10 in slam finals: 2-6 against Nadal and 15-4 against everybody else. He already has more slam titles than anybody man in the Open Era, and he has been to seven more Slam finals than Nadal. But sports are all about matchups, and Nadal’s game was custom-made to take down the Swiss champion.

That underlying narrative makes this fortnight’s development at the Australian Open even more stirring. At 36 and 35 years of age, Venus and Serena will take each other on for the ninth time in a Slam final on Saturday. On Sunday, 35-year old Federer and 30-year old Nadal will also battle for the ninth time on such a stage. The legacies of these four are set; this is just icing on the cake. But for Venus and Roger, it’s a chance to steal one back.

Venus vs. Serena and Roger vs. Rafa defined the sport of tennis in the 2000s. We’re well into the 2010s now, however, and this wasn’t supposed to happen again. Bask in this. It is hard as hell to reach tennis’ pinnacle, and it’s even harder to find a rival to take you there so constantly.

That we get both of these matches in the same weekend is special. And the nature of these rivalries suggest that wins by either Venus or Roger would make it even more special.