#Roger Federer #Rafael Nadal #Fedal #Legends

They were affectionately referred to as "The Nike Twins" back in the really old days 😆 I'll ser if I can find the truly terrifying faceswap manip someone made.

Remember when once upon a time they shared a clothing sponsorship so they get to have extra 'involuntary' hang out times in Nike events aside from the ATP promotions, council meetings, matches, and oh the 100 TIMES THEY NEED TO SEE EACH OTHER DAILY??

I was going to say a few things – number one, back to my wife and Rafa. I wanted to just give a shoutout to him. He had an unbelieveable year himself, we had a great battle, and it’s because of a guy like him that I feel like I’ve become a better player as well, so he could well - could very well have been here as well tonight and standing here with this award…An incredible friend, and an incredible athlete, so just like to give a shoutout to him.

Roger Federer casually thanking his wife and Rafa in the same sentence and then talking about Rafa for 2 minutes, without actually mentioning Mirka until later. (via imagesofperfection)

I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade (I’m a Fedal believer through and through), but they showed the ceremony on Eurosport Norway and not wanting to wake my housemates I listened to it with headphones. What I’m hearing is “back to my rival Rafa” (because Rafa was a fellow nominee who was featured in the video shown prior to the presentation), not “my wife and Rafa”. I’m perfectly willing to be challenged on this point (by native speakers with better headphones, lol).

Which doesn’t take ANYTHING away from the moment. He clearly had decided to mention Rafa first because, well, that’s what he does these days. He’s just at the forefront of Roger’s mind at all times. He clearly cherishes their relationship both on and off court so much. Roger has become incredibly sentimental about their rivalry, and very invested in maintaining the relationship after their careers end.

And to think that the second one was taken after the bizarre charity doubles match with the not-so-friendly rivals Sampras and Agassi. The latter couldn't stop sniping at each other while Fedal just looked on in confusion 🤣

They kinda explored that angle (Watson being hurt by Holmes’ deception) in the stage play with Jeremy and Edward, did they not? I wish there was video footage of that play somewhere. 

The relationship between Holmes and Watson in the BBC adaptation feels downright antagonistic to me, which is one of the (many) reasons I’ve stopped watching that show.

“…my most treasured possession”

Carver is the worst thing that has happened to Supernatural. So where are the complaints? Why has he lasted longer than Sera Gamble? Sera wasn't perfect, but she had a better understanding of the boys than Jeremy. Carver seems passive-aggressive to me. Like he wants to destroy the show. Bury it, and move on.

I think it’s a crying shame that Supernatural has been driven into the ground by a show runner who probably hasn’t had an original idea in his entire life.

Carver is absolutely TERRIBLE at what he does.

He’s a complete wank who thinks that canon is something you use to lob heavy ordinance at the enemy.

I wish he’d go play somewhere else but I suspect he’s still around for the same reasons the extra is, no one else will hire him.

I love everything about this post

Tennis' popularity has been rising for the past few decades. Yet, with the high-profile superstardom it brought and the elegant image it projected, it is often easy to overlook why it is actually one of the most physically and mentally demanding sports to play on a professional level.

Here are a few major points that make it stand out:

There is no time limit in tennis. Uniquely rare in individual sports, tennis matches are won by points (winning 2 sets out of 3 or 3 sets out of 5), which means the match is going to be played until a winner is reached and the time it takes to finish one point is wholly dependent on rally length. The longest tennis match ever recorded is a first round Wimbledon 2010 match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut, lasting for 11 hours and 5 minutes played over three days. The longest grand slam final (one that is played in one sitting) is the 5 hours and 53 minutes Australian Open 2012 match between Nadal and Djokovic. After the match, both could barely stand for the trophy ceremony.

Tennis matches cannot be won by a simple stroke of luck in the right moment, as its scoring measures consistency, requiring the highest level of physical fitness throughout the entirety of the match. Unlike simple accumulative score such as in football, tennis has a quirky rule that only allows players to win a game or a set if they won it consecutively twice. For instance, once players reached "deuce" (a 40-40 score) in a game, they would have to win two points in a row to win the game. If they win one and lose the next point, the result would always go back to deuce (neutral), no matter how long it takes.

Tennis is the only sports that are played in different surfaces. The four grand slams are played in hard courts, clay courts, and grass courts. The surfaces are incredibly crucial to the way the game plays out, as the ball bounced completely different both speed-wise and touch-wise on each, creating an immense variability in playing possibilites. Professional tennis players that go on tour have to switch between surfaces many times during a year, having to readjust their game completely once a new surface season began.

Breaking into the top rankings in tennis is a herculean task precisely because it was made to be so. Unlike in other sports such as football, tournament draws in tennis are not random, they are based on ranking seedings. This means that the top two ranked players are always positioned at opposite ends of the draws (i.e., they are only able to meet in the finals) and subsequently with the next in line. The quality of play thus always improves the closer you get to the end of the tournament. However, it also means that low-ranked players have to defeat the top 10 consecutively to actually win the tournament. This is very rare, and when it does happen it usually marks a new era of players, just as when Roger Federer upset Pete Sampras to win his first Wimbledon in 2003.

Tennis is, perhaps even more than a physical sport, a mental one. Sports analysts have noted that the majority of players in the top 50 have equally good forehands and backhands, except for rare cases such as the big three (i.e., Federer, Nadal, Djokovic), or service masters (e.g., Serena Williams, John Isner, etc.). What differentiates the superstars is mental strength during long and critical matches (e.g., championship or match points) because of the high chance of comeback that the scoring and no time-limit provides. For instance, Rafael Nadal won his 2022 Australian Open coming back after down 2 sets and a break point.

Tennis, especially in singles, is one of the loneliest, most individually competitive sports there is. Unlike team sports such as football or baseball, coaching during matches are highly forbidden and can lead to penalties. This means each player has zero contact with anyone during the usually 2 to 5 hours matches they play, relying solely on their own mental capacity, problem solving skills, and strategy decision.

Professional tennis is not only physically demanding it is also incredibly complicated technique-wise. There is an incredible array of shots available to play (a flat or topspin shot, a serve, a forehand, a backhand, a slice backhand, a drop-shot, etc.) and each has a different grip. Professional tennis playes usually change the way they hold their rackets mid-point, and has to vary them greatly to ensure different outcomes for each shot.

Strangely, unlike team sports such as football, tennis players share locker rooms with all their fellow competitors every tournament. Some tournaments such as Wimbledon even gather the top 20 players in a separate locker room. This means that rivals who play each other the most, especially in finals (as all the others would've left the locker room) would see each other more often than others. Top 50 players travelling around the world to play the competitive ATP (male) and WTA (female) world tour see their rivals and peers more than their own family. As tennis does not allow draws, when a tournament is over, the winner and the loser have to commiserate and celebrate in the same room.

This high amount of contact that players need to endure with each other, however, also elevates the standard of sportsmanship in the sports and have produced some of the most unique dynamics. Bonded through shared experiences of the worst and best moments in their lives, some maintained relationships lasting decades perhaps fittingly proving that in the end, even the most competitive sports cannot best our humane traits of friendship, respect, and love.

This is merely lip service, in my opinion. There’s no reflection of these sentiments on screen so far this season. In fact, there seems to be a deliberate effort to downplay the brotherly bond. Mrs. Singer (and her equally inept writing partner) are the worst offenders, and their scripts are probably more “officially sanctioned” by Bob than those of the other writers. So I’m compelled to believe that Bob Singer is no fan of the brother bond, but will use it for promotional purposes.

Some high points of Bob Singer’s panel at NJCon courtesy of @Fangasm_SPN and @Sam_Maddy on Twitter.

There really is no hope for him. 

What a labour of love! Thank you so much for this.

It’s over! it’s done! Quick recap: so basically I uploaded the blu-ray rips of the whole series to Google Drive (36 episodes and 5 movies) so everyone can enjoy them and marvel at the beauty of the cream-colored suit in HD. For now the episodes don’t have any subtitles, none of the subs available out there are synced for the blu-ray rips, so if someone wants to contribute with that please let me know! and that’s all there’s to know about it for now. I really hope you have a nice time watching it whether is the first time you watch the series or the 1000th time :) here are the links:

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

A Scandal in Bohemia

The Dancing Men

The Naval Treaty

The Solitary Cyclist

The Crooked Man

The Speckled Band

The Blue Carbuncle

The Copper Beeches

The Greek Interpreter

The Norwood Builder

The Resident Patient

The Red-Headed League

The Final Problem

The Return of Sherlock Holmes

The Empty House

The Abbey Grange

The Musgrave Ritual

The Second Stain

The Man with the Twisted Lip

The Priory School

The Six Napoleons

The Sign of Four

The Devil’s Foot

Silver Blaze

Wisteria Lodge

The Bruce-Partington Plans

The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax

The Problem of Thor Bridge

Shoscombe Old Place

The Boscombe Valley Mystery

The Illustrious Client

The Creeping Man

The Master Blackmailer

The Last Vampyre

The Eligible Bachelor

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

The Three Gables

The Dying Detective

The Golden Pince-Nez

The Red Circle

The Mazarin Stone

The Cardboard Box

@robealafrancaise @itsnotchancemrholmesitschess @blogoftangents @acdhw @cynassa @luscious-theomorphic @nine-twentyfive @jazziesb @n-oy-a  @jobooksncoffee