#somebody should come make fun of me because atp

[sappho-favourite-pupil]

the intimacy of having her sat on the bed in front of me, her back so close to my chest they almost touch. Doing her breathing exercises together and then carefully brushing her hair before we go to sleep 💘

[serve-cunt]

HI!!! okay so I’m only three chapters into so what are you waiting for and having a great Sunday morning tbh!!! Im gonna get more tea and crack on but please!! Tell me more about sincaraz f1 drivers who “might be fucking” I’d love to hear the lowdown!!!

AHH I'm so glad you're enjoying!!! it's crazy how that fic took over my life for a good five months, I secretly sometimes still watch tennis and wonder where oscar is LOLL any w a y ....

[[okay hi again @bakingblues I had to private this briefly because I SOO did not answer your question but I have edited in my answer for f1 driver headcanons. I'm going to pretend that I wrote everything with that in mind in the first place lmao here we goOOoooo.... ]]

to answer your wonderful question I feel like some irl sincaraz context might be nice! ;) so let me start there! ;)) I love to completely read asks and not make assumptions!!! ;)))))

SO!! sincaraz. the main players are: carlos alcaraz, 21, spanish, SUUUPER smiley, baby-faced beautiful muscular delight of a human

and jannik sinner, 22, italian, carrot-topped stoic-faced bambi-legged carrot-cult runner

they are both next-gen (new gen??) tennis players, i.e. coming after the era of the "Big Three" — Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic. Carlos was an immediate and breathtaking wunderkind, ranked in the top 35 male players by 18 and beat both Nadal and Djoko at a masters 1000 (his second masters 1000 title) in 2022 like. three days after his 19th birthday. already wild!! THEN he goes on to win the US Open same year!! he finishes 2022 the youngest ever no. 1 ranked ATP player and goes on to win a bunch more titles in 2023 including Wimbledon where he beats Djokovic in a fucking inCREDible match (I watched 30 minutes of that in the pouring rain and then had to escape to a cafe where I made them turn on the tv and had the best day of my life lmao)

carlos initially appears to be very much of the max verstappen mold, i.e. a nerd, fairly single-minded, incredibly talented, seemingly breaking the rules of physics at times. basically by the end of 2023 he's the Guy To Beat, plus everyone loves to watch him ... he's got style and variety and power and he LOVES the game, he smiles the whole time, he has FUN, he's just!! a joy to watch!! he's the elephant in the room at every tournament, he's the "future of tennis," and nobody can talk about anybody else.

Except Carlos.

Because Carlos talks about Jannik.

It's very funny that carlos talks about jannik so much at this point!! like, it's a point of discussion how many times carlos brings jannik up in conversation. very much 'hyping my friend up' vibes. 'oops talked about my crush again' vibes. because Jannik is sort of .. following? carlos at this moment? He's doing well, but he's a year older and only starting to get to the same level of matches as carlos, even as carlos does it himself. (there's a funny clip of jannik making it to the semifinals at wimbledon and the on-court interviewer says: "youngest to do it since 2007!" and jannik says, "yeah but carlos..." and sure enough carlos immediately went on to steal that honor and, in fact, win the tournament lmao)

and also people just aren't talking about jannik in the same way! his tennis isn't as immediately interesting to watch as carlos's because he doesn't come to the net as much, he likes to play from the baseline. also he isn't as reliable as he should be, esp on serve, for somebody not taking those alcaraz-esque risks up the court. but— when he's on he's ON: super clean strokes, super powerful, and he has really excellent movement for somebody so tall. beautiful, dependable backhand. Still, not everyone is like. entranced by jannik in the way they are by carlos. i remember listening to a Tennis Podcast episode as jannik was starting to get serious momentum through the top of the atp rankings and be considered a real next-gen challenge for carlos (for reasons I'll get to) but otherwise kind of flying under the radar, and one of them (Catherine lol) said something along the lines of "I don't really see what other people are seeing in sinner, he leaves me cold, I just don't really like watching him". (Which is SO funny to me. I saw one sinner match in 2021 (miami) and thought "this guy's MINE" lmao)

BUT! by the end of 2023 jannik actually has a winning head-to-head with carlos which is unusual enough to remark on, ALSO, they have a series of incredibly interesting and thrilling matches under their belts.

They meet for the first time in 2021 in Paris, (well on the atp tour anyway. they also met in this challenger match, they're 15 and 17 respectively and so cute and dorky). in paris the match is great, they both seem to have fun, but what's really lovely (and important for The Lore) is that after the match —which Carlos wins— Jannik leans in real close and intimate and says: "I hope we play some more" and Carlos gets uhh. SO supremely happy about it. in his on court interview he says "we will both be in the top" which!! prescient...

From that 2021 meeting they go on to have banger match after banger match, namely the quarterfinals at the US Open in 2022 (which Carlos won) and an insane Indian Wells match in 2023 (which Jannik won). what's really special is that you can see how push-and-pull they are with each other: they learn from each other, they play their best against each other, jannik's tennis is more interesting against carlos, carlos is really tested with his movement against jannik, like he can't just run him around. THIS is why carlos can't shut up about jannik. they play CRAZY tennis against each other, and both of them have FUN. guaranteed good match-up, everyone rooting it for it in every tournament. so even though people aren't talking about JANNIK in the same way as they're talking about carlos, they're definitely talking about the combination they make on court. As is. Carlos. :)))

so if you're delusional like me this is when you start to think about the Shipping Narrative ... like.... look at this....

LOOK AT THAT DOUBLETAKE. insane... and the rivalry they have going at this point... carlos's obsession with jannik ... jannik still trying to measure up to carlos... I mean!! think of the potential ! they are talked about in relation with each other at ALL times (if people aren't talking about carlos v djoko, anyway) and they are nothing but sweet about it.

they're also so cute TT_TT the brain rot begins ... the ship name is formed ... sincaraz is here to stay

okay. So. at the end of 2023 jannik goes through a life changing experience.

he pukes in a bin.

this happens in beijing in Oct 2023, in a match he played against grigor dimitrov. he's looking BAD all match, clearly unwell, and then during one of the changeovers he asks for a bin to be brought out and uh. well. see above

he stands back up, looks a lot better, goes on to win the match and then immediately goes on an INSANE run of victories. this tweet pretty much sums it up but he essentially looks unbeatable for the next five months. he beats djoko three times, only gets beaten by him once. he wins his only match-up with carlos. he wins against a bunch of other top 10 players on his way to several titles. he beats medvedev FOUR TIMES (who was ranked 3rd in oct 2023, currently ranked 5th, sorry meddy :// ) . he wins the AUSTRALIAN FUCKING OPEN.

this is the post-puke sinner era. he wins 16 matches in a row, an astonishing run, and he just. Looks. So. Good. He barely dropped a set to get to the australian open final (one, to djoko) and he is playing beautiful —stunningly beautiful— tennis. his serve is FIXED. now HE is the only person anybody can talk about. new future of the atp, people are WATCHING. his carrot fan club is going insane. who can beat him??? when he looks THIS GOOD??

yup. of course. carlos beats jannik at Indian Wells to defend his own title from 2022, ending Jannik's winning streak and cementing the rivalry for a lot of people: i.e. even at jannik's best, even when carlos is in a bit of a slump, carlos still throws jannik for a loop. it's NOT that interesting of a match overall, honestly, although some great points and a tournament beset with Problems, including ... bees!!! what's most interesting about this match imo is the several lovely moments of sincaraz we got from it, some jumping around together beforehand, jannik doing some fairly atypical showing of emotion, and the famous walking off together during the rain delay (rivals don't really do that???) They're just so cute the whole time, a beautiful day for tennisblr tbh. jannik can be so STOIC and carlos just!! brings out the boy in him!!!!!!!!!

^^ rivals!! :)) enemies even!! :)))

jannik goes on to win the other half of the sunshine double, at miami (does not face carlos to do so), making them the SUNSHINE DOUBLE BOYS and deservedly so.

and that pretty much catches you up on the basics of sincaraz!! basically they are each adorable individually, they are adorable together, and they have a chewy fucking rivalry building that EVERYONE is enjoying rn. tbh my ship manifesto gets a lot less fun from here on account of some inane-making thoughts re: the (un)requited & one-sided nature of this ship but let me rec some fics real fast:

umiltà which is INCREDIBLE

Phoenix which is a wonderful character study for jannik, truly beautiful writing

also THIS HUNGER GAMES AU MY GOD

okay so as f1 drivers

first of all, they HAVE to be in the mclaren car, obviously. to me they are an obvious mctwinks parallel: clearly friends, very compatible, same age, but with some fun mentor/mentee dynamics thrown in

Carlos gets signed first, very young — the lando equivalent! he has maybe one or two teammates before jannik but they're all older and it just doesn't exactly click. he likes everyone, even gets along well with them (as well as the rest of the grid!) but he's not quite at home yet. not helped by the fact that he's in one of the fastest cars on the grid, and wins WDC in his rookie year! (maybe helped out a bit by a few djoko DNFs ... I feel like that could be equivalent to djoko being out of some major matches in 2021/2022 for novax reasons) anyway carlos gets an aura which makes it hard to connect w the others, maybe. he's a lil lonely!!!

Jannik gets signed a year later and they click as a teammate pair pretty well. I see a VERY similar trajectory as landoscar: carlos is much more comfortable with the press, knows the team really well, shoulders much of the burden of marketing etc. Jannik comes in to a team that has a fave driver already, but he's ALSO a good driver, and carlos likes him so so so sosososo much, so the team welcomes him with open arms. At first he performs okay... not great... he has a slower learning curve. He's improving, but incrementally. he and carlos get closer as they share tips about the car and training etc.

Then one day he pukes in a bin. this part is essential. HOW it happens doesn't matter ... he gets food poisoning?? heatstroke??? doesn't matter, who cares, the point is, this is his turning point in terms of hoisting himself up the driver rankings. He starts making it into the top five drivers every race, gets some podiums, wins his first race. carlos is RIGHT THERE NEXT TO HIM. they celebrate together !! they kiss that very night!!!!!!

now they are fighting for WDC. things get tense. this is where I have to stop I get too anxious LMAOO anyway!!

so those are my broadstrokes headcanon re: how would sincaraz work as f1 drivers. I do think about it quite a lot ....... they all live in my brain now probs forever 🤪🤪 sorry to make you read all that. maybe you didn't lol but ENJOY ANYWAY AND THANKS FOR THE ASK ILYYYYYY <3 <3 <3

[theyluvkarolina]

ferraris DID work their asses off!!!! leclerc tbh also deserved driver of the day in my eyes both him and lando should have won it 🥰🥰 he did so well w his tyre management and he looked so happy post race which is such a stark contrast to how he usually looks ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 but omg i had the biggest laugh of the week when max told leclerc that there was a 22 sec gap between him and lando 😭😭 the absolute despair on charles face was INSANEEE...sainz overtake game was ITTTTTT!!! and from p9 to p5 is pretty great! he grilled checo and ate his livery for dinner...love to see it!

checo is honestly not even worth it atp...somebody like alonso who genuinely knows how to race even in a shit car or someone completely new to the scene like lawson would do better than him atp...its just become embarassing to see him and mv1 have the same car yet have 5-9 places between them consistently. leclerc and sainz usually have 2-3 if not just 1 between them and they have such diff driving styles and their shit livery and yet they consistently outperform him in one way or another. even ls2 has done better lap times and crashed less in races than checo....a fucking rookie that was put in f1 too early outperforming u is humiliating. God forgive me for possibly jinxing them, but i think the incoming rookies (doohan, bearman, and antonelli if all goes well in monza next wk) will outdo him in under 10 races next season. its just unbearable to watch. great guy, mid driver at best!

mclaren dominance boring fans...whats new!!! norris is proving to be a better driver than ppl want to admit (esp now that he didnt fucking throw away a pole) and got 2 wins in a single season...ppl can say its the livery but checo has great livery and look at him 🤷‍♀️. not to mention how piastri has got to be one of this centurys most impressive rookies...srsly up there w hamilton and verstappen for me. his 4th place ending was pretty damn good considering how tough the top 5 competition was 🤭 oscar has the potential to be wdc and if ppl paid less attention to shitting on mv1, ln4, or talking shit about next yrs lineups and breaking news they would realize what a damn good generational talent we have on the grid rn!!!

all that shit talk abt the gap is so funny....admit u hate to see a team have good drivers AND livery! f1 fans will never b satisfied i swear 🤓🤓

(why was this rant so long omg 😭😭 guess i really did love this race wkend)

HARD AGREE. I’m so proud of the Ferrari boys. I just know taking that Ferrari is hard. But then I remembered Williams 😓😓

2. NO BECAUSE LOGAN OUT QUALIFYING CHECO MULTIPLE TIMES IN A FUCKING WILLIAMS IS CRAZY (ALONG WITH HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE CHECO HAS). I do think the rookies next year will bring in a good show and I can’t wait for that.

3. I will say it once and I’ll say it again. When it comes to Max and he gives his opinions, it’s funny because it’s “Mad Max” but once it’s Lando it’s him being a baby. This isn’t hate to Max AT ALL (i really do love him) but the double standard is quite insane to me. It just seems to me that Red Bull fans aren’t ready to let go and see the aren’t the top car this season.

4. OSCAR DEFINITELY HAS WDC POTENTIAL. He’s already been doing fantastic in just his second season. If i ever see him lift the WDC trophy, just know I will be sobbing. With the other rookies, They will perform good. I already know it.

5. YES YES YES. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS F1 FANS ARE NEVER SATISFIED. Whether it’s the fact we finally have a new race to the WDC, how a car is doing, or even the lineups. I’ve just decided to stay away from other F1 fans that aren’t from tumblr for this reason 😭😭 (ESPECIALLY INSTAGRAM. THE COMMENTS MAKE ME WANT TO RIP MY HAIR OUT)

ITS OKAY I LOVE A LITTLE YAP SESSION 🩷🩷 ITS SO FUN TO UNDERSTAND OPINIONS FROM OTHER PEOPLE 🥹

[what-is-this-existence]

“Blunts on the counter can’t wait to face it”

I’m so done fw people who only care about me through words.. Like you say you gonn do this and that, tell me you care, how much you love me w/e w/e then when it come down to it you really not bout ts. You gotta attitude, you ask somebody else to do you, you say yea and then don’t do it, say it’s because something I did or some shit.

It’s crazy that this is such a broad statement like wtf did I do? It has to be me atp

Only time I talk to my dad is when I reach out to him, and he bought my sister a brand new car same maker and model as mine but newer. And then my stepmom bragged about it.

I been in 1 fight before in my life when I was attacked by my stepmom. And nobody gave a shit about my side and my siblings didn’t back me up either.

My moma made me take a picture with her after that and pretend like a fucking happy family, nah fuck that bitch.

My moma gonn tell us not to talk about our childhood around her cause it make her feel like a bad parent but otr, it’s something else making you feel like that. Maybe cause it’s a fact.

Like how many times did I go to school w/out lunch, lucky one of the janitors was looking for kids like me to give lunches to. How many times did I beg and beg to do extracurriculars or for literally things that I needed like tennis shoes just for her to say I’ll think about it and it never happens.

How many times did she reject marriage proposals from men that were literally father figures to me and treated me like their own daughter to the point where I was closer to them than my own father and now she engaged to a fucking bum.

I was 16 stealing shoes for gym class cause my moma “couldn’t afford them” when her closer couldn’t even fit all her shoes laid out on the floor. Getting the lights cut off on my birthday, eating sandwiches in the dark cause it was a Saturday. That school year I made 1 $7 pizza last for dinner all week.

By clothes were from the thrift store and from donations that my grandma got that I recreated, not the mall and whatever was popular. My brother decided to make fun of me about it but he was wearing the same shit.

I can’t even talk to you about shit cause as soon as I got something better going for me, you gotta talk about why you can’t. As soon as I start talking about my future plans and what I’m excited about doing, you tell me your accomplishments for the day. After you didn’t care when I was talking about what ima do after graduation and change the subject, I say I’m not having a party cause no one cares and you say I should cause you care.

All you want to talk about is the shit you learned about your family 6 months ago then tell me I don’t talk enough, you get mad at my communication issues and don’t finish my tiktoks explaining why I suck and things you could do to help but you scroll for the funny ones. We don’t even talk like we used to, watch shows together, go out, actually send each-other tiktok & watching together. I ask you opinion and you won’t give it to me cause you thinks your answer will be wrong like I literally wanna know what you think I care about your opinion. *crickets*

I’m graduating this year and literally, who in the fuck cares? Nothing’s gone right, my degree is a dead end and won’t make me happy. Nothing will.

I was supposed to be special…. But I’m just average.

ima just go start working as much as I can be there

Time to boss up

[gokul2181]

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer: The rival amigos

New Post has been published on https://jordarnews.in/rafael-nadal-and-roger-federer-the-rival-amigos/

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer: The rival amigos

One of my most precious memories of watching Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer slug it out is from the 2008 Wimbledon final. It is a match that has been called a classic, some even feel it is the best match ever played in Men’s tennis.

A 22-year-old Nadal beat five-time defending champion Federer in five gruelling sets (6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7). This despite Federer saving two match points. The match saw two rain interruptions and finished past 9 PM British Standard Time (BST). It was the longest final in Wimbledon history (since 1877) at 4 hours and 48 minutes.

Nadal had lost two previous Wimbledon finals (in 2006 and 2007) to Federer and finally tasted sweet success against a man who probably knows the courts at SW19 better than his back lawn.

But more than the statistics, more than the fact that Federer had been humbled on the grass by a player who many felt was only a clay court specialist, more than the fact that Nadal had won his first Wimbledon title, the two things that really stood out for tennis fans were: One – The epic battle they had just witnessed, with two supreme forces going toe to toe, refusing to give an inch, in a fight that clearly meant so much to both and Two – The sheer respect that both players had for each other and how there was a very special, a very unique bond that the two shared, which would not be polluted, damaged, tarnished or shaken by anything that happened on the field of play. And this remember, was still early days in their rivalry.

After the match, Nadal said: “Federer is a great champion. His attitude always is positive when he loses or when he wins. I always have a lot of respect for him. I admire him a lot. We have a very good relationship.”

Federer, while quite gutted, had high praise for Nadal, a man who he had run into in the two previous Wimbledon finals as well (2006 and 2007). He knew just how special talent the man he had just lost to after an almost 5-hour duel was. He also knew that if Nadal could produce a show like that on grass, he was a lot more than just a clay court specialist.

Federer after the match had said: [It is] probably my hardest loss, by far. I thought I played well. [But I] missed too many chances obviously in the first couple of sets. Rafa played well. I’m happy we lived up to the expectations. I’m happy the way I fought. That’s all I could really do.”

There was no animosity. They were two players, who shared a few common traits – an undying love for tennis, supreme God-given talent and a work ethic that only true champions have. And over the years that bond would develop into a very special friendship.

The 2008 Wimbledon title was Rafa’s fifth Grand Slam singles title. Fast forward 12 years and Nadal now has 20 Grand Slam titles, the same as the man he beat on that July Sunday in 2008. It’s true that Nadal’s Slam tally is incredibly skewed. After all, 13 of his 20 titles have been won at Roland Garros. The remaining seven having been won at the other three Slams combined, with Nadal managing to win just one Australian Open title, as compared to Federer’s six.

Thanks to those numbers, you will find a few who will want to take away from Nadal’s overall greatness. Those who feel the Spaniard did, of course, produce great tennis at times to win two Wimbledons, four US Opens and one Australian Open title, but should still be tagged a clay court specialist. But no one who understands what it takes to win a Grand Slam title, let alone titles on all surfaces will ever doubt Rafa’s greatness. Least of all a man who has played nine Grand Slam finals against the Spanish matador and ended up on the losing side six times.

It wasn’t a surprise then to see Federer (who still trails Nadal on the overall ATP Head to Head count 16-24) put up a very special social media post for his good friend after Nadal’s recent French Open success.

Federer’s message read: “I have always had the utmost respect for my friend Rafa as a person and as a champion. As my greatest rival over many years, I believe we have pushed each other to become better players. Therefore, it is a true honor for me to congratulate him on his 20th Grand Slam victory. It is especially amazing that he has now won Roland Garros an incredible 13 times, which is one of the greatest achievements in sport. I also congratulate his team, because nobody can do this alone. I hope 20 is just another step on the continuing journey for both of us. Well done, Rafa. You deserve it.”

International individual sport has, over the decades, witnessed many great rivalries. Ali vs Frazier, Mcenroe vs Borg, Graf vs Seles, Senna vs Prost, Sampras vs Agassi, Woods vs Mickelson, Hunt vs Lauda, Niklaus vs Palmer, Lin Dan vs Lee Chong Wei – the list is endless.

But if you go through that list you will find that most of those great sporting rivalries had a bitter streak in them. And that is what makes the Federer vs Nadal rivalry different. There is no bitterness. No room for inflated egos. There is a lot of genuine mutual respect and that is what makes it very special.

At the 2010 French Open, Nadal famously said: “If somebody says I am better than Roger, I think this person don’t know nothing about tennis.”

Between 2003 and 2020 Federer and Nadal have won 40 of the 71 Grand Slams played between them (Federer’s first Grand Slam title was the 2003 Wimbledon title, while Nadal won his first Grand Slam title at the 2005 French Open). While Nadal denied Federer six Grand Slam titles by beating the Swiss maestro in finals, Federer denied Rafa thrice. They both know that if the other wasn’t part of this era, they would have gone on to win much more. They both know that the other is better than themselves in certain aspects. So, what they choose to do is use that rivalry to turn themselves into better players. They focus on making themselves better instead of trying to bring the other down.

In 2015, Federer said that Nadal “has been the toughest and probably the most challenging and fun to play against just because of his character and he’s been unbelievable for the game.”

The two have had no problems over the years working with each other to promote tennis and to initiate charity events, like the Match for Africa for the Roger Federer Foundation, with the two rivals squaring off against each other. The 2020 edition of the event saw Federer play Nadal again and it broke the attendance record for a tennis match, with as many as 51,954 spectators.

What happened on the court, has always stayed on the court with these two. Their relationship off the court has never been affected in any negative way because of their on-court rivalry. In fact, it has only strengthened it.

The greatest of the all-time debate will rage on, perhaps forever. That I feel is a very personal choice. Numbers alone can’t be the only criteria. Many might pick Pete Sampras, whose record of 14 Slam titles stood for seven years before Federer equalled it in 2009. Remember, Novak Djokovic has 17 Grand Slam titles and is the youngest of the current ‘Big Three’. So the focus has now shifted to who will finish with the most number of Grand Slam titles in Men’ singles tennis, with a focus on the age of all three players. Federer is 39, Nadal is 34 and Djokovic is 33.

That tennis is a gruelling physical sport is an understatement. Going by that many felt that longevity would be Nadal’s biggest problem. The common refrain from many Federer fans was that there is no way Nadal could match Federer because he just wouldn’t last as long as the Swiss great, who is blessed with a smooth, classical, almost effortless playing style, as opposed to Rafa’s dogged, retrieve at all cost game that can wear the best of bodies down. Those voices have subsequently quietened down, more so now, since Federer fans realise that Nadal has already equalled the Swiss star’s tally. Federer fans are also a little worried because the last time he won a Grand Slam was back at the 2018 Australian Open.

Nadal on the other hand showed on Sunday just what a ruthless machine he can be, especially on the red clay courts of Paris. His run to the final might have been a rather straightforward one, with no real player of pedigree there to push him to the limit. But, to humble the World number one player (Novak Djokovic) in straight sets in the final, to win the tournament without dropping a single set showed that even at 34 he can set the bar even higher. The Spaniard, in fact, broke Bjorn Borg’s record by becoming the first man to win four Grand Slam titles without dropping a set. This was his 21st win against a World Number one player, the most by any player in the history of the sport.

So yes, age is pretty much just a number for these greats.

There will of course come a day when tennis will have neither Federer nor Nadal. They might play like superheroes, but they are after all human and they will both hang up their racquets at some point. But their biggest contribution to the sport will not be by virtue of the number of titles they will eventually finish with or the jaw-dropping tennis they both have and will continue to showcase till their respective retirements. Their biggest contribution will be their off-court camaraderie, which has shown the world that the toughest of rivals can be the best of amigos. After all, love, respect and friendship have, and always will trump hate. At least that’s how it should be.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author’s own.

Source link