Andrea Petkovic

Nov 22, 2024 | andreapetkovic.substack.com | Andrea Petkovic

The earth shattered and cried and resisted but in the end there was only one. Only one left of the big three, of the greatest tennis players the world had ever seen, the three who pushed each other to new heights so high it was dizzying to watch. Rafael Nadal has bid farewell. Finally, some would say, but I would venture to argue he did it in the only way he knew how.

Sep 20, 2024 | andreapetkovic.substack.com | Andrea Petkovic

I‘m normally not one to freak out or get nervous before entering a stage. Many talented players fall by the wayside of things because they hate playing on centre court. Too many people or too big a court and they falter. Practice champions we‘d call them. Despite having the word champion in the phrase, it is not a compliment. I had many problems with my game but playing on a big court was not one of them. I got 99 problems but centre court ain‘t one. I carried this skill over with me to my next life.

Sep 9, 2024 | andreapetkovic.substack.com | Andrea Petkovic

It’s over, folks. The last major tournament of the year has ended. The crowds were crowding, the winners were shining and the losers were Americans. Sorry. Thanks for reading Finite Jest! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. As I was walking over the decrepit wooden planks towards the 7 train after the men’s final, hordes of people around me, the sun setting over the skyline, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly exhausted. Three weeks came, three weeks went.

Jun 10, 2024 | andreapetkovic.substack.com | Andrea Petkovic

The second week of a major tournament is a strange organism to exist within. The facilities - the courts and the gym, the restaurant and the player’s lounge - become emptier, the matches become fuller. Literally and metaphorically. Literally fuller with more photographers in the photographer’s pit, more people in the stands and more family and friends in the players’ boxes. Metaphorically filled to the brim with tension and stakes, overflowing at times.

May 3, 2024 | theguardian.com | Andrea Petkovic

On a hot spring day in Munich, I went to a small movie theatre in the basement of an apartment building, dreading the prospect of missing an evening in the setting sun, possibly with a Bavarian beer in hand. The whole city seemed to be anxiously anticipating the upcoming Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. People roamed the streets, trying to find a place to watch football with their friends.