#wimbledon 2013

[bluespring864]

Wimbledon 2013 Wimbledon 2024

[nadiapodoroska]

ASH BARTY / CASEY DELLACQUA [d. A-L. Grönefeld / K. Peschke] | 2013 Wimbledon Championships Semifinals

[bluespring864]

Novak just called this match "a historic, special moment that I cherish" because of course he did.

Andy & Novak / Great game…

[hollywforever]

Holly Willoughby attends the Evian 'Live Young' Suite at Wimbledon on June 24, 2013 in London, England.

[vox-anglosphere]

A hearty Happy Birthday to Prince George from your future subjects!

[batsplat]

the way tennis to motogp pipeline is definitely a thing…….

switching to motogp really does highlight how a lot of those atp guys are just soooooo freaking boring in comparison. and I’m talking about big 4 and 00’s players here. current gen is so so much worse. horrible. abolish atp

*nods in agreement* I mean it's not a completely one-way street - obviously I'm never going to stop following tennis, I'm never going to stop PLAYING tennis, I want to do more coaching again in the future... and this stuff does come and go in waves, like 2019-2022-ish I was definitely drifting more from motogp to tennis again (minus going crazy on the motogp archives during the pandemic). but at the start of this year I did have a moment where I was like... no. enough. I do still follow women's tennis very closely!! but the state of the men's game looks SO dire right now headed into next season that I cannot even pretend to be mildly excited about the australian swing (which I usually am every year, in charlie brown trying to kick the football fashion)

but yeah honestly every time I revisit motogp it's this kind of... man, I am operating with crumbs when it comes to tennis, and then motogp is kind enough to hand you an entire buffet. and admittedly valentino does deserve a lot of credit here, also makes the other blokes more interesting, can't imagine what the sport would be like without him. but crucially, you do just end up with a far more interesting slate of guys. it's a shame because, again, I might be biased but I fully believe tennis as a sport has insane amounts of narrative potential. it's just... yeah, idk what's happened. it IS also a men-specific problem, like obviously noughties wta cooked insanely hard by every metric and the women's game is still plenty engaging since then. but still!! frustrating

also my thing is. okay so the women's game right now obviously also isn't feuds galore, the top girlies mostly get on fine and there's not TOO much of an edge there. but I still far prefer it to the men, and not just because I think the women generally have way more personality. it's also just... idk, I sometimes joke with my friends that I have a chart in my head with two axes that goes. x axis = skill; y axis = evil. or maybe not EVIL, just like. capacity for drama. and draw a line across the chart. and if you're under that line, I just can't deal with you. I love underdogs, I still root for a bunch of scrubs on the men's side who are journeymen or chokers or just kinda mid. same obviously with the women. but then at the top of the men's game, it's just?? these guys who dominate SO much and are SO good, but who quite frankly do not have enough narrative juice to sustain that kind of dominance. (okay maybe rather than 'evil', let's say 'narrative juice' as the y axis.) I'm not saying they're ALL so boring that I'd hate them if they were ranked ten positions lower, but given the chokehold first the big three then this current lot have had on the game... simply not good enough

whereas with the women, we've obviously had a chaos era or three, but now we have these women who are all like... really strong, really pushing each other forward, but also deeply imperfect! and I mean that in the best way possible. igatha with her rigidness and fragility and inability to step back when she's returning - who's so fucking good, but also constantly seems to be walking a mental tightrope and is currently in a bit of a crisis where her game is at. sublanko with her history of semifinal choking and serving yips and who's constantly visibly fighting herself on the court. the fascinating contrast that particular rivalry provides, not least in how they behave on the court. gauff, who constantly appears to have a major part of her game falling apart whether it's the forehand or now the serve - and who is overcoming that primarily by just making herself ridiculously hard to beat. I could go on, I mean where do you even start with ryba... all these current stars of the sport who really feel like they're here to stay - yeah, they're not cooking up complex feuds so it's never going to be COMPLETE brainworms territory for me, but I still find it deeply deeply compelling!! I love watching them play, I'm rooting for them to figure their shit out... but also not. like. too much. it's great to follow in sporting terms!!

and if you are going to be so dominant over the sport, so unyielding, so unblinking in your refusal to allow new major competitors to emerge for such an extended period of time... well, then, as far as I'm concerned you'd better be motogp alien levels of deranged. like, that's the bar for me. sure, then I can accept it. none of this awful 'oh well, the less talented guy lost his five hundredth consecutive slam final, what can you do' business, if you're going to suppress the less talented then at least do it with the ruthlessness and affinity for existential horror that valentino displayed towards sete. enough with pretending like crowds booing your opponents for having the temerity to challenge you is something you don't even notice - at least weaponise it like valentino did. tennis as a gentleman's sport is unbearable... I'm not a gentleman, I want mess. and if you're going to dominate, at least attempt to beat each other to death with hammers!! god. is that too much to ask for

[almostfantasy]

Rafael Nadal is quizzed on his Wimbledon knowledge

[carlitosalcaritos]

A little personal story about Madison Keys

So I got into tennis in 2013 as a 16 year old and my first ever live tennis event was Wimbledon in 2014. I went with my best friend and I was SO excited, I didn’t sleep the night before. We got there super early but there was still a HUGE crowd outside the practice courts. My friend and I were right at the back of the crowd, and we waited an hour without seeing any tennis players. We were tired and didn’t think we’d ever see any players or get an autograph from anyone. Suddenly Madison Keys appeared and we were absolutely buzzing even just to see a pro tennis player up close and in the flesh. She stayed for 30 minutes, making sure every single person in that crowd got an autograph or a picture, even though she was struggling with an injury and only 19 years old. Despite us being at the back, Madi spotted us and some other kids desperately trying to get an autograph and beckoned us to the front so we were able to get an autograph and a picture. Her kindness made me love tennis even more and the thoughtfulness she showed made me become a fan. I still have the photo and the autograph almost eleven years later and it’s one of my clearest memories. I am so so happy for her (Australian Open champion!!) as I remember her simple act of kindness for a young tennis fan and how it made me fall in love with the sport. ❤️

[bluespring864]

Tags by @crossedcourt <3

I will now run with them and write an essay because I am always insane about Novandy ;-)

Specifically I want to talk about the "yes i've beaten you on every surface" part. Because I've had a few messages and seen a few comments to the effect of "Wait, they are starting a partnership at the Australian Open of all places?! How many times did Novak beat Andy there?" To which the answer is: Andy lost four of his five Australian Open finals to Novak, three of them rather badly (two in straight sets, one with a fourth set bagel) and he also very narrowly lost probably the most epic match they ever played - according to both of them - which was the Australian Open semifinal in 2012.

While this would be devastating and a cause for animosity for many tennis players I need you to understand that THEY ARE NOT LIKE THAT. At their first meeting at an under-14 tournament, Les Petits As in France in 2001, which concidentally was Novak's first international tournament ever, Andy destroyed him 6-0, 6-1 (Novak: "You gave me one game!") and they still laugh about it to this day. If and when they do press for this new coaching partnership, expect this to come up a few times.

It has always felt to me like their modus operandi was: us against the world (Novak: “Sometimes we catch up for dinner. It’s good to see somebody you grew up with doing so well in professional tennis and it’s great to show to people that top-five players, who are big rivals on the court, can be really good friends as well.”) And it never really changed, even when Novak took a commanding 24-11 lead in the H2H over the years (I am only counting matches played and leaving out the fucking tragic walkover from Andy that prevented their last meeting from happening), after it briefly almost evened out in 2012/2013.

This attitude, of course, is rather impressive from Andy, who could very well be bitter about how differently their careers have gone, considering that they are such similar players who were born only one week apart and that there was definitely much more hype around Andy at the start of their careers (Novak said when they were both 18 and played doubles at, you've guessed it, the Australian Open, that he would and wouldn't like to be like Andy because on the one hand Andy had much more support than him at the time, on the other hand he had the crushing weight of expectations to contend with).

But instead of being bitter, for the last few years of his career you could hear Mr. Murray say things like: “It would be amazing to see him do it [win the 23d Grand Slam] on Sunday. I will be supporting him. And I hope he can do it. Because it is incredible what he has done.” or plainly "I'm happy for him, he deserves it." Or even: "After Wimbledon [2023], everyone was saying it was a changing of the guard, but it wasn't for me." Oh it wasn't for you? You are defensive over the man who has beaten you more than any other in your career being written off too early?

Even during that crazy year of 2016, when they were the two frontrunners in the rankings by miles and Andy was chasing the number one spot, what did he say after losing the only French Open final he ever played? Well, he started it off with "This is his day today. What he’s achieved the last 12 months is phenomenal." and not only told the audience they had been extremely lucky to see Novak make history once again, but also ended with: "I’m proud to have been a part of today."

Us. Against. The. World.

So that's Andy, but what about Novak? Well, not to be outdone he will mention Andy in almost every interview, even when he was very much not asked about him. He will remember the 2013 Wimbledon final which he lost in straight sets to Andy as "a historic, special moment that I cherish" and, on court at the ATP Finals 2016, after his own second half of the year had been rather dismal, he also explained to the crowd that they were part of history that day and that "It was an honour to be on the court and to be a part of the big occasion. Andy is definitely number one of the world. He is the best player. He deserved to win."

If asked about the best matches he has played with Andy he will readily mention the 2012 London Olympics semifinal. We all know how important the Olympics have always been to Novak (if you didn't before 2024, you certainly know now) and this was a semifinal loss at his beloved Olympics in straight sets. Let that sink in.

When Andy retired this year, Novak explained: “He will inspire many generations to come. He inspires me, and we are about the same age." He, who has just finished his career outside of the top 100 and in a doubles match because his body wouldn't even let him play singles anymore, inspires you, who has achieved more than any other in this sport? That's really lovely, Novak. Oh, and by the way, how about Andy becoming world No. 1 and ending Novak's longest stint at No. 1 in his career? Novak's post at the time: "I am really happy to be in the same era with you."

Us. Against. The. World.

So, to make a very long story short: If I was surprised about the coaching news yesterday it was because they actually went for it, not because it seemed outlandish to me in any way. As you can see, it makes perfect sense. I am really glad we are getting another chapter of this story which - according to Novak - is "A script, a long story. A romance, I’ll call it." after we previously were treated to - according to Andy - "Rivals, doubles partners, friends and lovers?" By the way, he still has that Instagram post pinned. Anyway, before I digress, let me conclude this by saying:

You thought their story was over? Think again.

[dreamymaiyaaaa]

Written by Fate

Andy's one of the first tournament as Junior back in 2001 against Novak.

Andy's first masters 100 title in Cincinnati, 2008 against Novak.

Andy's first Grand Slam Title US Open in 2012 against Novak.

Andy's first Wimbledon Championship in 2013 against Novak.

Andy's first time as World No 1 in 2016 against Novak.

Honorable mention,

Novak's first time winning French Open in 2016 against Andy.

In all of these events,

Born a week apart, they have been each other's very first, since the day they were 11 year old boys with dreams and high hopes.

The coaching news seems so fitting with this notion.

Andy's first time as Coach of Novak.

They are finally in the same team.

[racingliners]

Tagged by @babysdrivers, thanks Keeley!!!!

Rules: Make a poll of your Top 5 favourite films and see which one your followers like best!

Tagging: @shovson, @roscoehamiltons, @comraderoscoes, @hungriestheidi, @schumigrace, @rosberggp, @dickinfectionbez, @brawngp2009, @dieschwartzman and @kyogos

[killa-trav]

irwanmussry: It’s true that I’m here for Wimbledon but now this is becoming more of a Formula 1 week for me. So happy to have met Sebastian Vettel today, one truly remarkable driver who has such a fine soul. He is one of the most successful drivers in Formula One history with his four World Drivers' Championship titles won consecutively from 2010 to 2013. He was also the youngest World Champion, which still blows my mind today!

[pleasereadmeok]

I'm hellishly busy at the moment - hopefully back next week when Wimbledon starts.

Wimbledon tennis gets going on Monday - so keep your eyes on the crowd coz you never know who you might spot!

Matthew Goode has turned up at Wimbledon a few times.  Hope to see him in the royal box again this year.  Just keep looking for him and 🤞🏻

📷 Ralph Lauren x 2 from 2013, The Sun x1 from 2018 (with Sophie in white`) and the rest from 2019 license purchased by @alyssa-ty

[janesurlife]

"When I was young, I learned a lesson that is still etched in my mind. I'm not sure how old I was exactly, but I think I was around 12. During that age, I loved to go fishing. I love the sea, because I am of Mallorca, and in my case the sea is part of my life. It is about the feeling of being by the sea, sitting on the rocks with your family and friends, or on a boat: the disconnection and peace you feel is something. special. One day I went fishing when I could having been training. The next day I lost my match. I remember I was crying in the car on the way home, and my uncle, who at that early age had a great influence on me, and who made me fall in love with tennis, told me : “Okay, it's just a tennis match. Don't cry now, there's no point. If you want to fish, you can fish. But if you want to win, you have to do what you have to first. do.” It was a very important lesson for me. He sees me as a perfectionist, so it's because of that inner voice that was calling me on the car ride home. The voice has never left me. One day I will be able to be in the sea. "Today and tomorrow... I have to practice."

"I wasn't a kid who really had sports idols. I guess it has to do with my Mallorcan character. My heroes were people I knew in real life. But when I was 12 years old I was able to play for the first time with Carlos Moyá. A Spanish compatriot, also from Mallorca. French Open champion and first Spanish player to be number 1. I was so nervous just to hit some balls with him. It was an unforgettable experience, a window to another world. Tennis was transforming from something that was just for fun (a child's game) to a true pursuit of making a living. It made me dream a little more. One day, maybe I can play at Roland-Garros..."

"But pain is one of life's greatest teachers. I got hurt when I was 17 and was told I would probably never play professional tennis again. I learned that things can end in an instant. It's not just a small crack in my foot, it is a disease. There is no cure, only management. What does that mean? You go from the greatest joy to waking up the next morning without being able to walk. great lesson of humility and I was lucky to have a father (the true influence I have had in my life) who was always so positive. "We will find a solution," he said. "And if we don't, there are other things in life besides the problem. tennis." Hearing those words, I could barely process it, but thank God, after a lot of pain, surgeries, rehab, and tears, a solution was found and, all these years, I was able to fight it."

"Tennis is a sport that demands a lot from you mentally, but there are many moments of joy that I will never forget. The Davis Cup in 2004, Roland Garros in 2005, of course Wimbledon in 2008. But then there is my first US Open and when I closed the circle of the Grand Slam tournaments in Melbourne. And I don't forget those tournaments like the one in Madrid and Barcelona in my country, or the one in Indian Wells in Miami, or the one in Cincinnati where I won. for the first time in 2013, or the beautiful Monte Carlo, or the special feeling of Rome, or Shanghai and Beijing with those incredible fans... Canada, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, my first days in Buenos Aires... so many. of incredible memories. However, you can never stop trying. You can never relax. You always have to improve, and that has been the constant in my life. That's how I became a better player.

For 30 years, the image I conveyed to the world was not always what I felt inside. Honestly, I've been nervous before every game I've played; that never leaves you. Every night before a game I went to bed feeling like I might lose (and when I woke up in the morning too!). In tennis, the difference between players is very fine, and between rivals even more so. When you go out on the field anything can happen, that's why all your senses must be awake, alive. That feeling, the inner fire and the nerves, the adrenaline of going out and seeing a full court, is a very difficult feeling to describe. It is a feeling that only a few can understand, and something that I am sure will never be the same again now that I retire as a professional. There will still be those moments playing exhibitions and maybe in other sports as well. "I will always compete and try to do my best, but it won't be the same feeling as walking in front of the fans in a certain stadium."

For most of my career, I was good at controlling emotions. With one exception. I went through a very difficult time, mentally, a few years ago. I was very used to physical pain, but there were times on the court when I had a hard time controlling my breathing and I couldn't play at the highest level. I have no problem saying it now. After all, we are human beings, not superheroes. The person you see on center court with a trophy is a person. Exhausted, relieved, happy, grateful, but only one person. Fortunately, I haven't gotten to the point where I can't control things like anxiety, but there are times with every player when it's hard to control your mind, and when that happens it's hard to have full control of your game. There were months when I thought about taking a complete break from tennis to clear my mind. In the end, I worked on it every day to get better. I conquered it by always moving forward and little by little I became myself again. What I am most proud of is that I may have struggled, but I never gave up. "I always gave my best."

Tennis is also a teacher of life itself. Most of the time, you don't win the tournament you play. No matter who you are, at the end of many weeks you will have lost. Real life is the same. You learn to live with the moments of joy and the moments of pain, and try to treat them the same way. In the good times I never thought he was Superman and in the bad times I never thought he was a failure. "What makes you grow as a person is life itself: the failures, the nerves, the anguish, the joy, the process of waking up every day and trying to be a little better to achieve your goals." "At the end of the day, you get what you give. I hope my legacy is that I always tried to treat others with deep respect. This was my parents' golden rule. When I was a child, my father He always told me: “Inventing is difficult. Copying is much easier.” It wasn't about life. Look around you and see how people you admire treat people. them. Act like them and you will probably live a happy life. I carried that lesson with me in every game I played. I was not driven by hatred for my rivals, but by deep respect and admiration I simply tried to wake up every morning and improve a little to keep up with them. "I tried... I always tried." "For over 30 years I have given everything I could to this game. In return, I received joy and happiness. Joy and happiness, love and friendship, and so much more... Sincerely, Rafa."

[silvianap]

Did you have any favorite movie of Nik?

Hey Anon! Thank you for your question :D

Of course I have a favorite movie of Nik! He's my favorite actor and in all my entire life I've watched almost 60 of his works! (movies, series, short films, documentaries etc)

Here's my TOP 10 (movies edition):

1- "A Thousand Times Good Night" (2013)

2- "A Second Chance" (2014)

3- "Shot Caller" (2017)

4- "Suicide Tourist" (2019)

5- "The Day We Died" (2020)

6- "A Taste of Hunger" (2021)

7- "Against the Ice" (2023)

8- "3 Ting" (2017)

9- "Headhunters" (2011)

10- "The Silencing" (2020)

BONUS: "Wimbledon" (2007), the movie that introduced me to him for the first time ❤️

[justforbooks]

Martina Navratilova (born October 18, 1956) is a Czech-American former professional tennis player. Widely considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, Navratilova won 18 major singles titles, 31 major women's doubles titles, and 10 major mixed doubles titles, for a combined total of 59 major titles, the most in the Open Era. Alongside Chris Evert, her greatest rival, Navratilova dominated women's tennis for the first two-thirds of the 1980s.

Navratilova was ranked as the world No. 1 in singles for a total of 332 weeks (second only to Steffi Graf), and for a record 237 weeks in doubles, making her the only player in history to have held the top spot in both disciplines for over 200 weeks. She won 167 top-level singles titles and 177 doubles titles, both the Open Era records. She won a record six consecutive singles majors across 1983 and 1984 while simultaneously winning the Grand Slam in doubles. Navratilova claims the best professional season winning percentage, 98.8% in 1983 (going 86–1 for the season), and the longest all-surface winning streak of 74 straight match wins. She reached the Wimbledon singles final 12 times, including for nine consecutive years from 1982 through 1990, and won the title a record nine times. Navratilova is one of the three tennis players, along with Margaret Court and Doris Hart, to have accomplished a career Grand Slam in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, called the career "Boxed Set". She won her last major title, the mixed doubles crown at the 2006 US Open, shortly before her 50th birthday, and 32 years after her first major title in 1974.

Originally from Czechoslovakia, Navratilova was stripped of her citizenship when, in 1975 at age 18, she asked the United States for political asylum and was granted temporary residence. She became a US citizen in 1981. On January 9, 2008, Navratilova reacquired Czech citizenship, thus becoming a dual citizen. She stated she has not renounced her U.S. citizenship nor does she plan to do so, and that reclaiming Czech nationality was not politically motivated. Navratilova has been openly gay since 1981, and has been an activist on gay rights.

Navratilova is considered one of the best female tennis players of all time and in 2005, Tennis magazine selected her as the greatest female tennis player for the years 1965 through 2005, directly over Steffi Graf. Billie Jean King, a former World No. 1 player, said in 2006 that Navratilova is "the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who's ever lived." In 2008, tennis historian and journalist Bud Collins called Navratilova "arguably, the greatest player of all time."

In 2000, she became a member of the Laureus Sports Foundation's Academy.

In 2006, Martina Navratilova was named by Equality Forum as one of their 31 Icons of the LGBT History Month.

Tennis writer Steve Flink, in his book The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century (1999), named her as the second best female player of the 20th century, directly behind Steffi Graf.

In 2009, Navratilova was awarded the International Tennis Federation's (ITF) highest accolade, the Philippe Chatrier Award, for her contributions to tennis both on and off the court.

In June 2011, she was named one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future" by Time.

In March 2012, The Tennis Channel named Navratilova as the second greatest female tennis player of all times, behind Steffi Graf, in their list of 100 greatest tennis players of all times.

On August 2, 2013, Navratilova was among the first class of inductees into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame.

On May 12, 2016, Navratilova was made an honorary fellow of Lucy Cavendish College of the University of Cambridge.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?