#but i respect kateřina's comittment to being gay with her doubles partners this just isnt about that yknow

[muirneach]

so about those czexes and their darling chinese third... a timeline

2020/2021

so imagine you're some flop czech tennis player who honestly isn't very good and somehow you start dating this really cool woman. and she's way out of your league. but you're in love! so who cares everything is wonderful :3 also you are an entire nineteen years old. lol. lmfao even. [authors note: i feel like this post from 2020 is kateřina's first soft launch but i genuinely don’t know? could be unrelated. whatever]

KOZERKI OPEN 2022

you're grinding it out on the challenger tour and you beat this random guy in the final of some random polish tournament in august 2022 in a weirdly lopsided three setter. you two are the 5th and 6th seeds and come into the event ranked 160th and 161st in the world. he never makes a challenger final again. whatever. you probably won't see him again.

AUSTRALIA 2024

fast foward to 2024. somehow you and that guy partner up for doubles for australia. you're not super close and both usually play singles but well why not. somehow you run all the way to the semis together.

MARSEILLE 2024

so you stay together and at your second ever event together you win a title. it's both your first ever atp main tour titles!! and now you guys are great friends.

CLAY SEASON AND THE CHANNEL SLAM 2024

clay season is a little rough for you at first but he does like, pretty well. you guys get to the doubles semis in barcelona. before going to roland garros you do beat novak casually at a 250 and this gets you to your first ever singles final, and lose. but suddenly people care about you a little bit! in roland garros and wimbledon you and your best friend both lose in the same rounds in singles. you play doubles though, and get to the quarters at roland garros. you also play mixed doubles with your girlfriend at roland garros and lose first round. she wins the channel slam in womens doubles. you and your girlfriend break up.

PARIS OLYMPICS 2024

it's the olympics now. you and her had signed up to play mixed doubles because luckily you were from the same country. it's a little awkward, but out of pride for your country you stay in the draw.

you're doing singles too, obviously, but you have to meet your best friend in the first round, which sucks. you win in 3, again, but lose next round so what was the point.

but it's okay, cause your now ex girlfriend is so good at doubles that she drags you all the way to the gold medal match. pride for your country.

but the draw once again brings you and your best friend together. he's had a weird olympics too, his partner withdrew last minute and won gold in singles, so now he's with someone he hadn't played with before, but suddenly they're in finals across from you. you win, obviously, in straights, his and his partner's luck could only last so long against someone as good as your ex girlfriend. but hey, he wins a medal too.

you and your ex kiss, people speculate if you really broke up or not, you joke about it but she confirms it. rough. but you are a gold medalist.

ASIAN SWING 2024

none of you three do anything big in north american hard court summer. then your best friend gets to his first ever tour level final at a 250, just like you, and also loses. in his home country. where he had hoped to become the second man from his country to win a singles title. at nearly the exact same time as his loss, his compatriot wins a final, also in their home country, making HIM the second man to win a singles title instead. damn.

SHANGHAI 2024

you two go to your best friend's hometown event. he loses in a heartbreaking first round. you play doubles, and also lose first round. it's not like he has to bear his entire country's expectations or anything.

however you upset a top three player in singles and get to your first masters semi. in his hometown. and he's the first thing you mention post-win, via the format of camera writing. tomas <3 partner zzz :^)! you lose that semi, but who cares, it was a great run.

END OF SEASON 2024 -> START OF SEASON 2025.

after a first round exit at the last masters for both of you, the season ends. your ex girlfriend gets the year end number 1 for doubles though, again. new season. united cup. both your countries fumble to the united states. whatever! your ex girlfriend wasn't even playing for your country

AUSTRALIA, AGAIN. 2025

it's australia again. where it all began for you and your friend. he very politely asks you if he can play mixed doubles with your ex girlfriend and you laugh and tell him yes. it's not like you and her were gonna play. they end up losing first round anyways.

he loses first round in singles. you get to the third round but can't beat djokovic again. you still enter in doubles, naturally. but fail to defend your semi finals points by falling third round as well.

and yeah, your ex girlfriend wins another slam in womens doubles. she's still better than anyone could dream to be.

and all this time you're just a random czech guy trying to figure out how to make your shorts shorter, which is totally not distracting for either of your doubles partners when you crouch in front of the net or anything.