crazyscot

I’ve loved tennis for as long as I can remember. I was a kid when Boris Becker won Wimbledon for the first time, and I still remember the shock and thrill of it. Every summer, I’d watch the big tournaments—Wimbledon, the US Open—cheering for favourites, crying over finals, holding my breath through tiebreaks. Tennis has always been there in the background of my life.

But this past year? Something changed. I didn’t just watch the tournaments. I tripped and fell face-first into the tennis rabbit hole, and my ADHD brain never looked back.

Suddenly I wasn’t just watching finals—I was streaming early-round matches from obscure courts in the middle of the night. I was memorising ranking points, tracking players through Challenger events, and refreshing draw sheets like it was my job. What had been a familiar hobby became a full-blown hyperfixation.

And honestly? It makes perfect sense. Because tennis, as a sport, is practically tailor-made for the ADHD brain.

🧠 The ADHD Brain Craves Chaos (And Tennis Delivers)

People talk about ADHD like it’s a lack of attention—but really, it’s an avalanche of attention. A constant, restless hunger for stimulation. We don’t just want something to focus on—we want everything, all at once, right now.

Tennis is perfect for that. It’s always moving. Always shifting. There’s no off-season, just a weekly churn of tournaments: new cities, new surfaces, new stories. Matches run almost 24/7, thanks to international time zones and overlapping events. And my brain absolutely eats it up.

Some days I feel like I’m conducting an entire symphony of tennis in the background of my life. I’ve got live scores on the BBC site permanently open. I’m lurking in Discord servers, scrolling Tumblr, catching up on fan analysis, watching streams on one screen while doing something completely unrelated on another. If I can’t watch, I’ll listen—commentary in my ears while I work, drive, cook. I always want to know what’s happening, who’s playing, and what it means for the rankings.

And I’ve had so many favourite players over the years. McEnroe, Becker, Agassi, Hewitt, Ferrero, Ferrer, Henman, Rusedski, Nadal... names that marked different eras of my life. Right now? It’s Jannik Sinner. I’m a little bit feral about him, if I’m honest. His calm intensity, the way he’s grown, the narrative of it all. My brain has fully latched on.

Hyperfixation means I don’t just enjoy tennis—I need it. I collect every detail, chase every stat, build an emotional attachment to players’ arcs like they’re characters in an epic novel. I cheer like a maniac. I grieve their losses like personal heartbreaks. It’s deeply immersive, and deeply ADHD.

💥 The Joy of Feeling Everything

One of the secret superpowers of ADHD is intensity. When we love something, we love it big. It’s not casual; it’s not background noise. It’s a full-body, full-brain experience. And with tennis, that intensity finds the perfect outlet.

I get emotionally attached to players like they’re old friends. I follow their arcs, their interviews, their off-court stories. I root for the underdogs, the veterans on a comeback, the teenagers making their first deep run. I feel the drama of a five-setter in my bones. I get actual adrenaline spikes during match points. Sometimes I have to pause matches to pace around the room like a sports parent at a school final.

Tennis gives me endless narratives to invest in—rivalries, redemption stories, unexpected breakthroughs. And the sport’s natural unpredictability? Chef’s kiss. My ADHD brain thrives on that kind of emotional volatility. It's dopamine with a scoreboard.

🌀 …But Also, It Can Get a Bit Much

Of course, the flip side of hyperfixation is that it’s not always healthy. ADHD doesn’t really come with a dimmer switch. When I’m in it, I’m all in. And sometimes, that means I burn out.

I’ll watch twelve/thirteen hours of matches in a day (first day of Wimbledon there were TWENTY SEVEN matches I wanted to watch), forget to eat lunch, and then feel completely wiped out with post-slam emptiness when it’s all over. I’ll refresh pages and track rankings like my mood depends on it—and sometimes, it kind of does. There are days when I realise I haven’t listened to music or read a book in weeks because all my spare time is going to livestreams, stats, and press conference clips.

And when a favourite player loses—especially if it’s early, or unexpected—it can hit harder than it should. It feels silly sometimes, getting so upset about a sport. But hyperfixation doesn’t really care what’s “rational.” It’s real. The emotions are real.

There’s also the ADHD guilt loop: the moment I step back and go, Should I be this obsessed? Should I be more balanced? Should I care less? The truth is, I don’t always want to care less. But I do try to remind myself to pause. To breathe. To let myself step away when I need to. Because I know the cycle by now: fixation, immersion, burnout, reset.

💛 Letting It Matter

I’ve learned not to fight it anymore—this way my brain grabs hold of things and refuses to let go. My ADHD doesn’t always play by the rules, but it’s not broken. It’s wired for passion. For deep dives. For connection.

Tennis gives me structure and chaos at the same time. A rhythm that’s always changing. A story that’s never finished. It gives my brain something to build with—facts, feelings, routines, predictions. It’s comfort. It’s stimulation. It’s joy.

Yes, sometimes I have to pull back. Sometimes I have to take a breath and remind myself I don’t need to follow every match or know every stat. But other times? I lean in. I let myself feel it all. The wins, the losses, the late-night streams. The Tumblr memes and score-watching tabs and yelling into the void with strangers on Discord.

Because in a world that often tells neurodivergent people to be less, to be quieter, calmer, more contained—hyperfixation can feel like resistance. Like claiming joy on our own terms.

So yes, I am currently obsessed with Jannik Sinner. Yes, I do keep live scores open while working. Yes, I cry over matches and scream over fifth sets and watch tennis like it’s the greatest drama ever written.

And honestly?

It kind of is.

“You see,” Edmund began, and all leaned in, visibly listening, “it wasn’t just romance that kept Lucy in Narnia. She is with Caspian, now, but she also had a – a vision isn’t quite right. She was shown a prophetic image in a magical book, and Aslan vouched, later, personally, for its truth. She acted as she did to attempt to divert what she saw, and I think we’d better do likewise, on our end. Here’s what you all need to know.”

Posted by jwz

https://www.jwz.org/blog/2025/07/me-looking-at-the-google-fiber-ad-on-my-desk-right-now/

https://jwz.org/b/ykrw

Previously, previously, previously, previously.

https://www.jwz.org/blog/2025/07/me-looking-at-the-google-fiber-ad-on-my-desk-right-now/

https://jwz.org/b/ykrw

Today I went for a physio appointment.

(This one was for a whole different area, yay, and a different person, and I think went quite well.)

But anyway, I walked back a slightly different way, taking me along the parade of shops on the main drag towards the Tube station, and then the parade of shops round the corner from where I reside.

And okay, there were the boutique independent coffee shops, and assorted eateries of varied ethnicities, and a rather interesting-looking poncey delicatessen I had not checked before with some rather fascinating vinegars in the window (you were temptaaaaation), and the usual things like estate agents, dry cleaners, newsagents, pharmacy, etc.

Also:

Several yoga/Pilates studios, can there really be that much of a demand??? Maybe they offer different styles, but even so.

And there are two picture-framers within half a mile of one another, what are the odds, eh? This seems to me so very niche an enterprise I was wondering if 'picture-framing' is actually a front for something else.

I have also, slightly to my horror, discovered that the florist/fruit & veg shop where I bought the aubergines the other week, is run by a 'mumtrepreneur'. What fresh hell is this.

Last song I listened to: "Dog Days Are Over" by Florence + the Machine is playing on the Doof right now. I love this song.

Favorite color: Green.

Currently watching: Literally currently watching the Doof. Otherwise, we've just finished Murderbot and I think the next thing up in the queue is the new series of Strange New Worlds.

Last movie: D and I went to see Superman over the weekend, it was fun and good.

Currently reading: I just got Angela Saini's Superior from the library.

Coffee or tea: This is biphobic! I like both! I tend to drink tea because I make a pot every morning for the household, the rest of which can't have coffee for one reason or another. But I grew up with coffee, it reminds me of my parents and grandparents and lots of nice things. Once a week or so I find myself really missing coffee so I make myself some. And I think if the situation was reversed and I lived with coffee drinkers, I don't know that I would miss tea in the same way.

Sweet/savory/spicy: This is also biphobic! They're all good and they go together well (like genders!). I suppose I'd have to say savory if I really had to pick one.

Relationship status: I love being my boyfriend's boyfriend.

Looking forward to: We have tickets to the livestream of Ian McKellan's trans production of Twelfth Night tomorrow night, Smithfest (Mr. Smith is angelofthenorth's cat, whose birthday is being celebrated on Saturday with a party here so we get to meet some of her friends), and Sunday D and I might go to Sheffield to see the Midsommars, the group I talked about here.

Current obsessions: The following is a baseball thing so don't worry if it makes no sense. The trade deadline. I'm gonna be so so fucking sad if the Twins trade Willi Castro. And I will not be okay at all if they trade Joe Ryan!

Last Googled: Good question! Personally, apparently all the stuff I linked to in yesterday's entry. But since then for work I googled some boring stuff about the e-scooter trials in England being extended another two years.

Last thing you ate and really enjoyed: Tagine and clafoutis. angelofthenorth cooked tonight. This is how I learned what clafoutis is -- though it felt like something I could've easily grown up with. I bet my mom would love it.

Currently working on: For work, still the first draft of that report. I had to chair an excruciating meeting today with a bunch of people who are basically waiting on me to do that so they can do tasks that depend on it. Personally...hm, just the usual: trying to go to the gym and read library books in a timely fashion. I think my new project is trying to pursue top surgery privately but it's so far stuck at a very early hurdle and this makes me tired and defeatist.

Today I am thankful for...

• Occasionally having a lap full of melted cat. It does make it hard to type. And sometimes I get nipped.
• Finally getting around to writing a Thankful Thursday post. Not sure what happened there.
• Getting back on my prescription-strength iron pills. I can't prove that they're doing much, but I think some of my numbers are a little better. I'll find out next week in my appointment.
• Doctors' appointments by phone, and a vet who makes house calls.
• Zoom filk events in my timezone.

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2025/7/24/sea-otter-checks-out-her-new-digs

Via Shedd Aquarium, which writes:

Jade, the newest rescued sea otter at Shedd Aquarium, is settling into her new home!

She’s experiencing a series of firsts — from meeting her animal care team and fellow otters like Luna and Watson, to getting familiar with behind-the-scenes spaces. Most recently, Jade ventured into the sea otter exhibit in the Abbott Oceanarium for the very first time.

Watch as she explores her new surroundings, swims with curiosity and enjoys some icy enrichment along the way.

And here, they write:

Meet the newest rescued sea otter at Shedd. 🦦
 
Introducing… Jade!
 
After a surprise-and-delight naming vote from our guests, Jade earned her name — inspired by Jade’s Cove, a stunning stretch of California coastline just south of Monterey.
 
This curious 3-year-old joins our rescued otter raft as a potential surrogate and ambassador, helping connect visitors to the kelp forests and coastlines her species calls home.
 
Since arriving at Shedd, Jade has been making a splash — exploring the exhibit, meeting fellow otters like Luna and Watson and practicing important skills like grooming, foraging and diving.

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2025/7/24/sea-otter-checks-out-her-new-digs

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Nice day to walk in to work.
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.