Ben Rothenberg
@BenRothenberg
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Journalist. Host @NCR_Tennis podcast. Author of new biography NAOMI OSAKA (). Eurovision enthusiast. benrothenberg1 @gmail .com //
Washington, DC
Joined July 2009
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Pinned Tweet
New
@NCR_Tennis
!
An interview with "Challengers" screenwriter
@JustinKuritzkes
on which infamous tennis match inspired his writing, the natural eroticism of tennis, and how the movie got so many details (like the Applebee's in Cincinnati) right.
Listen:
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With Serena Williams now retired, the active WTA player with the most Grand Slam titles is now…
…Venus Williams
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Asked Nadal about
#AusOpen
with or without Djokovic, and he had a very forceful response.
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Gorgeous photos of Serena Williams’ wedding to Alexis Ohanian in Vogue. Those jeweled Nikes for dancing are awesome.
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Roger Federer gracious as Rafael Nadal passes him in the Grand Slam count for the first time in their careers.
#AusOpen
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Serena Williams' win in Auckland makes it FOUR decades of being a champion.
Serena's wins by decade:
90s:🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
00s:🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
10s:🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
20s:🏆
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Here are Rafael Nadal’s full answers on the Novak Djokovic situation, which Nadal clearly thinks Djokovic created for himself.
Nadal has consistently backed the science of vaccines during the pandemic, so this is a pretty consistent line of answering for him.
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Whatever happens as this unfolds here, this is completely Novak Djokovic’s fault for not getting the vaccine in the first place, which he had *months* to do.
Best case scenario for everyone would have been a vaxxed Novak playing the
#AusOpen
with no drama. He chose against that.
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October 31, 1994: Venus Williams, 14, wins a match on the WTA Tour, in Oakland.
January 2, 2023: Venus Williams, 42, wins a match on the WTA Tour, in Auckland.
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Let's be honest, this was the real moment when Daniil Medvedev became a
#USOpen
champion.
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The three most reliably crowd-supported players in men’s tennis:
1) Federer
2) Nadal
3) Whoever is playing Djokovic
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NEW:
Novak Djokovic’s positive PCR test which he submitted to Melbourne court states that sample was taken and positive result returned on December 16, 7 hours apart.
This means all those pictures of Djokovic maskless with kids on the 17th came AFTER his positive Covid result.
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There’s more:
On December 17th, the day *after* Djokovic’s purported positive PCR test on December 16th, Djokovic attended an award ceremony for children at the Novak Tennis Center.
Many posts from the kids there posing for pictures with him that day, again masklessly indoors.
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BREAKING: WTA announces decision to suspend its tournaments in China due to the ongoing Peng Shuai situation.
From Steve Simon:
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BREAKING:
Alex Hawke, the Australian Minister for Immigration, has cancelled Novak Djokovic's Australian visa "on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so."
This is effectively a re-deportation order for the unvaccinated nine-time
#AusOpen
champion.
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Novak Djokovic’s last seven grand slam results:
Disqualified
🥈
🏆
🏆
🏆
🥈
Deported
Easily the wildest timeline in tennis history.
#AusOpen
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Mouratoglou admitted to ESPN that he coached.
Thus, the warning was correct by Ramos.
Then, racket abuse warning was indisputable.
Williams felt entitled to having coaching warning retracted, which never happens. So she ranted abusively, and got a third warning.
All fair.
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(Periodic and important reminder that Djokovic could have avoided all this rigamarole by simply getting vaccinated like 97%+ of his tennis player peers have.)
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I've always thought there should be more transparency about the substances players take, particularly during matches, but I've also rarely thought anything was likely amiss. But golly, the body language in this video is bizarre. What does the Djokovic team think needs hiding?
Can anyone who knows tennis explain what is going on here, and why it’s being done this way? It looks amazingly dodgy.
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Let's not lose sight of how wildly anti-science Djokovic has publicly been for years.
Here he was last year preaching about how you can change water with emotion.
Naive, but maybe these real consequences today can be a reality check for his nonsense?
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A question lingering: if Djokovic was claiming a coronavirus positive in last six months as reason for an exemption, when did he get it?
According to BBC, his lawyers say that Djokovic tested positive very recently, less than a month ago, on December 16.
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And yes, the immense irony of the FFT President not taking questions from the media in the wake of this Osaka withdrawal is not lost on anyone.
#RG21
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(Periodic and important reminder that Djokovic could have avoided all this rigamarole by simply getting vaccinated like 97%+ of his tennis player peers have.)
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Roger Federer in good spirits on his way to his farewell match.
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Venus Williams revealed her strategy for dealing with the media...which would certainly work for her:
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If you don’t know Frances Tiafoe’s tennis origin story, you should.
From sleeping in a spare room at the Maryland tennis center where his father was a maintenance man, all the way to the
#USOpen
quarterfinals.
By
@lizclarketweet
in 2014:
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Djokovic already in press.
"He was just able to take his tennis to another level in those particular moments in the beginning of all sets, except the fourth...I had my chances...he showed why he's a great champion, staying mentally tough...he deserved it."
#RolandGarros
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Not everything went Roger Federer’s way in his life and career, but gosh darn does he make you feel like it did. Grateful to the end.
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December 16 was a busy day for Djokovic:
In addition to purportedly getting a PCR test for Covid that came back positive, Djokovic also was part of a maskless, indoor panel discussion and attended a maskless, indoor ceremony for a stamp being made in his honor on that day.
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Carlos Alcaraz is so good. Like, so good. Crazy good. Break the scales good.
I’ve been covering the tour full time for 10+ years now and in that time there hasn’t been a young male player remotely *close* to generating Alcaraz level of organic excitement and awe.
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As he confirmed in his
#USOpen
speech, Medvedev's celebration was "L2 + Left," a.k.a. the code for the FIFA brick fall goal celebration.
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On an unfortunate incident at
#CincyTennis
yesterday:
During the first set of the women's qualifying match between Anna Kalinskaya and Anastasia Potapova, one of the players complained to the WTA chair umpire, Morgane Lara, about a woman sitting in the stands...
(1/12)🧵
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In some ways this is a fitting moment in Djokovic's 2020, which has dominated by a debate over whether one should be responsible for the negative outcomes of carelessness and reckless behavior despite having only "good intentions."
#USOpen
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18-y.o. Emma Raducanu completes the most improbable, extraordinary major run ever, beating 19-y.o. Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 to win the
#USOpen
.
Ranked 150th, Raducanu is first ever to win a major title as a qualifier.
She won *all 20 sets* she played, never needing a tiebreak.
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I just feel awful, foremost, for the Williams family, who put so much into making this movie the best it could be, and didn’t do anything to deserve how this night imploded.
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A positive test on December 16 would have come too late for the Tennis Australia exemption process deadline as described to players.
According to Tennis Australia documents, the deadline for applying for an exemption had been nearly a week earlier, “no later than” December 10.
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Also what an unreal feat by Darren Cahill, winning Slams coaching men (Hewitt, Agassi), then a woman (Halep), then a man again (Sinner).
Players from four distinct generations, cultures, and playing styles.
His versatility as a coach is unprecedented.
#AusOpen
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Happy Serena Williams Returns to Tennis Day, everybody!
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Rafael Nadal is off to an undefeated 15-0 start in 2022, all on hard courts, picking up a title in Acapulco to add to his two titles in Australia.
This is not how it was supposed to go for 35-year-old Nadal at this stage of his career, to say the least, but it's been amazing.
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Gael Monfils:
“Somehow I'm not losing the faith. I need one time…I won't win 20, but one time, just one time I need. I'm working for this. I still believe I can do it. It's hard…it's been 20 years that I'm not doing the good thing, but who knows? This year it might click.”
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Australia is waking up angry about the Djokovic exemption news.
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I have never seen a flood of WTA player reactions like this, especially to something that happened in R1 of a 250.
Goes to show how beloved Zhang Shuai is, most of all. The locker room will rally behind her with mighty force. They messed with the wrong one.
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Naomi Osaka:
“By the end of this year I would love to be top 10. By next year I would love to be the No. 1.
“Oh, that's a big statement.
“Close to…top 5. Erase that. Top 5.
“You know what? I'm going to set that goal. Top 1, yeah, No. 1.”
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An interested viewer closely watching Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells…
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Players at
#Wimbledon
usually wave down at the masses, but Ons Jabeur came down from the balcony to greet her adoring public. 🇹🇳
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Djokovic suddenly running out of fucks to give about the Centre Court crowd is a joy to behold, and very overdue.
#Wimbledon
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BREAKING:
Djokovic's application to have his visa cancellation overturned is to be "dismissed with costs."
Djokovic loses. He now has no Australian visa, and will be deported.
The nine-time
#AusOpen
champion will have to leave Australia in short order.
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As promised, “Where Is Peng Shuai?” shirts are being distributed at the south entrance of
#AusOpen
for this women’s final.
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Folks, it gets fishier.
Djokovic’s presented positive Covid test from December 16 (confirmation code 7371999-259039) comes with a QR code on it.
When you scan that QR code (and you can try yourself), it takes you to a website showing that test was *negative*, not positive.
🤷
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Novak Djokovic beating Nadal in the
#RolandGarros
semifinals last year was one of the greatest wins of his career.
Rafael Nadal beating Djokovic in the
#RolandGarros
quarterfinals tonight was one of the greatest wins of his career.
6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4).
4h12m
1:15 am.
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(Periodic and important reminder that Djokovic could have avoided all this rigamarole by simply getting vaccinated like 97%+ of his tennis player peers have.)
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Obsessed with how '90s after school special this looks.
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There's a lag in the question transmission in
#USOpen
interview room, and it's...taken some adjusting to.
Here's Andy Murray, a King Among Men, insisting that the wonderful
@avarwallace
doesn't get cut off by the moderator.
He remains a very good player, and a better dude.
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Players to win their first four Slam finals in the Open era (since 1968):
Monica Seles
Roger Federer
Naomi Osaka
That’s the whole list.
#AusOpen
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Daria Kasatkina, reposting from Navalny’s widow, remains the bravest voice in tennis right now.
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Slovakia’s Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova wore Ukrainian colors for her lopsided win today over Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova.
#RG23
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Tennis has not been consistent in how it has handled issues regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as we know, both in terms of policies and in symbolic displays of support.
But this incident, I believe, is a clear misstep.
(12/12)
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New:
After Novak Djokovic admitted to being knowingly coronavirus-positive during an in-person interview last month, here is a statement from the co-presidents of the International Tennis Writers Association to
@CNN
:
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Gael Monfils, at 35 years old, is the first ATP champion of the 2022 season with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Karen Khachanov in the ATP Adelaide final.
Tennis is so lucky to have this guy still in the mix.
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The Peng Shuai case has made it all the way to the White House:
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MODERATOR: Any more questions?
Q. What are you having for dinner?
NICK KYRGIOS: I don’t know, man…Fuckin’ Daniil’s serve, straight down my throat.
#AusOpen
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An
#AusOpen
tradition unlike any other:
Nadal getting a chair for the Kia speech after a 5+ hour final.
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Serena Williams was asked on CNN about Zverev attacking the umpire in Acapulco:
“There is absolutely a double standard. I would probably be in jail if I did that. Like, literally, no joke.”
(Still no word from ATP on their “review” of the incident.)
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Emma Raducanu earned 40 ranking points for her
#USOpen
qualies wins.
Thus, her 2,040 ranking points for winning the US Open as a qualifier is most ranking points a player has ever earned from a single tournament.
Even if Emma defends the title next year, she will lose points.
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Maybe take all that 2018 World Cup budget and pay the women who actually win soccer things?
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Obviously very awkward after banning Russians to have a Muscovite leave with the
#Wimbledon
title, but to my mind, this shows a great Russian failure.
Elena Rybakina left Russian tennis because they failed to support and recognize her talent.
Russia lost today. Kazakhstan won.
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The best thing John McEnroe has done in years.
On Eurosport, on Margaret Court:
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Everyone cheered.
Grigor Dimitrov beats Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 to reach the Miami final.
Playing the best tennis of his career.
3rd career Masters 1000 final…
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One more Rafael Nadal stat for the road:
Every year since 2005, Nadal has won at least two tour-level singles titles.
That he has already extended this streak safely through 2022 before *January* ends is pretty heckin’ remarkable.
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...but after the Russian player complained to the umpire, the umpire descended from her chair and confronted the fan about her presence with the flag, telling her it was "not nice"...to be sitting with the flag.
Lola responded that it was "not nice to invade a country."
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To be blunt, ESPN shunting so much
#AusOpen
coverage off TV and onto its streaming service this year absolutely *sucks* for American tennis fans.
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Two women in wedding dresses sitting together in Margaret Court Arena, which bears the name of one of the loudest and most vitriolic voices on the losing side of Australia's gay marriage debate.
#AusOpen
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Breaking:
Naomi Osaka announces her pregnancy, and plans to return to the tour in 2024.
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Novak Djokovic, who is probably more popular in China than anywhere else in the world outside the Balkans, backs Steve Simon and the WTA:
"WTA is willing to pull out from China with all the tournaments unless this is resolved; I support it 100%."
h/t
@ReemAbulleil
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Had Naomi Osaka lost in either Cincinnati or
#USOpen
, after the stand she took and the masks she wore, she was going to hear endlessly from old school sports voices about how tennis should be the priority for her, and how she should "stick to sports."
So, she won the trophy.
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Condolences to Netflix, btw, for not seeming to get either Nadal or Medvedev to sign onto the show for this
#AusOpen
.
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NEW:
More document trouble for Novak Djokovic.
On his Australian Travel Declaration, released by federal court yesterday, Djokovic stated he had NOT traveled in 14 days prior to his Jan 6 arrival here.
In fact, Djokovic had traveled from Belgrade to Spain within that time.
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(Periodic and important reminder that Djokovic could have avoided all this rigamarole by simply getting vaccinated like 97%+ of his tennis player peers have.)
Police pepper sprayed a group of fans after they blocked the path of a car they believed was carrying Djokovic
Fans were banging on the window, throwing bottles at the car and two people were jumping up and down on top of it
@theage
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You know what would have solved all this? If the
#AusOpen
just didn't allow for exemptions from its mandatory vaccination policy. That was always an option.
TA tried to paint shades of grey into their rules, and the resulting splatter made the whole thing look a complete mess.
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Nadal hugs everybody in his team--including Marc Lopez who is already in a Rafa 21 shirt--and then collapses to the floor with exhaustion.
Eventually he's persuaded to get on a bike to cool down, which he, amazingly, is able to do.
#AusOpen
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This was always a viable option for Djokovic, yes.
Two other players, Tennys Sandgren and Pierre-Hugues Herbert, both also chose not to get vaccinated, and thus both decided against playing
#AusOpen
once there was a vaccination requirement.
Djokovic tried to have it both ways.
@BenRothenberg
Or don’t get vaccinated as is his right but don’t play victim and try get special treatment, just accept that it’s a requirement to play and you won’t be able to.
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(Periodic and important reminder that Djokovic could have avoided all this rigamarole by simply getting vaccinated like 97%+ of his tennis player peers have.)
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(Periodic and important reminder that Djokovic could have avoided all this rigamarole by simply getting vaccinated like 97%+ of his tennis player peers have.)
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Also in
#LaverCup
news, Mary Carillo resigned from her Laver Cup role earlier this week due to their handling of Zverev and accusations against him.
Carillo: “In the end I just felt like I’d be complicit in the whitewashing of very serious allegations. I couldn’t be part of it.”
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Serena Williams was asked about her experiences with difficult press conferences, and about Naomi Osaka.
#RG21
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Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have combined to win the last six Grand Slam events.
They first accomplished that in 2006.
It's now 2018.
#RG18
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(Periodic and important reminder that Djokovic could have avoided all this rigamarole by simply getting vaccinated like 97%+ of his tennis player peers have.)
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