#and a lot of time calling novak djokovic names

[nevergoesout]

been pretty busy lately actually ! what is new ? went to see my dad in hospital which was a lot, stayed at my nan & grampy’s two weekends in a row (and going back this weekend) (i love the cotswold hills with all my heart) , beer fest weekend (which is our big annual family gathering more so than christmas!) was lovely and jam came for the first year - we had lots of obscure ciders including the whiskey cask one we can never find !! , i GOT A FIRST !! , got some bright yellow crocs like i had when i was small very cheap in a sale , got a table for our house and feels very much like a real home now ! living with friends is still everything i dreamed of so far, it’s so lovely , had my first ever tick bite , still don’t have a job , am very happy

[cieloclercs]

Okay so abt that Carlitos request maybe she’s in the crowd next to his mum and after a win at Wimbledon (maybe he’s the final winner 🤭) her and his family go down on the pitch to celebrate (kind of in the way footballers do it) and he just kisses her instantly and that’s the moment everyone finds out abt their relationship but the fans love it and maybe then they go on a vacation in Spain or smth like that 🫶🏻 thanks again for being open to write for him and have a good day!!

PS: if you find good fics with him please do tell where 😅

-🪷

hello! hope you enjoy this <3

p.s i found two really awesome carlitos fics you should check out! wimbledon shenanigans by @yungbludz and this blurb by @2manytabsopen

word count. 2.3k

read under the cut!

𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐨́𝐧 | carlos alcaraz

THE DAY HAS finally arrived: one you’ve had circled in your calendar for weeks, almost as a manifestation that you’ll get to watch it not just as a neutral spectator, but as someone with a true stake in the outcome. The Wimbledon Final. A certain classic, the commentators all say. They’re sure, that no matter who wins, it’s going to be a match for the history books. The current world number one versus arguably the greatest tennis player of all time. Carlos Alcaraz versus Novak Djokovic.

You’re on the edge of your seat from the moment the first serve is taken. It almost feels as if you’re down there on the court, playing the match yourself. The nerves thrumming inside your very veins are enough for it to seem that way. Carlos’ mother is seated to your right, just as tense as you are, gripping the edge of her chair with white knuckles. You reach down to pat her hand reassuringly, partly for her, but mostly for you. Appearing so calm, so certain Carlos is going to do what he does best and win this match helps to quell your own nerves. Even if it’s a façade.

He's worked so hard to get here, you can’t even imagine the agony if he falls short now. So many have put their expectations on him, as this new, rising talent, pegging him to become the next Nadal; it’s a lot for anyone to deal with, but it amazes you how Carlos simply takes it into his stride. He’s inexperienced on grass compared to his competitor (or rather, inexperienced on every surface – this is Novak Djokovic we’re talking about, after all), yet even against those with years and years of tournament experience haven’t been able to beat him. No matter whether it seems the odds are stacked against him or not, Carlos always believes in himself. So you believe in him too. You know in your heart, this may seem like a mountain to climb, but if anyone can reach the summit, it’s him.

There’s a second story running alongside this one, however, and it involves you. Though you’ve been able to call the world number one your boyfriend for almost six months now, the world is yet to know about your relationship. As someone who hasn’t exactly been shielded from the public eye yourself, you both decided it would be healthier to keep everything private while you navigated the early stages of your relationship. Now, you’re both happier than you ever have been, and it feels as though you’re drawing nearer to the big announcement.

Attending Carlos’ match with his family is the first big step. From the moment you sat down with them in their box, you could feel the eyes on you; sense the whispers rippling around the court like shockwaves. Everyone knows who you are, of course – Spain’s golden girl, the child acting star turned Oscar winner at only twenty years of age. You’re a household name not only in your country, but across the whole world. To see you here, spending time with the family of your equivalent in the tennis world, is huge news. This isn’t just a case of some celebrity outing for the day, making an appearance in a private box; this is you sitting with Carlos’ family, laughing with his mother and doting on his little brother. You’re clearly more involved than the average celebrity – the big question on everyone’s lips is how involved?

For the moment, you ignore the masses of eyes on you. You’re here to see Carlos play first and foremost, not answer the newly emerged dating rumours which seem to be spreading like wildfire across social media (it’s barely even been half an hour – the fans sure do catch on quick). All you care about is cheering him on until he emerges victorious, lifting that coveted Wimbledon trophy high into the air. And with each point won that puts him just ahead of his opponent, you feel everything drawing closer to the inevitable end: Game, set, match – Carlos Alcaraz. It takes an excruciating four and three quarter hours of back and forth, but eventually, the dream becomes reality. Championship point won. He drops to the floor with a gasp just as you shoot up from your seat, arms flailing in the air, screaming until your throat is raw. Carlos Alcaraz is the winner of the 2023 Wimbledon Championship.

You’re not even sure it’s allowed when you and his family rush down onto the court, but in that moment, you honestly couldn’t care less. He’s shaken hands with Djokovic, who for once, doesn’t look ashamed to have been beaten – he recognises a worthy champion when he sees one. Then, after doing the same with the umpire, he turns to face his approaching family. The grin you love so much breaks out across his face. You know how important they all are to him. Having them here to witness this no doubt makes it even sweeter.

For a moment you hang back, watching as his father pats him proudly on the back, and his mother holds nothing in reserve by pulling him down to press a loving kiss to his cheek. He spins his little brother around in the air excitedly, and you hear Jaime’s giggles from where you’re standing a few feet away. You’re happy to just watch them for a while, a fond smile playing on your lips. They truly are the most idyllic family. You count yourself lucky to know them as well as you do, and perhaps even one day to be accepted as one of them by Carlos’ side. But you push those thought away, wanting to remain in the present. Right now, you couldn’t be more proud of your boyfriend. Your heart sings with joy for him and his incredible achievement. You’ve always known he is special, but now the rest of the world knows it just as certainly as you do.

It isn’t long before Carlos turns his attention away from his family, searching for you amongst the crowd. You aren’t far away, grinning back at him shyly. You’re aware of the crowd around you, conscious that they are no doubt watching his every move, but when you lock eyes, that doesn’t seem to matter anymore. He closes the distance between you in four short strides, and before you know it, his arms are wrapped around you, lifting you high up into the air as he spins around. You’re laughing gleefully, arms looped securely around his neck as if they belong there. When he sets you down again everything is quiet, despite the crowd still cheering his name.

"Estoy muy orgullosa de ti.” I’m so proud of you. You murmur, hands placed on either side of his face. You eyes are filled with nothing but love and admiration as you gaze up at him. You can see it mirrored back at you in his own.

"No podría haberlo hecho sin ti, mi amor.” I couldn’t have done it without you, mi amor. He replies tenderly. Though you know it’s not strictly the truth. Everyone needs love and support from those they care for the most to get them through the difficult times, but Carlos Alcaraz was born to be a star. He was always going to make it this far – it’s just something you can’t argue with, a little like fate. Still, it’s nice to feel like you had a part to play in that. You are important enough to him to matter in a time like this. That’s the special thing.

"Te quiero, campeón.” I love you, champion. You tell him with a teasing giggle. He seems to light up at the nickname, chest puffing out with pride.

"Yo también te quiero.” I love you too. He murmurs. His hands cradle either side of your face, and when he glances down at your lips, you know exactly what he’s asking. The crowd’s focus is still very much on the two of you, but despite all the efforts you’ve gone to hide your relationship, right now, you don’t care. The subtlest of nods tells him all he needs to know. Carlos dips his head down, capturing your lips in the sweetest kiss you’ve ever known. You think the crowd are cheering; you can hear some whistles, muffled into the background. None of it matters. All you care about is when he wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you impossible close – so close you can feel his heartbeat against your own chest.

Even when he pulls away, the spell isn’t broken. There’s something about sharing in the joy of the man you love that simply makes everything else fade away. Carlos looks down at you, his eyes so soft, shining so brightly they could have held the entire universe for all you knew. In a way, he’s thanking you. You’re not sure what for at first, because he’s made it here of his own merit. But then it hits you. Carlos is a simple man. He’s simply thanking you for being here, to celebrate the greatest moment of his life alongside him and his family. At the end of the day, it’s what he cares about most – his family. The look he gives you now is as much confirmation as you’ll ever need. He considers you to be a part of it. Maybe not in name (not yet, anyway), but in heart, in spirit, you mean just as much to him.

Finally, when you’re both returned to reality, he relaxes his grip around your waist, turning to wave at the crowd, shooting them a cheeky wink (which you just know will be all over social media within the next few hours). You can’t help but laugh. Someone calls his name: it’s time to prepare for the presentation, they tell him. He turns back to look at you with a dazed grin. You can’t resist pressing one final kiss to his lips before he’s dragged away – your champion, ready to lift that legendary trophy high in the air. No one deserves it more than him, you think. This is what he was born to do.

liked by tennis_wags and 2,637 others

tennisupdates Carlos Alcaraz and newly confirmed girlfriend Y/N Y/L/N, who attended the match with his family, celebrating his Wimbledon victory on centre court ❤️

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username so cute 😍

username THE it couple

Two weeks later Majorca, Spain

After the chaos and exposure of Wimbledon, a private beach getaway is exactly what both you and Carlos needed. Days stretch away on the sand, swallowed up by the rolling blue tides, and you think this place must be paradise on earth – or maybe it’s the company that makes everything so perfect. You’ve barely moved from your residence along the private stretch of beach Carlos had splashed out on to make your time together as romantic (and paparazzi-free) as possible. You don’t need to. This is your time to relax, to unwind after Wimbledon; and if you don’t deserve that, Carlos certainly does. You’re simply reaping the rewards.

Both your phones lay face down on the kitchen table inside. You haven’t looked at social media once since the final, and you don’t plan to as long as you’re here. No doubt, all your accounts will be blown up with messages about yours and Carlos’ surprise hard launch, both good and bad. You don’t want to ruin this little paradise you’ve created by getting sucked into the media. So, aside from texting or calling your families in the evenings, both yours and Carlos’ phones remain unused throughout your days together. It’s beyond peaceful. He pledges to do this more often – just be together, without the pressure of social media or the press breathing down your necks.

Sprawled out across the sand, you lay on his tanned chest, running your fingers softly up and down the side of his ribs. He hums contentedly at the sensation. You’re both sleepy, the sun lulling you into a daze. Carlos’ lips find your hair occasionally, kissing away your tiredness. His arms pull you in close, so you can feel the warmth radiating from his skin as much as you can feel it from the sun, or the sand beneath you. This feeling, that blooms in your chest and lights up every part of you, is nothing short of belonging. Even if you both had nothing, if you were talentless, penniless, with no place to call your own, you could claim it with each other. Carlos is the man whose arms you want to lie in every day for the rest of your life. You’re only young, but you know it to be true. He’s the one for you.

"El sol se está poniendo.” The sun’s going down. He soon whispers into the dusk, which has crept up on you in the last few hours. You hum some kind of acknowledgement, but keep your face buried deep into the crook of his neck. He chuckles.

"Vamos, cariño." Come on, baby. Carlos murmurs, pressing a tender kiss to the side of your face, "Vamos a la cama." Let’s go to bed.

You don’t argue with him when he scoops you up into his arms, lifting you up off the still warm sand as you giggle at the way he spins you around. When your feet touch the ground again, you can’t resist kissing him. It’s short and sweet, but he chases you with his lips when you pull away. You feel your heart soar.

Hand in hand, you make your way inside, to the place which has become your own perfect, little solitude. No one can touch you here, so far away from the rest of the world. You both know you’ll have to go back to reality fairly soon, but for that night, it’s the farthest thing from your minds. For now you’re just young and in love, wrapped up in each other, never wanting to leave. It’s the best place you can be, you think. The only place you ever want to be.

liked by wimbledon and 2,647,936 others

tagged: carlitosalcarazz

yourusername sí, sigo vivo! han sido un par de semanas caóticas en wimbledon, así que hemos decidido tomarnos un tiempo para nosotros mismos antes de que las cosas empiecen a volverse locas otra vez 🫣

a mi campeón - estoy muy orgullosa de ti y de todo lo que has conseguido. nadie se merece esto mas que tu. he visto el trabajo que haces dia y noche para ser la mejor. no ha sido facil, pero que sepas que he creido en ti en cada paso del camino, y seguire creyendo en ti mientras viva. te quiero, carlitos ❤️

yes, i'm still alive! it's been a chaotic couple of weeks at wimbledon, so we've decided to take some time to ourselves before things start to get crazy again 🫣

to my champion - i am so proud of you and all that you have accomplished. no one deserves this more than you. i have seen the work you do day and night to be the best. it has not been easy, but know that i have believed in you every step of the way, and i will continue to believe in you as long as i live. i love you, carlitos ❤️

carlitosalcarazz te quiero siempre / i love you always

yourusername 💕

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tags: @christianpulisic10

requests are open! send something in if you’d like!

[zingaplanet]

Love that ask! I've also wondered what the rest of the tour makes of how absurdly close Roger and Rafa are. Not to stir the pot but I think it bothers Novak - in the sense that he seems to consider Rafa his biggest rival and has been vocal about that many times. It has to rankle a bit that Rafa doesn't feel the same and openly says Roger is the most important player in his career, whereas Novak would say that about Rafa. He also looked uncomfortable at times getting a front row seat to the Fedal love affair. Those 3 definitely have a complicated history with each other but I guess it is what it is.

Yea i get what you mean, it's a bit strange the dynamic between the 3 but it also developed like this because of the different kind of timelines between their rivalries that I talked about in the previous asks.

In a sense, I feel for Novak a bit as he's always going to be the odd one out, he always says that Nadal and Federer are his greatest rivals (because they are), but they never really say that about him specifically. And this is not due to any discredit on his competitiveness whatsoever it's just the way their career histories come to clash with one another. Federer and Nadal were fundamentals to each other's first rise to power, but when Novak started joining them, both Roger and Rafa were already at the top (they've both been world number 1s). It's a different sort of camaraderie, in a way that Rafa and Roger never really had to 'prove' themselves the way Novak had to with them, by breaking in to their duopoly.

It's also fascinating because Rafa was technically closer to Andy and Novak's generation than Roger's, they're practically age-wise peers. But because Rafa peaked so early (when he was 17), his 'growing up' on the tour is actually with the likes of Roddick, Federer, Hewitt, Ferru etc. You can actually see this in the early days, he was much more in a 'friend-like' relationships with Andy and Novak compared to how he was with Roger. I remember reading an article of an interviewer who was tailing Rafa for the day and when they arrived at the parking lot of the practice courts somebody was making crazy noises and calling his name from the car across them. It was Novak and Rafa came over to joke with him etc and the interviewer said that he was surprised how well they actually know each other. Judy Murray also said that Rafa was Andy's constant FIFA buddy, they used to play football matches on playstation until midnight during tours, but also online when they were both at homes. This was all before Murray Djokovic started challenging for titles seriously of course. There's actually a lot of insights to the early tour days that we missed from this golden generation of tennis. Like it or not, they technically grew up together and saw each other more than their own families, it's a bit like school! Except these players moved continents every few weeks or so. Novak and Andy have actually known each other since they were 12, they were practically childhood buddies. I've also read some crazy stories about the spanish armada pranking andy roddick etc during the old days and I would pay really good money to see a reality tv coverage of these days! It kinda makes me miss the old generation of tennis, so many of them are gone now 🥺

Anyhow, back to Roger though, he was actually quite a bit detached from the group in the early 2000s I feel, just because his 'actual generation' that is hewitt, etc were retiring and he's stuck with this influx of new kids who are starting to be really2 good (*ehem* cue a certain Spaniard) after 4 or 5 years of really boring competition. Everybody likes him tho, because ofc he's Roger, and Roddick actually said he was the first World Number One that he actually genuinely couldn't dislike lol. But I suppose he was more of a 'father' figure, he was the world number one, and everybody just put him on a pedestal.

The only person that Roger actually genuinely connect to in these early days, even before their rivalries fully blossomed was Rafa, I guess. The relationship Rafa had with Roger in the beginning was very different, and both of them said this as well these days, it was more of a schoolboy idolation with mutual respect and bond. Even then it was a different relationship than what Rafa had with his spanish teammates or age group peers. Rafa, in a sense I think, was the first one who actually broke this generational gap. By breaking into the scene, he's someone who, interestingly, became sort of the connecting string between his age group peers with the 'top guys', specifically because it was obvious that Federer liked him a lot lol. And Rafa was actually the first one who actually forced Roger to rethink his game, and reshifted his perception of their rivalries. He said this himself, he kinda have to force himself to accept that he now has an equal, a rival that will stay and challenge him for good.

I think we talk a lot about this 'mentor-mentee', 'idol-fan' dynamic between Roger and Rafa but what really really shifted their dynamic forever and solidified their bond I feel was when both of them had to sort of shift in the spectrum and fully accept each other as equals. I feel like this was a huge growing up moment not only in their careers but also in their lives.

By the time Novak came around, it was almost impossible to break into this detente respect that Federer-Nadal have built between themselves, although Novak had no difficulty in breaking their ranks. Personally, though, I don't think Djokovic had any qualms about the bond that he clearly KNOWS Federer-Nadal have and if I can respect him for anything, I guess it's for this. He might be a bit bitter of being the odd one out early on but I think this year's Laver Cup especially, really really showed how Andy and Novak accepted their roles in this weird four-way rivalries dynamic. That they will always be in the background in terms of personal bonds, and Andy even goes so far to say that it was right that Roger should finish with Rafa, not anybody else.

It's a strange kind of aura that everyone sorts of knows they're witnessing something untouchable, something special that's unbreakable in their bubble. A good comparison, randomly, is The Beatles. Both four beatles are extremely close with each other and considered each other brothers, but even then they knew Lennon-McCartney had a special bond, and George and Ringo would never try to break into their bubble when they were writing songs together.

So there you have it, a completely, unprompted, presumably presumptous long essay that is probably untrue lol. But one asked and one shall receive anon. One shall receive.

[batsplat]

just read ur take on the big three rivalries/relationships and i wanted to know how much u know about djokovics and nadals history with the whole being friendly/sharing an manager/practising together until novak started dominating (the way rafa literally switched from calling him to nole to novak in 2011 specifically after the madrid incident lmao and novak deflecting when asked how their friendship was going at wimbledon that same year) i feel like those two have a lot of history and most people ignore it or just arent aware of it ig

they do have a lot of history! idt they were necessarily THAT friendly with each other pre 2011. nadal was always the wunderkind who djokovic (and murray) were chasing. you had classic young djokovic moments like saying that he was in control of his rg 2006 match with nadal until djokovic's back problems, that he realised he didn't have to do anything special to defeat nadal, that nadal's beatable (nadal won the first two sets 6-4 6-4 before djokovic retired). still one of the funniest things he's said fairs

but their relationship did clearly get worse in 2011, when djokovic had that phenomenal season and beat nadal all six times they faced each other (still a shame he lost his first match that year at the roland garros semis against federer, denying us the final with nadal everyone wanted to see). there's also obviously stuff like handshake compilations over the years lol

anyway, their relationship also seemingly took a turn for the worse in 2022 over the whole australia deportation drama. I should say that in their early years, big three rivalries were a little more exciting (well, maybe not federer/nadal, but the other two) - it's just that all three of them were increasingly committed to just being ultra respectful *cough* pr merchants *cough* and it limited how much they would even let themselves do anything interesting. nadal can be a bit of a prick who's a lot more amiable when he's winning and is generally more of a sore loser than djokovic, but what's the point if you've collectively taken a vow to not rock the boat? and djokovic, who became massively unpopular for absolutely no good reason, eventually responded to all the criticism and booing with this slightly desperate attempt to make himself loved - the boob throw celebration is obviously the most infamous example and thank god he dropped that a few years ago. which is compelling in itself, but unfortunately it's all considerably less compelling these days... whenever he's being a pantomime villain, it's now about The Establishment.... stuff like this wimbledon where he was being kinda delusional about what the fans were yelling, saying they were booing him when they were calling his opponent's name, which? I like that, I liked the interview, it was silly camp fun. and then it became discourse bloody piers morgan was speaking out on as some kind of grand statement about how djokovic wouldn't let himself be silenced any more. that's not fun!!

anyway, djokovic/nadal is still an all time great tennis rivalry, and I've enjoyed plenty of their matches over the years. just don't think they offered quite enough narrative tension to live up to *59 matches* and monopolising the sport + all the attention within it for like. a lot of years. idk they could've move more imo

[stateofsport211]

Get to Know: The Rest of the Tel Aviv 250 Wildcards (2022)

Disclaimer: This write-up might contain (local) scoops and only serves as an introductory purpose, some completely personal observation-based.

The rest of the wild cards of the Tel Aviv Watergen Open this year had just been announced in the latest press tour earlier today (local time). One of the determinants of the wild cards, particularly to the locals, was their Davis Cup tie (at home) against the Czech Republic. Despite losing the tie 1-3, that tie managed to showcase the local potentials that have yet to be seen before (except you are watching a lot of Challengers/ITFs).

Of the 5 names mentioned, 2 are going to join the former world number 3, Dominic Thiem; three people are local players. They are frequently called in their Davis Cup ties but mostly play within the Challengers or the ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments this year alone. And here are the wild cards, as far as the writer compiled the information.

Main Draw Singles

Hamad Medjedovic

📸 ATP Challenger Livestream (via website) (exhibit from Cassis Challenger Round 1 vs. Constant Lestienne)

A Twitter mutual of this writer told in DM that Hamad directly told him he got a main draw wild card to the 250, which is the reason behind his inclusion in this writing.

After being absent from the Tour for around a year due to long Covid-related effects, Hamad Medjedovic is back, rebuilding stronger during the ITFs/Challengers. Throughout this year, he reached 3 ITF semifinals and became the champion of ITF M25 Antalya, M25 Ulcinj, and Luedenscheid Challenger, the latter became his first Challenger title (w. Zhizhen Zhang 6-1, 6-2, all the way from the qualifying phase).

Although he has been struggling in the hard court season afterward, he currently has a career-high ranking of 257th. While he was previously 9th in the junior rankings, the professional game was entirely different; thankfully, Novak Djokovic sponsored him throughout his rebuilding process.

One of this writer's favorite parts while observing him was his drop shots, as shown above. So noticeable, but sometimes it could be seen as his last resort, apart from his serves. When it worked, it would definitely do some damage.

[local] Yshai Oliel

📸 ATP Challenger Livestream (via website) (exhibit from Nonthaburi Challenger 2 Round 1 vs. Alibek Kachmazov)

Yshai Oliel was a former two-time Orange Bowl champion (back in 2012 & 2014) and the Australian Open 2017 Boys' Singles finalist (l. Zsombor Piros). However, his professional tour adventure has been a rollercoaster ride in itself: his career-high ranking was 305, which was achieved on August 8, 2022 (a month ago!).

In 2022 alone, Oliel notably defeated Lloyd Harris 6-3, 6-4 in the Davis Cup tie against South Africa last March. Despite having that record, his best results were being the runner-up in the ITF M25 Marburg (l. Raphael Collignon 2-6, 2-6) and advancing thrice to the second round of the Challengers: Pereira (l. Thiago Agustin Tirante), Liberec (l. Tomas Machac), and Nonthaburi 3 (l. Stuart Parker).

While his first ATP main draw appearance was in Saint Petersburg last year (l. John Millman), it is heard that this year he is planning to focus further on building his Challenger records. Game-wise, watch out for his serves (as documented, it was an ace) and baseline game, while such a combination works more in his regard, an element of net game will surely boost his game further.

Singles Qualifying

[local] Edan Leshem

📸 Sport 5 IL (Singles exhibit from the Davis Cup tie vs. the Czech Republic vs. Jiri Lehecka)

Edan Leshem had a career-high ranking of 249, which was achieved on December 18, 2017. While he is currently far from it (443rd as this post was written), Jiri Lehecka, after the Davis Cup tie, once said that "he thought it was easy facing Leshem (on paper), but it was not." And it was true.

Building back from the last career high has never been easy, however, he managed to fight all the way he could. Currently balancing between the ITFs and the Challengers, this year alone, he reached the finals in ITF M15 Oberhaching & M25 Nottingham, as well as M25 Raanana 1 (l. Strombachs). He managed to defeat the first seed Kacper Zuk in the Segovia Challenger qualifying 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4) before being eliminated by Alberto Barroso Campos 3-6, 2-6.

His swift returns (as exhibited above) and approach to rallies (sometimes the drop shots can possibly be caught off-guard when watching the Challengers or the ITFs) should be paid to attention: they were the ones that made him fight hard during their Davis Cup tie, albeit the losses: 5-7, 4-6 vs. Tomas Machac & 6-4, 0-6, 5-7 vs. Jiri Lehecka. This run convinced the writer that he should have gotten a wildcard, and he did.

[local] Daniel Cukierman

📸 Sport 5 IL (Singles exhibit from the DC tie vs. the Czech Republic, against Jiri Lehecka)

📸 ATP Challenger Livestream (via website) (Doubles exhibit from Malaga Challenger)

There is a reason why there were 2 GIFs attached in his case: while he tries to sustain his singles, he has a remarkable career in doubles. Cukierman was also an alumnus of the University of Southern California (part of the USC Trojans), ranked 1st in college tennis with a 26-2 record, and 5th in doubles. And this is his journey in 2022.

Currently ranked 449 in singles, his furthest run in singles was reached in the local ITF tournaments: winning ITF M15 Akko (d. Ben Patael 7-5, 6-2), M25 Netanya (d. Kyle Seelig 6-1, 6-2), alongside first-round eliminations as a qualifier in two Challengers (Malaga & Nonthaburi 2). However, his doubles run was something else, where he won 3 ITF doubles titles (with Cezar Cretu in M25 Ulcinj, Edan Leshem in M15 Akko, and Andrew Harris in M25 Prague); and reached the Malaga Challenger finals (with Emilio Gomez, l. Celikbilek/Popko) on the same year.

While on singles it takes shots as exhibited for him to reach the net, the doubles alley helped him score even more aggressive winners in doubles (as exhibited). When the shots are on point, he could also be a force to be reckoned with. During the Davis Cup tie, even it was heard that he could go far should he decide to be a doubles specialist, hence this journey can be really intriguing in this regard.

How About Doubles?

While the doubles wild cards are yet to be announced, it is highly likely that Jonathan Erlich & Novak Djokovic will get a wild card, given their position as the first alternates, as a part of Yoni's last dance (there were rumors surrounding Yoni's retirement this year starting the second press conference). Furthermore, one other spot still remains, and while it is still unknown who will get it, the writer thinks there is a possibility for Daniel Cukierman to get a doubles wildcard (given his doubles track record this year, as aforementioned), but with whom will he play with, is a good question. Note that shall there be a withdrawal, Novak/Yoni are likely to directly "ascend" to the main draw, freeing another wild card slot.

However, the doubles wild card will be announced on September 25, 2022, at 10.45am local time after the singles draw (which will be held at 10am local time). Subsequently, the doubles are going to be drawn.

[awkward-gay-bro]

Match Set

After their last match together at the French Open, Dominic had given Rafael Nadal a simple warning, “I’ll get another chance,” and his chance had come. Every tennis fan knows Nadal has an advantage on a clay court, so Dominic decided to give himself an advantage of his own this time around. 

Dominic decided to enlist the help of Nadal’s rival, Novak Djokovic. He took Novak out to a bar to try to get him a little drunk, get him talking, and find something to get him that winning edge. At first, it seemed like a lost cause. Novak just kept complaining about how fans didn’t appreciate his rivalry with Nadal and how they all just wanted watch Nadal against Federer. Finally though, his drunk ramblings led to something. Novak had found something that was going to throw Rafa off his game. After a lot of persistence and a lot more alcohol Dominic was finally able to convince Novak to let him try out this experiment before his next match.

According to Novak, all Dominic had to do was get this powder in Nadal’s briefs. The sunstanve was soft and white and resembled an odorless baby powder. So before the game, Novak called Rafa to distract him while Dominic stole his gym bag. He quickly powdered the briefs and shoved them back in the bag. Then he pulled out Nadal’s shorts and powdered them, too, just for good faith. 

Now that the trap was set he headed over to his own changing room and prepped himself to destroy Rafael Nadal on his own court of choice. 

 *******************************************************************************************

The first set had already come and gone and Dominic didn’t notice a single difference. Nadal took him down hard. Everyone there was thinking Nadal was going to keep his title as the King of Clay, except for Dominic. All Dominic was thinking about was how Novak Djokovic was full of shit. Rafa was acting exactly like normal, playing hard, smile on his face, and picking at his underwear. Nadal was almost more famous for the way he was always picking at his underwear than he was for the actual tennis playing. Was that all Novak’s secret weapon was? Itching powder? When is Rafa not itching a wedgie. He was definitely doing it a lot more this match than normal but with Rafa it was probably so normal he didn’t even have to think about it.  

 *******************************************************************************************

Rafa turned around and faced the audience as he started to do some stretches. As he leaned down to touch his toes Dominic noticed something a little bit off about his body. Now everyone knew Rafael Nadal had a pretty sizable backside, but it almost looked bigger? 

As Rafa started to stretch his obliques his shirt pulled up showing off his lower back. As it did Dominic noticed that Nadal’s shorts began to slowly movie up his thighs as his cheeks started to lift up on their own. At the same time they spread out wider and wider until they were so tight you could see the indentation of his briefs under the shorts. 

*******************************************************************************************

At this point it was time to start the next set. Nadal had deferred to Dominic, and he’d decided to serve. The game continued on pretty much like normal, however, Dominic definitely felt like he was on a more even footing with Nadal, and he managed to pull out a pretty close win. 

With each of them winning a set they both started to stretch. Dominic was having a pretty hard time focusing on his own stretches, though. All he could focus on was the way Rafa’s body was moving on its own. The massive globes in his shorts continued growing throughout the game and his shorts had moved so high up his thighs they looked more like something you’d see on a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader than a professional tennis player. The supple cheeks were practically devouring the shorts as Rafa reached behind and tried to pull out the impossible wedgie. As he did his entire hand became invisible between the massive mounds and Dominic noticed his hand lingered longer than normal. It looked like he was rubbing his hand in more than he was pulling the fabric out. 

*******************************************************************************************

Dominic snapped back to reality as the officials called the start of the next set. This time the game started off on a much better footing for Dominic Thiem. Nadal didn’t seem to know how to move with his new lower half. The intense change to his center of gravity meant he was always just a few inches shorter or farther than he intended to be, so he kept missing. 

Now Dominic was at game point, but as he served he felt a little off. The swivel in his hips left a lot more jiggling then he was used to. He almost didn’t notice Nadal missing his serve or that he won the set. He was so much closer to winning the match but all that was on his mind was that jiggle. 

Nadal again turned to face the audience as he did his between set stretches, but it seemed less like stretching as his hands were moving slowly caressing his hips and thighs. Rafa glanced his eyes back to make eye contact with Dominic almost like he was putting on a show for him. He leaned down to touch his toes and as he did he grabbed each cheek in one of his hands and spread them out as far as he could. 

But Dominic Thiem couldn’t focus on the dance Nadal was doing for him. He was too busy caressing his own cheeks, not in the sensual way that Nadal was doing but to get a feel for what his body felt like and what he thought it should have felt like. 

This had to be a mind over matter thing. Watching Nadal’s ever expanding cheeks must have put something into his head. Like when you talk about lice and it makes your head itch. Nothing was happening to him. Yeah, his butt jiggled a little bit. That was normal, right? Hell, he’d distracted plenty of commentators with his perky rear before. 

*******************************************************************************************

They were both at game point. How did he lose his advantage over Nadal? This set was all he needed to finally beat the King of Clay at the French Open, but Dominic’s mind just couldn’t focus on the game. He knew it wasn’t possible, but he felt like his shorts were tighter, his balance seemed a little off, and he had definitely noticed even more jiggling throughout the set. 

As Nadal served Dominic felt the unmistakable feeling of his shorts sliding up his thighs. He didn’t even hear the officials call the set in Nadal’s favor as he dropped his racket and reached down to grasp his own rear. While it may not be as massive as Nadal’s had become it was definitely not the butt that woke up with that morning. Now he understood why Rafa was always pulling at his shorts. His newly expanded cheeks were eating at his shorts giving him the worst wedgie of his life. As he shoved his hand in to pull out the fabric his finger grazed his hole, sending a warm shiver through his entire body. He’d never felt a pleasure like that in his life. With his shorts now transformed into booty shorts there was already nowhere to hide his bulge, and he was terrified the audience watching was going to notice. But though he felt like a bitch in heat, there was no stirring in shorts at all. 

*******************************************************************************************

The final set went exactly like the first one. With his advantage taken away Dominic no longer stood a chance against Nadal. Not to mention the fact Nadal had more time to get used to his new body and his new hunger. No longer was Dominic staring at Rafael Nadal’s ever expanding ass, all he could think about was the bulge in the front. If one finger sent a pulse through his entire body, what would that Spanish sausage do? 

Once again the official announced that Rafael Nadal had won the set and therefore the match. But Dominic wasn’t even thinking about that anymore. All he could think about were the two bowling balls of flesh attached to his body and the new heat that was emanating from between them. 

******************************************************************************************* 

As both athletes approached each other in the name of good sportsmanship, Dominic went in for a handshake but Rafa pulled him in for a hug. As he did Rafa grabbed a giant handful of Dominic’s supple new rear and whispered to meet him in the locker room after the celebration. Rafa’s breath felt soft and warm on his ear and again a shiver went through Dominic’s whole body. Dominic had never felt himself attracted to a man before but right now he felt like a school girl the way his heart fluttered thinking about what was going to happen. 

*******************************************************************************************

As Dominic walked into the locker room he saw that Rafael Nadal was already standing there in nothing but his briefs. They stared at each other for a second before Nadal practically pounced into the other man’s arms. They began to passionately kiss while they hands drifted across each other’s bodies, feeling every nook and cranny, before finally each of them began rubbing between the other’s newly expanded mounds. 

The heat inside them both began to grow hotter and hotter as they began to finger each other through their shorts. Dominic felt one last push as his butt finally settled on its new size. With his most recent growth spurt he felt a tear go down the middle of his shorts and Rafa grabbed the new hole from both sides ripping the shorts right off of Dominic’s body. 

They stepped away from each other now getting the full view of one another’s bodies. If they weren’t so turned on they would realize how their new forms looked almost comical. They still had their lean shredded bodies that years and years of working out and playing tennis had given them. They were perfect specimens of athleticism but now with gravity defying rear ends that you could almost see when looking at their bodies front on. 

They were both so focused on the new feelings coming pulsing from their holes they hadn’t realized till now that neither of them were erect. The gravity of the situation began to sink in on them. All they could think about was filling the emptiness but neither of them looked like they were up to the job, and neither of them wanted to be. They both were so focused on their own need they hadn’t realised that was all the other wanted. 

Suddenly, Dominc felt something poking into his back as two hands firmly gripped his now wider hips. Dominc turned his head around to find himself fave to face with the Serbian beast that was Novak Djokovic. In a moment of clarity Dominic realized that Novak must have hatched the same plan with Rafa that he’d set with him. Dominic knew he should have been mad but he found himself relieved, he could finally fill that emptiness. Beyond that, he never would have felt the pleasure he felt and he never would have had the connection to Nadal that was beyond any conncetion he’d had before. 

Novak motioned for Nadal to come and join them and began to kiss Dominic while his hands carrassed the entirety of Nadal. Then he pulled down his shorts and both Rafa and Dominic saw what they’d been waiting for.  

[imagesofperfection]

More Tennis news, grab a bottle, it’s a ride.

Sascha Zverev broke the quarantine after 6 (SIX) days (sic!) as he went to some birthday party in Monaco. His other half was posting some pre-recorded Croatian videos to make it seem like they’re quarantining in there. Sascha got his arse whopped on social media for being an irresponsible entitled rich moron, and rightfully so.

A nice tirade about Sascha’s behaviour was released by an unlikely hero Nick Kyrgios (lots of Fbombs). Some accused of Nick recording while driving, but let’s remember that they have a steering wheel on the other side of the car in Australia.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO

Boris Becker decided to chime in (lmao) and criticised Nick for voicing his Sascha criticism publicly. No seriously, he did that. Here are some tweets from their exchange.

Game Set Match, Kyrgios

Meanwhile Janko Tipsarevic’s tournament with both men and women playing, has got is first victim. We been knew b*tch, we been knew...

Prime minister of Serbia tried to take the blame for Novak Djokovic’s farce of a tournament so you know it went incredibly well.

And Filip Krajinovic called fans, journalists, players, coaches, medical experts unimportant. B*tch, I had to google how to write your name, honestly :/

And now for cherry on the cake, That Atlanta tournament and That John Isner tweet, who decided to become most disliked MAGA player on the tour. I mean, judge yourself.

Everyone’s unproblematic fave Rafa Nadal has been spotted to practice on clay court, which makes me more believe he’ll be skipping US Open title defense and focus on the beloved clay. Given that it’s possible he’d have to quarantine after coming back from America and not be there on time for the postponed Roland Garros, and that he’s a reasonable man who doesn’t want to go to USA in the middle of A BLOODY PANDEMIC, we have no choice but stan ever harder.

PS. Shoutout to WeAreTennis on twitter, they’re awesome, give them a follow.

STAY AT HOME - WEAR A FACE COVERING - WASH YOUR HANDS - DON’T BE A MORON

[tabloidtoc]

OK, June 15

Cover: Jennifer Garner’s miracle baby at 48 

Page 1: Big Pic -- The Bachelor alum Hannah Ann Sluss with a water gun 

Page 2: Contents 

Page 3: Contents 

Page 4: Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s marriage in crisis -- following guilty pleas in the college admission cheating scandal the couple may be headed toward divorce 

Page 6: Amid rumors that Queen Elizabeth will soon hand over reigning duties to her eldest son Prince Charles his wife Camilla Parker Bowles is prepping for an exciting new reality where she will likely ascend to princess consort rather than queen but will still get to enjoy the benefits and responsibilities of a co-ruler 

Page 7: Now that Ruby Rose has left Batwoman after one season because her recovery from neck surgery after an on-set injury has been slow and painful and she frequently disagreed with showrunners and now she’s happy to be back in L.A. and eager to reconnect with the friends she wasn’t able to see when she was filming the Vancouver-based series, with production on Jeopardy! still temporarily halted host Alex Trebek who’s battling pancreatic cancer is worried about his future on the hit game show because his hope was to bank as many episodes as possible before getting too sick to carry on, John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s 9-year-old son Ben is learning to fly and John has an arsenal of private planes he’s using to teach Ben how to fly 

Page 8: When the lockdown began Tori Spelling was excited to spend more time with husband Dean McDermott and their five children but it didn’t take long for the household to turn chaotic and she may be on the verge of a total meltdown, Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford’s son Presley Gerber seems to be over his rebellious phase of getting face tattoos and DUIs since he got a job at his father’s Malibu restaurant where he met girlfriend Sydney Brooke and things have changed for the better, after years of flying solo Martha Stewart is eager to find herself a man 

Page 10: Red Hot on the Red Carpet -- stars in red ensembles -- Celine Dion, Kate Beckinsale

Page 11: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosamund Pike, Maya Rudolph 

Page 12: Who Wore It Better? Emily Ratajkowski vs. Tessa Thompson ✅, AnnaLynne McCord ✅ vs. Maria Menounos, Hailey Bieber ✅ vs. Tallia Storm 

Page 15: News in Photos -- Jessica Simpson and husband Eric Johnson on their 10th anniversary, Nina Dobrev in Red Rock, Arizona, pregnant Katy Perry gave some cash to a panhandler while picking up food, Margot Robbie eats watermelon 

Page 16: Suit Up -- stars are embracing the warm weather and showing some skin -- Cardi B showed off her massive new tattoo which took several months to complete, Elizabeth Hurley modeled a design from her own line, RHONYC alum Kelly Bensimon accented her swimwear with vintage jewelry for a day at the beach in Palm Beach, Florida

Page 18: Joe Keery on a bike ride, Ricky Gervais and longtime love Jane Fallon strolling around London 

Page 19: Tennis star Novak Djokovic chatting about the upcoming Adria Tour at a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, Mario Lopez and son Santino, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi pick up some takeout food 

Page 20: Nicole Kidman, Kris Jenner and granddaughter True

Page 21: Demi Lovato trying on lots of clothes, Naomi Watts joked that the beautifully optimistic painting on the wall now reminds her of a virus 

Page 22: RHONJ star Melissa Gorga plays video games with her sons Joey and Gino, Reese Witherspoon, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton performed together for the season finale of The Voice 

Page 23: Heidi Klum rocked a laid-back look to rehearse for the finale of Germany’s Next Top Model, Pierce Brosnan gushed to wife Keely as they celebrated his 67th birthday 

Page 24: Inside My Home -- Miranda Lambert’s Tennessee estate

Page 26: Ryan Seacrest quietly popped the question to food blogger Shayna Taylor after dating on and off for seven years 

Page 28: Eight months after Riverdale costars Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart reunited after a brief split the two have called it quits again with quarantining separately without close physical contact spelling the end for them, as her due date approaches Katy Perry has confessed that the uncertainty of giving birth for the first time especially amid the pandemic has her crying and spiraling a little bit every day but luckily fiance Orlando Bloom has been there to ease her woes every which way he can from making her breakfast to massaging her feet, twice-divorced Kris Jenner is ready to tie the knot with her beau of six years Corey Gamble

Page 30: Cover Story -- Jennifer Garner’s baby surprise

Page 33: Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas’ baby talk -- it may not be long before Ben and Ana welcome a little one of their own 

Page 34: Christie Brinkley answers everything -- the former supermodel is gearing up to tell all about her looks, her life and her rocky romances 

Page 36: Kristen Bell gets real about motherhood -- she opens up about her unconventional approach to parenting 

Page 38: The Hills -- Where Are They Now? Brian Drolet, Audrina Patridge, Whitney Port 

Page 39: Lauren Conrad, Jason Wahler, Jordan Eubanks, Heidi Montag 

Page 40: Interview -- Javier Bardem work in progress -- the Oscar winner opens up about his career, his family and striving for greatness 

Page 42: Fit at Every Age -- 20s Emma Roberts, 30s Gisele Bundchen 

Page 43: 40s Tracee Ellis Ross, 50s Cindy Crawford, 60s Vanna White 

Page 47: Style Week -- Lucy Hale has been named Almay’s latest global brand ambassador 

Page 49: 5 minutes with Denise Richards -- the RHOBH star dishes on her self-care rituals and new skincare line 

Page 50: Fashion -- Take Pride -- Victoria Justice 

Page 52: Beauty -- sexy by summer -- Brooke Burke 

Page 54: Entertainment 

Page 55: Q&A Kristen Doute of Vanderpump Rules 

Page 58: Buzz -- Khloe Kardashian’s latest selfie has everyone doing a double-take because of her dramatically different facial features

Page 60: Hollywood Heat Meter -- Kendall Jenner and NBA player Devin Booker were spotted together on Memorial Day, Lorde came out of hiding to explain that her highly anticipated new album is taking so long because she wants to release something of quality, a former Parliament member estimates that from their wedding day to March 31 of this year the British taxpayer has forked out more than $53 million to provide Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with whatever they want, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has become the longest-running live action comedy series in history, Chrissy Teigen is removing her breast implants, these stars got their diplomas later in life -- Bryce Dallas Howard, Quavo, Ashley Judd, Swizz Beatz, Eva Longoria 

Page 61: Sound Bites -- Helen Mirren on being called a sex symbol, Jerry Seinfeld on why he hasn’t done another sitcom since Seinfeld, Halsey revealing how she injured herself, Jennifer Lawrence on drinking wine during quarantine 

Page 62: Horoscope -- Gemini Emily Ratajkowski 

Page 64: By the Numbers -- Cameron Diaz 

[rafaelnadalfans]

Profimedia, Abaca Press

ARTICLES:

Carlos Moya: Rafa Is A Genius Mentally | Roland Garros

Nadal is the first man or woman, across both the professional and amateur eras, to win the same Grand Slam tournament 12 times. It’s an achievement Moya believes we will never witness again in the sport.

“It’s hard to say that, but I don’t think I will see that. I would love to see it maybe, but I don’t think I will. It’s amazing,” said the Spanish coach.

“How many people are working really hard and they never won a slam? So it’s beyond this world.”

Nadal Passes Djokovic In Battle For Year-End No. 1 | ATP Tour

Nadal passed Djokovic for the lead in the ATP Race To London with 5,505 points, taking a 780-point advantage over the second-placed Serbian (4,725).

This is the closest the Race has been between the Top 2 players after Roland Garros since 2012, when Nadal led Djokovic by 630 points after claiming his seventh trophy in Paris.

Rafa Nadal’s emotional recovery: “I hit rock bottom, I got tired of the pain” | El Pais

I have never felt alone anywhere. I have my lifelong friends, the same ones I’ve had since the age of three, and there’s my team, which has hardly changed in all this time. And I also have my family from Manacor, and village life is different from life in the big cities. I am in touch with my family on a daily basis, so I’ve never felt alone.

Q. You are getting married this year. How hurt were you that details of the wedding were leaked?

Rafa: Personally I wasn’t hurt at all. But there is a lot of talk about these things. I’ve read that I was really angry about it, and the truth is, I am not… These are things that we try to keep private but end up becoming public. Well, all right then. Ultimately I don’t really care. I have no problem having details of the wedding being publicized. But the thing is, everything tends to turn into a circus. We are used to social media and news organizations publishing things that make no sense and which are not even true, and nobody ever publishes a correction. But it hasn’t given me any headaches.

At 33, With 18 Slams, Rafael Nadal Is A More Complete Player Than Ever | tennis.com

Whether it’s technical, physical, or mental, Nadal sees every problem as a solution waiting to happen. That’s how you end up better at 33 than you were at 19. That’s how you give Father Time a run for his money. That’s how win 12 titles at Roland Garros.

Rafael Nadal’s Unparalleled Dominance of the French Open | The New Yorker

Philippe Chatrier was named for a French tennis player who was more consequential as a French tennis official. It will never be renamed for Nadal. But, next year, Court 1 at Roland-Garros, the so-called Bullring, will be torn down to create room for a much needed grassy open space on the cramped tennis grounds. A statue of Rafa would not be out of place. His arms raised, perhaps, his face turned skyward, his eyes squeezed closed as he savors yet another championship victory on Chatrier.

With French Open title in hand, can Rafael Nadal win Wimbledon? | ESPN

“I think when I talk with him today I say I think you have the possibility to win Wimbledon again,” Toni said. “Last year was very close [Nadal lost in five sets to eventual champ Novak Djokovic in the semifinals]. I think he has the possibility to win, and I want to hope that this year it will be possible.

Carlos Moya, who has taken over the full-time coaching reins from Toni Nadal, also thinks Rafa can win Wimbledon again. “Of course, why not?” he said. “He lost in the semifinal last year, playing a great match. Why not? He’s too good to not be a contender in any tournament he plays. I think [he is mentally ready]. Winning in Rome gave him the confidence to believe that he was playing well enough to win again. And physically?

Rafael Nadal: Will Spanish star surpass great rival Roger Federer? | CNN

No sooner had Rafael Nadal wiped away the red dust from his eyes and taken his hands off the resplendent trophy, the inevitable question raced towards him. Can he catch Roger Federer? Can he usurp his great rival at the very top of men’s tennis and become the most successful male tennis player of all time?

Rafael Nadal has never been so close to Roger Federer’s grand slam total – where does GOAT race go next? | The Telegraph

Looking only at grand slams won – more later on why that is not the only criterion for assessing greatest of all time (GOAT) credentials – Federer has held at least a three-slam lead over his great rival since July 2004. As of Sunday however, Nadal’s 12th French Open title means he has at last closed the gap to two, which given he is five years younger than Federer looks distinctly bridgeable.

Nadal Turning Up Heat On Federer & Djokovic In Big Titles Race | ATP Tour

Nadal, whose Paris victory earned him his 52nd Big Title, is now just one Big Title from tying Djokovic in second place (53) and two from record-holder Federer (54). But by winning Roland Garros, he has matched Djokovic’s Big Titles winning rate by capturing one trophy per 3.4 events played.

Nadal, who with 18 Grand Slam victories is now also within just two majors off Federer’s record, can make the Big Titles competition even juicier if he is to win his third Wimbledon title and first since 2010.

Happy Tennising Everybody: 10 Moments To Remember From Roland Garros | tennis.com

There are a lot of things we can learn from Rafa—how to enjoy the struggle, how to avoid beating yourself, how to use the bad times to inspire the good. But there are some things you can’t teach. How to win 12 titles at Roland Garros is one of them.

PHOTOS: Family dinner in Paris after Roland Garros victory | hola.com

Rafa Roundup: How Rafael Nadal Felt About Someone Leaking His Wedding Plans ARTICLES: Carlos Moya: Rafa Is A Genius Mentally | Roland Garros Nadal is the first man or woman, across both the professional and amateur eras, to win the same Grand Slam tournament 12 times.

[tkmedia]

Djokovic ’50-50′ on playing at Tokyo Olympics

Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 11, 2021 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates with the trophy after winning his final match against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini REUTERS/Toby Melville Serbia’s Novak Djokovic said on Sunday he was “50-50” about competing at the Tokyo Olympics later this month following the organizers’ decision to ban fans from attending and the restrictions on the number of people he can take to the Games. Olympic organizers said on Thursday that the Games would take place without spectators in Tokyo as a surge in COVID-19 cases forced Japan to declare a state of emergency in the capital city that will last throughout the multi-sport event which starts on July 23. ADVERTISEMENT “I’ll have to think about it,” Djokovic told reporters at the All England Club in London after winning his sixth Wimbledon title. “My plan was always to go to Olympic Games. “But right now I’m a little bit divided. It’s kind of 50-50 because of what I heard in the last couple days.”FEATURED STORIES Djokovic completed the third leg towards achieving the Golden Slam in tennis on Sunday when he added the Wimbledon title to his Australian Open and Roland Garros triumphs in 2021. No man has ever won the four slams and an Olympic gold in the same year and considering this is the first time in his career that Djokovic has won the season’s opening three majors, he may never get another opportunity to complete the Golden Slam if he opts out of the Games like many of his rivals. Some of the sport’s biggest names, including Rafa Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka, Nick Kyrgios, Serena Williams and Simona Halep have already announced their decision to skip the Games, which has been delayed by a year due to the pandemic. Djokovic said he was “really disappointed” to hear that the events in Tokyo will be played without any spectators present. “I also hear that there’s going to be a lot of restrictions within the (Games) village,” the 20-time major winner added. “Possibly you would not be able to see other athletes perform live. I can’t even have my stringer that is very important part of my team. I’m limited with the amount of people I can take in my team as well.”

RELATED STORIES

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[wellpersonsblog]

What Tom Brady Eats in a Typical Day (And What You Can Learn From It)

Few people have had a more profound impact on modern-day football than Tom Brady.

While he may stir up a lot of emotion from football fans, there’s no denying Tom is one of the best quarterbacks of all time.

He’s 43, has played in nine Super Bowls (leading his team to victory in six), and has been named league MVP three separate years. And this Sunday, he heads to his tenth Super Bowl championship.

So it begs the question: what makes Tom Brady great?

Genetics, work ethic, and skill all play a major role, I’m sure, but Tom has been equally focused on nutrition to help him sustain peak performance year after year.

And it turns out, he eats a predominantly plant-based diet.

Is Tom Brady Vegan?

No, he’s not. But according to his personal chef, Allen Campbell, Tom eats a diet consisting of 80% vegetables. 

In fact, Chef Allen himself is a graduate of the eCornell Plant-Based Nutrition course taught by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, and believes that “a plant-based diet has the power to reverse and prevent disease.”

In 2016, Tom took it a step further by partnering with vegan meal delivery service Purple Carrot to create a plant-based performance meal plan, which his teammate Rob Gronkowski credits for extending his own career as well. 

So while he might not be vegan, Brady certainly understands the power of plants.

Why Major Athletes are Embracing a Plant-Based Diet

Unless you’ve been hibernating for the past few years (and if so, I don’t blame you), you’ve probably seen countless elite athletes turning towards a plant-based diet.

Athletes like ultrarunner Scott Jurek, Formula-1 driver Lewis Hamilton, tennis greats Novak Djokovic and Serena and Venus Williams, and NBA star Chris Paul all thrive on plants. The plant-craze is sweeping across the NFL as well, with players like Tennessee Titans lineman Derrick Morgan and New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton also going vegan.

What makes this diet so attractive to athletes?

You could say it all starts with digestion…

The digestion process takes a lot of energy, and the more calories we eat, the more energy our bodies have to put into the digestion process.

Plants, however, provide a ton of nutrients without overwhelming the system with calorie dense foods. This gives our bodies space to reallocate that energy to recover and rebuild muscles.

Speaking of muscles, workouts break down muscle fibers, naturally causing inflammation. And while many animal products cause more inflammation in your body, plant foods actually fight against it and, again, allow your body to recover more quickly. 

Plus, studies have also shown that a plant-based diet can improve heart health and reduce body fat, as well as increasing aerobic capacity.

All of this has lead elite athletes — from endurance sports to bodybuilding and power sports — to bust the stereotypes and embrace the recovery, energy, and strength benefits that come with eating a plant-centered diet.

A Look at What Tom Brady Eats on a Typical Day

It’s not until we explore a typical day’s diet that we get a full picture of the abundance of plant foods Tom actually eats. Here’s a breakdown, based on an outline in his 2017 book, The TB12 Method:

Pre-workout: Fruit smoothie with blueberries, bananas, seeds, and nuts.

Post-workout: Protein shake with protein powder, almond milk, and electrolytes.

Morning shack: Nuts, seeds, and fruit.

Lunch: A salad with a lot of vegetables and sometimes fish.

Afternoon snack: Protein shake or bar, fruit, chips and guacamole, hummus, or raw vegetables.

Dinner: A plate full of vegetables, greens, avocado, and a protein (maybe chicken or fish).

Replace the rare animal protein with a few servings of beans, and you have what I’d call the optimal whole-food plant-based diet.

In addition to loads of nutrient-rich foods, water and electrolytes flow all day. According to Men’s Health, Tom drinks as much as 25 glasses of water per day (often infused with his electrolyte formula), nearly 3 times the amount an average person drinks.

And in case you’re wondering what he eats on game day, it’s a smoothie and an almond butter and jelly sandwich.

What You can Learn from Tom Brady’s Plant-Centered Diet

I get it… you’re not a world-class athlete. Neither am I.

But still, I believe there are a few key lessons we can take from Tom Brady’s diet and apply to our own lifestyle.

1. Eat a lot of whole plant foods.

Oftentimes you hear from athletes justifying a highly processed, unhealthy diet by declaring they earn it through a tough workout.

And you know what? You do deserve to treat yourself.

But for longevity in sport and life, filling most of your meals with healthy whole foods has proven benefits… no matter how tough the workout.

2. Drink lots of water.

Twenty-five glasses of water might is likely may be too much for you and me, since we’re not doing NFL-caliber workouts every day. But proper hydration is linked to all sorts of health benefits: It lubricates and cushions joints, improves brain function and energy levels, aids digestion, regulates blood pressure, and manages body temperature, among other things.

3. Get the critical nutrients.

By focusing so heavily on fruits and vegetables, Tom gets the vast majority of his nutrients from plants.

But, from what we know, he also regularly consumes fish.

Fish contain two critical nutrients often lacking in plant-based diets:

Anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, which help lower risk factors for heart disease, improve energy levels, and regulate the nervous system.

Vitamin D, which helps fight against chronic heart disease and certain cancers.

Does this mean we need to eat fish if we want to perform at our best?

No. Here’s the thing: the Omega-3s in fish come from the algae they eat, and the Vitamin D comes from lichen.

You can avoid the middleman by going straight to the plant source, which contains a higher ratio of nutrients and avoids the health and environmental issues that come from eating fish like microplastics, mercury, and unstable fish populations.

As for other hard-to-get nutrients like zinc, selenium, and Vitamins D and B12, Tom is likely picking up them up through chicken or eggs. Of course, you can get those from plant-based sources as well (which is why we created Complement).

Tom appears to understand that you need to get these nutrients from somewhere, whether that’s from an animal or plant source…

We just prefer the plant.

Are Plants the Future of Sports Nutrition?

With so many athletes turning towards a plant-based diet, could we eventually see an athletic world where this becomes the norm?

That question remains unanswered, at least for now. But a quick look around this community of No Meat Athletes, and there’s no doubting the performance benefits.

Tom Brady’s reliance on plants to fuel his performance, year after year, is yet another victory for this movement.

The post What Tom Brady Eats in a Typical Day (And What You Can Learn From It) appeared first on No Meat Athlete.

First found here: What Tom Brady Eats in a Typical Day (And What You Can Learn From It)

[bishop-plus-young]

Beware Of The Chickens They Can Be Real Peckers T Shirt

I waited patiently for a Beware Of The Chickens They Can Be Real Peckers T Shirt package that took longer than expected because of the holidays and this is what I finally got in the mail there wasn’t any packing filler in the box and this was broken and everything in the package was covered with the black debris from it I was ok with waiting longer because I love e l f products but i’m not ok with a damaged palette and black debris covering the other products and my hands any time I touch something in the box I emailed the company a week ago with pictures and my concerns but have yet to get a response. Selena and coach creative director stuart vevers share their favorite things in our exclusive video behind the scenes of their new coach collaboration discover it first on coach com selenasignup. If I am not allowed to post here please advise and I am truly sorry hello my name is kelly langill marshall after 28 years I have left the corporate world and hope to fulfill my dream of working with animals especially horses I would like to be a farmhand for two years I worked with a horse sanctuary as a volunteer coordinator as well as being on the board of directors at this time I work and volunteer at on a farm I have done this for five years I am open to a new experience which I hope will become a permanent move I work with pigs chickens rabbits horses alpacas cats and dogs I pride myself on being a farmhand I have experience mucking stalls cleaning the barn feeding all the animals turning in turning out mucking pig pens picking horses hooves I do all the feeding and taking care of the farm when the owners are away I am willing to learn new things I have a fifth wheel and I d like to bring it with me so I would be completely self contained the best situation would be in exchange for rent I would volunteer a few days a week and also couple of days I would get minimum wage I have my own sewage system and I would need 30amp as I would need electricity and water please acess once a week to laundry for one load I have my own propane tank I would like access to wi fi I would need two to four days off in a row I am flexible I have my own satellite dish I am fully self contained I would like access to a stall or storage shed for my hiking and storage items I can send pictures of everything I m hoping to find someone who likes to have somebody on site to look after their property when they are away I do not smoke I do not drink and I do not do drugs by choice I am 49 years old I do not have children and I do not party I have references I have 2 indoor cats and one loves going outside and recall is excellent their my sole responsibility I would really love to be working in langley abbotsford chilliwack or mission I am very flexible and can go anywhere I m looking for long term employment and I m hoping that you will think of me when you are looking for somebody who can take care of your property and who can help you with the animals I also have a resume for your review I have 25 years of customer service I graduated from capilano college now a university with a long term care aid certificate thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you I can be reached at 604 764 1639 or you can respond to this ad or pm please I can send lots of photos as well thank you for your time and support

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Sports news feed: Wonderkid Moukoko hits hat trick for Dortmund amid crowd abuse | Sports| German football and major international sports news | DW

Latest headlines

Dortmund’s Moukoko hits derby hat-trick

Egyptian plays professional football aged 75

COVID-19 fears at the Giro d’Italia

October 18

Moukoko can’t stop scoring

He’s only 15 years old, but Youssoufa Moukoko has continued his scoring streak for Dortmund’s U19 team.

The young star netted his third hat trick in as many games against fierce rivals Schalke as Dortmund ran out 3-2 winners.

Moukoko turns 16 on November 20, when he will become eligible to play for Dortmund’s first team in the Bundesliga.

His recent exploits were sullied, however, with Moukoko suffering verbal abuse from Schalke supporters.

The club itself released a short statement on Twitter apologizing for their fans’ behavior.

Egyptian grandfather breaks record for oldest footballer

Ezzeldin Bahader has played his second professional football match in Egypt, qualifying him for the world record as the world’s oldest pro footballer at the age of 75.

The Guinness Book of Records only recognizes footballers who have played 180 minutes professionally. Bahader completed his first 90 minutes for the team called October 6 in Egypt’s third tier back in March, even scoring a penalty, and has now completed his second full match.

The father of four and grandfather of six overtakes Israeli Isaak Hayik’s record, who played in goal for Ironi Or Yehuda at the age of 73 last year.

October 16

Two Hoffenheim players test positive

Ahead of the Bundesliga match against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, two Hoffenheim players have tested positive for COVID-19, the club confirmed on Friday. 

According to the club, the two players returned positive tests after returning to Germany from international duty. They are said to be asymptomatic and in quarantine, having had no contact with other teammatesor staff members.

Giro d’Italia limps on amid coronavirus fears

After a number of riders tested positive for COVID-19 and two teams withdrew, doubts are growing as to whether this year’s Giro d’Italia can be safely completed. Team EF Pro Cycling have already demanded the race be abandoned, saying that the protective bubble around the teams has been “clearly damaged” and that “further infections” are to be expected. 

Belgian rider Thomas De Gendt from team Lotto-Soudal said there had already been heated discussions within his team over whether or not to start Friday’s 12th stage, adding that he had heard fellow riders coughing in the peloton. “Things aren’t going well, we don’t feel safe,” he said. “In the end, you can’t concentrate. I am one of the riders who would prefer not to start.”

Organizers claim that the eight positive tests registered across five teams earlier this week, including British favorite Simon Yates, are proof that the hygiene concept works, with race director Mauro Vegni accusing individual teams of “carelessness in the bubble.”

“I think the organizers are hiding things,” said De Gendt. “There’s a lot of money on the line and it’s important for the sponsors that we make it to Milan.”

October 15

Ronaldo’s flight home to Italy questioned

Italy’s sports minister, Vincenzo Spadafora, says Cristiano Ronaldo may have breached COVID-19 protocol by returning home to Turin despite testing positive for the virus while on international duty.

The Juventus forward was ruled out of Portugal’s friendly against Sweden in Lisbon and forced into a period of self-isolation. Ronaldo traveled back to Italy on Wednesday evening by private jet.

Spadafora told Italian radio he may have broken health rules.

“Without authorisation from the health authorities, I think he has violated the protocol,” he said.

Juventus president Andrea Agnelli said no rules had been broken.

“You must call the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of the Interior and have them explain what has been violated,” Agnelli said during a news conference.

Juventus said on Wednesday that Ronaldo had returned on a medical flight “authorised by the competent health authorities”.

Hertha’s Matteo Guendouzi tests positive for COVID-19

Hertha Berlin midfielder Matteo Guendouzi has tested positive for coronavirus after returning from international duty with the French under-21 team. The 21-year-old remains asymptomatic and will spend ten days in quarantine, meaning he will miss his team’s Bundesliga home game against Stuttgart on Saturday and the trip to RB Leipzig a week later.

Guendouzi, who has joined Hertha on a season-long loan from Arsenal, will be eligible to finally make his debut against Wolfsburg on November 1.

October 14

German FA hits back over tax evasion accusations

A bizarre twist in the German Football Association’s current problems with the tax authorities, with reports suggesting the outstanding fees have already been paid.

The DFB has endured a rocky few days after tax authorities raided its headquarters and private apartments as part of a tax fraud investigation last week.

The public prosecutor’s office has accused six former or current DFB executives of deliberately submitting incorrect tax declarations relating to advertising revenues in 2014 and 2015, avoiding about €4.7 million ($5.52 million) in taxes.

Yet the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reports that the association actually cleared up those tax irregularities in March 2019.

The DFB has so far failed to declare whether or not they settled the dispute previously. 

October 13

Ronaldo tests positive for COVID-19

Juventus and Portugal soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a statement by the Portuguese soccer federation (FPF).

The statement said that Ronaldo was showing no COVID-19 symptoms and was in isolation, thus missing Wednesday’s Nations League match against Sweden. Due to isolation rules, he will also miss Juventus’ upcoming games in Serie A and the Champions League.

The FPF said that all other Portugal players underwent new coronavirus tests on Tuesday and all returned negative.  

Golf star Johnson also tests positive

World number one golfer Dustin Johnson has withdrawn from this week’s CJ Cup after testing positive for COVID-19.

The 36-year-old American reported symptoms to the PGA Tour on the weekend and following a test will now begin to self-isolate.

“Obviously, I am very disappointed,” Johnson said. “I was really looking forward to competing this week, but will do everything I can to return as quickly as possible.

October 11

Rafael Nadal produced a vintage performance on Sunday to remain the king of the clay in Paris. The Spaniard’s flawless 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 win over Novak Djokovic brought him his 13th French Open title.

Perhaps more significantly though, Nadal’s win equalled Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles, the last of which the Swiss won at the 2018 Australian Open.

“Winning here means everything to me,” Nadal said on court straight after his win. “I don’t think today about equalling Roger’s record of 20 Grand Slams. For me, today is a Roland Garros victory. Roland Garros means everything to me… many of the important moments of my career have been here. The love story I have with this city and this court is unforgettable.”

The French Open usually starts in late May but was postponed until late September due to the coronavirus pandemic. And Nadal had some words of encouragement for the world’s fight against the virus.

“I want to send a message to all the people in the world,” Nadal said. “We are going through a tough moment with this virus, but everyone stay positive and we will beat it together.”

October 10

Poland’s Iga Swiatek has made history. The 19-year-old, who did not drop a set throughout the tournament, beat fourth seed Sofia Kenin 6-4 6-1 to win the 2020 French Open.

In doing so, the world number 54, became the first ever Grand Slam singles champion from Poland, the youngest French Open winner since 1992 and the ninth first-time champion in the past 14 Grand Slams.

October 9

The 2021 Tokyo Marathon has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The race was to be held next March, but organizers said Friday that the race would now take place on October 17 instead, two months after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, another event which was pushed to July 2021 due to the pandemic. 

The organizers said they were “carefully reviewing plans that will adhere to the situation surrounding COVID-19,” and that they’ll do everything in their powers to “deliver a safe and secure event.”

Around 38,000 participants from around the world were to take part.

The Tokyo marathon has been postponed

October 8

Özil not named in Arsenal’s Europa League squad

Mesut Ozil’s ostracization at Arsenal went to a new level Thursday when he was left off the team’s Europa League squad list for this season.   

The 31-year-old Ozil hasn’t played for Arsenal since football started in June amid the coronavirus pandemic, leaving his future at the club in question. 

 Asked recently why Ozil _ one of the club’s highest-paid players, reportedly at more than $20 million a year, was out of favor, Arteta said: “The team is evolving, you can see the level they are achieving.” 

Mercedes team member tests positive for COVID-19

Formula One champions Mercedes reported on Thursday that a member of their team had tested positive for COVID-19 but a spokesman said drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were clear.

“We can confirm that a team member has tested positive,” said a spokesman. “This has been handled and is being handled in line with FIA protocols, working closely with the FIA,” he added, without giving further details.

Six times world champion Hamilton leads Bottas in the championship by 44 points after 10 races.

Lack of fans factor in ‘crazy’ football results

Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Conor Coady believes the absence of crowds at stadiums is a major factor behind the surprising scorelines seen in the Premier League this season.

“Honestly, they are mad, the scorelines,” said Coady. “It’s a tough one to put your finger on, it really is. You look at it at the start of the season, some teams are ahead of others in terms of fitness, in terms of having a pre-season.

“The teams that have been in European competition obviously haven’t had that … so that might play a bit of a factor. I think fans play a big factor… I think we all want them back as soon as possible.”

Long-distance world records broken

Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei and Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey shattered the long-standing world records in the men’s 10,000 metres and women’s 5,000m in Valencia on Wednesday at an event dubbed ‘World Record Day’.

The 24-year-old Cheptegei ran a provisional 26 minutes 11.02 seconds in metronomic fashion to better the 26:17.53 minutes by Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele from 2005. Gidey claimed the women’s 5,000m world record of her compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba by running 14:06.62 minutes.

October 7

Kvitova clinches semifinal berth at French Open

Petra Kvitova returned to the French Open semifinals for the first time in eight years on Wednesday after defeating Germany’s Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-3, describing Roland Garros as her “lucky place.”

“It means a lot to be back in the semi-finals,” said 30-year-old Kvitova who was beaten by eventual champion Maria Sharapova when she made the same stage in 2012.

“After my last match, I was very emotional to be in the quarter-finals. Now I am in the semis. I never imagined this would happen after everything that has happened. This is my lucky place.”

Global Rapid Rugby cancels 2021 season 

The 2021 season for the franchise-based Global Rapid Rugby (GRR) competition has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said on Wednesday.

The competition, backed by Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest, had suspended its inaugural season after one round due to the pandemic before cancelling it entirely in April.

German FA in tax evasion probe

The German Football Association (DFB) headquarters and the homes of DFB officials have been searched on suspicion of tax evasion, Frankfurt prosecutors say.

It said six former and current officials of the DFB were suspected of having intentionally falsely declared income from advertising inside soccer stadiums during certain matches in 2014 and 2015 as income from asset management, leading to an evasion of 4.7 million euros ($5.52 million) worth of taxes. 

To read more on the story click here. 

October 6

Sancho apologises for party

Still in hot water with club and country over his flouting of coronavirus protocols, Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho took to social media to issue an apology.

“I would like to apologise for breaking the government guidelines and although I was unaware upon arriving of the numbers attending, I take full responsibility for my actions. I will make sure that I learn from this,” the 20-year-old said in a statement on Instagram.

England have delayed the call-ups of Sancho, Ben Chilwell and Tammy Abraham, whose birthday they were celebrating.

World #131 into semis at French Open

Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska became the first qualifier in the Open era on Tuesday to make the women’s semi-finals at Roland Garros after stunning third seed Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-4.

World number 131 Podoroska had never won a Grand Slam main draw match before the tournament and is the first Argentine woman to reach the last four of a major since Paola Suarez in Paris in 2004. The 23-year-old Podoroska will play Polish teenager Iga Swiatek or Italian qualifier Martina Trevisan for a place in Saturday’s final.

Match-fixing probe at French Open

French police are investigating possible offences of organized fraud and sporting corruption linked to the French open, the Paris prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.

The confirmation came a day after German newspaper Die Welt and French sports newspaper L’Equipe reported that police were looking into a first-round match in the women’s doubles competition. The reports said that one particular game in the match in question had aroused suspicions.

To read more on the story click here.

October 5

Jadon Sancho in hot water with Dortmund and England

Borussia Dortmund have announced that they are “in close contact with the English FA and the representatives of the national team,” following the publication of pictures showing Jadon Sancho at a party in London.

The winger was celebrating the birthday of Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham at an event that flouted the recent coronavirus restrictions put in place in England. Sancho missed BVB’s last two games due to “throat infection” and the club are reportedly decidedly unimpressed with the 20-year-old’s decision to attend. 

Meanwhile, there have also been calls for Sancho, Abraham and other England national team members in attendance to be dropped for the upcoming internationals.

Germany’s Siegemund reaches French Open quarterfinals

Germany’s world number 66 Laura Siegemund reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final on Monday, but garnered attention for more than just the result after ordering a plate of food to be delivered to her on court.

“I was trying to get some carbs in. I tried the bar. Couldn’t get it down really. I tried,” said Siegemund after her 7-5, 6-2 win over Badosa on Court Simonne-Mathieu. “I asked my physio to bring me something else. I just wanted to get some carb, some potato or rice.”

Energised by her food intake, she won 10 of the last 12 games to set up a quarter-final clash against seventh seed and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.

Turkish Grand Prix will be without fans

Next month’s Turkish Grand Prix will be held without spectators because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Istanbul government said on Monday. Turkey has registered nearly 325,000 coronavirus infections and more than 8,400 deaths.

The race, the 14th of 17 in Formula One this season, will return to Istanbul after a nine year absence on November 15.    

Crazy scenes in Karting World Championships

A video that has to be seen to be believed. At the FIA Karting World Championship final at the Lonato circuit, Luca Corberi – whose family operate the venue – ended up throwing his bumper at a rival before ignoring marshals as he stormed off across the track after an incident knocked him out of the race.

October 4

Zverev out of French Open

Alexander Zverev was knocked out by 19-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner, playing his first Roland Garros, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Sinner’s reward is a quarterfinal against the king of clay, Rafa Nadal. Zverev meanwhile, says he wasn’t feeling well.

October 3

German qualifier serves up career best

Daniel Altmaier, ranked 186th in the world, beat seventh seed Matteo Berrettini in the French Open 6-2, 7-6, 6-4.

The 22-year-old was not even sure he would make his debut at Roland Garros as he was struggling with an injury and needed a go-ahead from a doctor at the last minute to take part in the qualifiers.

October 2

Bundesliga player tests positive for COVID-19

Wolfsburg’s Renato Steffen has tested positive for COVID-19, the club announced early on Friday evening. The Swiss, who is asymptomatic, has gone into quarantine at home and will miss Sunday’s game against Augsburg as well as the international fixtures next week. 

German sides handed Europa groups

After Wolfsburg fell in the qualifiers, Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen were handed their Europa League draws on Friday.

In a tougher draw than they would have hoped for, Leverkusen, seeded in pot 1, will play Czech outfit Slavia Prague, Hapoel beer Sheva, of Israel, and French outfit Nice. 

Hoffenheim, seeded third,perhaps got away a little lighter. They will play Gent (Belgium), Crvena Zvezda (Serbia) and Slovan Liberec (Czech Republic). The full fixtures will be announced later on Friday. 

Löw names squad for triple header

After their Champions League exertions caused them to miss Germany’s previous matches, Bayern Munich quartet Joshua Kimmich, Manuel Neuer, Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry return to the fold.

But they, along with RB Leipzig pair Marcel Halstenberg and Lukas Klostermann, will only be available for the Nations League games with Ukraine (October 10) and Switzerland (October 13) and not the friendly with Turkey next Wednesday.

Three games in such a short space of time given the current packed schedule has led Löw to name 29 players in his squad. Fringe players like Nadiem Amiri, Robin Koch, Luca Waldschmidt, Florian Neuhaus and Niklas Stark will hope for opportunities while there are maiden callups for Borussia Dortmund’s Mahmoud Dahoud and Jonas Hofman, of Borussia Mönchengladbach.

October 1

US soccer team forfeits match over alleged homophobia 

San Diego Loyal players walked off the pitch in a second division game against Phoenix Rising after a homophobic comment was allegedly aimed at midfielder Collin Martin, who is openly gay.

San Diego, who are managed and owned by former US international Landon Donovan, had already forfeited a match against LA Galaxy’s reserves the previous week after midfielder Elijah Martin was the victim of alleged racist abuse.

“We went through a really hard incident last week in the LA match,” said Donovan, who also made a handful of Bundesliga appearances for Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich. “We made a vow to ourselves, to our community, to our players, to the club, to USL, that we would not stand for bigotry, homophobic slurs, things that don’t belong in our game.”

Despite leading 3-1 at half-time, San Diego thus forfeited a chance of reaching the playoffs. Opponents Phoenix Rising said the alleged perpetrator “vehemently denied” the allegations.

Bundesliga clubs criticize international matches

Ahead of next week’s international break, several Bundesliga club bosses have issued scathing criticism of FIFA and the German Football League (DFL) over the issue of sending their players on international duty in regions considered coronavirus risk areas, resulting in quarantine upon their return.

In September, for instance, Hertha Berlin striker Krzysztof Piatek had to quarantine for five days after playing for Poland in Bosnia, and missed Hertha’s German Cup defeat to Eintracht Braunschweig. At the time, FIFA had relaxed regulations obliging clubs to release players for internationals in regions considered COVID-19 hot-spots, but no such steps have been taken this time.

“We learned in September that we, the clubs, are left high and dry,” said Hertha boss Michael Preetz. “We release our players, we pay our players and, in the case of Krzysztof, we were left footing the bill. Ultimately, nobody was prepared to fight our corner. We realized that we can’t count on any help from the DFL or FIFA.”

“For me, it’s absurd to send players to risk areas,” added Augsburg’s Stefan Reuter. “It is FIFA’s responsibility either to postpone these matches or guarantee that players don’t need to quarantine when they return.”

Germany face Ukraine in the Nations League in Kiev on October 10, but local authorities in Germany have already stated that players will be exempt from quarantine regulations given the security and isolation measures in place in the Ukrainian capital.

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Interview with Dominic Thiem from Tennis-mag (August 2017)

At the heart of the young go-getters’ rise in the ATP circuit is Dominic Thiem. At 23 years of age, he is already getting dangerously close to the world’s top players. A rock-solid mindset, strength to spare, and a stunning backhand… these are some of the aspects of the Austrian’s game that have allowed him to reach the Top Ten.

And this is just the beginning! Already some dare compare him to Rafael Nadal due to his declared preference for clay and his ultra-careful strokes. It’s hard to believe he won’t one day lift the Musketeers’ Trophy in Paris.

It’s true that he came close a few months ago, when he reached the semi finals at the Porte d’Auteil. However, an unambiguous defeat facing the Spaniard made him realize he still had a long way to go before claiming his first title at Roland-Garros.

The New Face of the ATP

We can rejoice about the performance of the new generation in men’s tennis, who is challenging the world hierarchy of the “Big Four” now more than ever.

The eighth best tennis player in the world already has six combined victories (as of June 28, 2017) against the quartet comprised of Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer. It’s a statistic that allows us to believe that the Austrian is capable of competing with the cream of the crop.

A professional since 2011, Thiem arrives in Montreal with eight ATP title in his pocket: Nice (2015-2016), Umag, Gstaad, Buenos Aires, Acapulco, Stuttgart, Rio de Janeiro.

The latter has agreed to sit down with the Tennis-mag team in order to look back on the first half of his season as well as on his career up until now.

Q: Now that you are part of the world elite, do you feel more pressure on your shoulders?

A: Expectations are higher and it’s fine that way. People expect me to perform well, and I do too. Nevertheless, I think it’s a good kind of pressure. It’s an honour to see people believing in me. It fills me with pride. I give it my all during every match in order to reach their expectations… and especially mine!

Q: You have shown us on several occasions that you have very strong mental game. How do you work on that aspect of your game that is so important in tennis?

A: I don’t train that aspect in a concrete manner. However, I spend a lot of time on the court practicing all my strokes thousands of times. I repeat that process continually. That way, I can be sure (or practically sure!) to win the big point when it matters most.

Q: The “Big Four” (Murray, Nadal, Djokovic, Federer) have dominated for a long time. However, you and some other players seem to have been designated as their successors. It’s flattering, isn’t it?

A: Yes, it’s really an honour for me. Everyone asks me who the next stars of the circuit will be. But in my opinion, the “Big Four” are far from retiring. Federer won the Australian Open at the age of 35, Nadal on the other hand won his tenth title at Roland-Garros, while Djokovic and Murray are always a threat. That being said, when the time comes, I hope I will be one of the dominating players along with other young stars like Zverev, Pouille, Kyrgios, Goffin, etc.

Q: You’ve come to Montreal only once before this year (2015). How did you find the city?

A: Montreal is a very beautiful city. The tournament is incredible and the people are nice and very friendly. I look forward to returning.

Q: You’re more popular than ever. Is it difficult to get used to all that attention?

A: No, it’s not difficult. It’s just a little strange. I notice that when I go out to dinner, people will ask me to take pictures and sign autographs. It doesn’t bother me at all! It’s just new for me.

Q: You have trained with Günter Bresnik for several years. What makes your relationship so special?

A: Probably the fact that we have been together for so long. I grew up with him. He’s always been there. I have to admit he was a bit intimidating when I was a nine-year-old boy. Nevertheless, my parents trusted him. It was the same for me, and that is still the case now. He knows what he is talking about. Without his presence and that of my parents, I probably wouldn’t be where I am now.

Q: What are your short- and long-term goals?

A: In the short-term, I want to have a good season on grass and do well at Wimbledon [Editor’s note: Thiem reached the round of sixteen]. Then I want to transition well into the hardcourt season. But it’s not always easy to set short-term goals when everything is happening so quickly.

It’s obvious that all tennis players dream of winning a Grand Slam tournament. It’s my goal, but I still have a long way to go.

Q: You travel a lot during the season. Do you find that difficult?

A: Who can boast about travelling, seeing so many wonderful places, and calling that “work”? Not many people! As a tennis player, I’m lucky enough to see all these places. So no, I don’t think there are any negative aspects to travelling.

Q: What does an average day in the life of Dominic Thiem look like?

A: I wake up and eat breakfast. Then I go train. After, I eat and play a match. Depending on the outcome, I either buy a plane ticket to go to my next tournament or I reserve a table at a restaurant to celebrate my victory with my team. As you can see, it’s not as glamourous as you’d believe.

Quick questions

Favourite tournament? Roland-Garros.

Favourite city? Vienna (Austria).

If you weren’t a tennis player, what would you be? Probably a tennis coach (ha ha)!

Favourite athlete (in any sport)? That’s a difficult question because there are so many incredible athletes. I will say the first name that comes to mind: Didier Drogba. But there are others.

Other than tennis, what are your favourite sports? Soccer and ski jumping.

Have you played ice hockey? Does it count if I handled a puck while on skates when I was four years old?

Favourite vacation spot? Sylt in Germany.

Favourite meal? Sushi.

[rickhorrow]

10 TO WATCH : MAYOR’S EDITION 71519

RICK HORROW’S TOP 10 SPORTS/BIZ/TECH/PHILANTHROPY ISSUES FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 15 : MAYOR’S EDITION

with Jacob Aere

Last week, a ticker-tape parade through Manhattan. Now, it's back to work. In the wake of the USWNT’s fourth World Cup title, boosting interest in the nine-team National Women's Soccer League, where all 23 members of the USWNT compete, is now top priority. As JohnWallStreet notes, capitalizing on the World Cup frenzy is easier said than done, especially when attendance is already a struggle. Portland averages 18,000 fans and Utah averages 11,000, but the other seven franchises average fewer than 5,000. While the NWSL still boasts the majority of the world's top players (including reigning world player of the year Marta), Europe is closing the gap. Wealthy clubs like Olympique Lyon and Barcelona have upped their investments in women's soccer, leading to a record seven European countries reaching this year's World Cup quarterfinals. If the NWSL can't keep up, the balance of power in the sport could ultimately shift — both at the club level (Americans could be lured overseas by bigger paychecks) and internationally (continued investment could threaten the USWNT's dominance). With the future of U.S. women's soccer at stake, the NWSL must seize the moment like never before.

87% of the top 30 advertisers that ran spots during the Women’s World Cup also did so during the Men’s World Cup last year, according to a MediaRadar study. “Looking at how top industries spent TV ad dollars on each tournament, we notice several similarities, but also some differences,” said Todd Krizelman, CEO and Co-Founder of MediaRadar. “Industries such as Retail and Media and Entertainment accounted for a similar share of the ad dollars in both tournaments, but then there were industries where the share of spend was noticeably different.” Industries that accounted for a larger share of spend during the men's tournament included Technology, Non-Alcoholic Beverages, and Beer, Wine and Spirits, while Finance & Real Estate, Apparel, Home Furnishings, and Toiletries and Cosmetics accounted for a larger share of spend during the women’s events. This is yet another sign that consumers, and their brands, view the women’s national team to be every bit as economically viable as the men’s.

DC-based educational technology leader EVERFI has partnerships with the NFL and United Way, as well as MLB, the NHL, and NBA. But it’s a recent alignment with the EPL that is taking up much of co-founder Jon Chapman's time these days. Chapman, who serves as EVERFI's head of global partnerships, last Friday spoke with SportsBusiness Daily about working with some of the premier leagues in sports, his favorite places to travel, and his family's most recent trip across the pond. "I recently got back from London after meeting with the EPL, and they’ve got a really innovative program called Primary Stars, which focuses on elementary age students. We are helping them bring that program to the U.S.,” Chapman said. “It’s a lot of fun working with this variety of leagues, and the way it came about is really just that the sports world is a small one. If you do well by one of the leagues, there’s a really strong network effect.” And as mental health issues and suicide rates climb across the U.S., EVERFI last week launched important new courses to help colleges and universities support students during transitional periods – a critical need as students return to campuses across the nation next month.

Minor League Baseball has announced its list of Top 25 teams in licensed merchandise sales for 2018, with the combined totals of all 160 teams setting a MiLB record with more than $73.8 million in retail sales. The $73.8 million total marks a 4.2% increase over 2017’s record total. The Top 25 list includes: Albuquerque Isotopes, Charleston RiverDogs, Charlotte Knights, Columbia Fireflies, Columbus Clippers, Corpus Christi Hooks, Durham Bulls, El Paso Chihuahuas, Fort Wayne TinCaps, Gwinnett Stripers, Hartford Yard Goats, Indianapolis Indians, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Nashville Sounds, Pawtucket Red Sox, Portland Sea Dogs, Richmond Flying Squirrels, Rochester Red Wings, Sacramento River Cats, Salt Lake Bees, San Antonio Missions, Tacoma Rainiers, Toledo Mud Hens, and Trenton Thunder. Rick recently spoke with Octagon Executive Vice President Woody Thompson, who leads that agency’s baseball practice. Here’s what Thompson shared: “Baseball has done a really great job. From a municipal standpoint, their engagement with these cities has been fantastic and the cities have really gotten behind it…Baseball has a place in this country in the hearts and minds of everybody. Whether you’re a kid or you’re an adult, baseball is there for you.”

After a Wimbledon for the ages, World Team Tennis, U.S. hardcourts return. Armed with new CEO Carlos Silva, two new franchises, a new TV partner, and a new streaming partner, World Team Tennis returns for its 44th season this month, with the eight-team league, which now includes the Vegas Rollers and Orlando Storm, and features 16 matches on CBS Sports channels July 14-August 3, including the league’s debut on broadcast TV July 21. While we won’t see Wimbledon champs Simona Halep and Novak Djokovic competing, this year’s WTT athletes include returning players Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens, Bob and Mike Bryan, Madison Keys, Victoria Azarenka, Monica Puig, Eugenie Bouchard, and John Isner. Elsewhere, the 2019 Citi Open in Washington, DC will see fans offered a new fan experience showcasing D.C.’s “most innovative” culinary fare. Levy will be the exclusive food and beverage partner for the long-running tennis tournament. In a delicious new twist, Levy will rebrand concessions and VIP hospitality fare throughout the tournament grounds with customized menus from Chef Jose Andres and favored local D.C. eateries.

As David Beckham took in Wimbledon action on Centre Court, his MLS Inter Miami franchise secured permission from city commissioners to build a soccer-specific stadium in Fort Lauderdale. The motion was approved for the City of Fort Lauderdale to enter into a comprehensive agreement with Beckham’s MLS project to develop the Lockhart Stadium site. Inter Miami, which will join MLS in 2020, plans to invest up to $60 million to construct a state-of-the-art, 18,000-seat stadium at the site of the now demolished Lockhart Stadium. The venue will temporarily house the MLS franchise for two seasons while the club looks to construct a permanent stadium in Miami on a 73-acre site near Melreese golf course. Lockhart site construction will begin once the FAA approves the process due to the site’s proximity to Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. Meanwhile, Beckham is working with his new Studio 99 content house and LeBron James’ Uninterrupted to co-produce a documentary series charting the launch of Inter Miami. Studio 99 already has a slate of projects in development with a broad focus beyond sports.

The New York Islanders have revealed plans for a new train station as part of their $1.26 billion redevelopment project at Belmont Park. The total train station cost, which will be part of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) line, is expected to be $105 million. $97 million of that figure will be funded by redevelopment group New York Arena Partners, with the state providing the remaining $8 million. According to Newsday, the train station will be partially open by 2021, when the Islanders hope to open their new arena, and fully operational by 2023. The service is expected to alleviate concerns over a lack of public transport to the Belmont Park site, which as well as a 19,000-seat arena and entertainment complex is to feature a 250-room hotel and 435,000 square feet of retail space. The announcement of Long Island’s first new LIRR station in nearly 50 years coincided with the release of new analysis of the project’s economic impact. The study claims that the new arena, hotel, and retail village will generate nearly $50 million in new public revenue per year and produce $725 million in annual economic output. 

Ever since Steve Ballmer bought the team, the Los Angeles Clippers have done their best to make an impression in a market long dominated by the Lakers. While the Lakers cratered last season, the Clippers created a blue-collar identity en route to a playoff appearance. With a net worth of $42 billion, Ballmer is the wealthiest owner in North American sports, and he's utilized that wealth to bulk up the Clippers' front office and medical staff — two areas of increasing importance in an era of load management. Off the court, the Clippers have carved out their own space in Los Angeles in hopes of attracting new fans and being viewed as much more than a little brother. Ballmer has donated more than $10 million to build 350 Clippers-branded public basketball courts throughout the city — a philanthropic effort that doubles as a way to win the hearts and minds of young L.A. residents. There are also plans for the team to move into a new, privately-financed arena in Inglewood by 2024. The L.A. basketball landscape dramatically changed last week — and if Ballmer has his way, that change could be permanent.

Captain Morgan is toasting Major League Soccer, courtesy of a new agreement to become the league’s official spiced rum and exclusive spirits partner through 2022. The new deal names Captain Morgan as an official sponsor of MLS All-Star – taking place in a few weeks in Orlando – the Campeones Cup (August 14), and MLS Cup (November 10). Fans will soon be able to purchase custom-labeled bottles of Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum featuring official team colors and crests. “From New York to Seattle to Los Angeles, everything about Major League Soccer, its intensely passionate fan base, the atmosphere at each match, and the exciting growth of the sport in the U.S. mirrors the energy that Captain Morgan stands for,” said Christina Choi, DIAGEO Senior Vice President, Rum, Gin, and Tequila. “Our goal is to reward that dedicated fan base, and the crews that get together to support their clubs each and every week, with the fun only Captain can bring.” The rum brand also becomes an official sponsor of Chicago Fire Soccer Club, D.C. United, New York City FC, Philadelphia Union, and Seattle Sounders FC.

MLS-Liga MX Leagues Cup confirms domestic rights deals for new North American soccer tournament. According to SportsPro, ESPN and Univision have secured U.S. rights to the inaugural Leagues Cup, the new continental club soccer competition featuring eight teams from MLS and Liga MX, North America’s two powerhouse leagues. ESPN will host U.S. English-language coverage across both its linear and over-the-top channels throughout the seven-match tournament, which kicks off July 23. ESPN+ will stream three quarter-final matches including Chicago Fire v Cruz Azul on the opening day, as well as Houston Dynamo v Club America, and Real Salt Lake v Tigres UANL on July 24. This is a bold move to further the passion for soccer in North America; a move that will prove fruitful in the long run for MLS, which sees some of the youngest average fan ages when compared to other major North American sports leagues.