your analysis on carlos' enneagram type is super interesting 👀👀 i must admit im not familiar with the typology but do you have any thoughts on janniks/other players' enneagrams?
this is such a late response im so sorry but aougjhugh thank you!! i reread it and i definitely didn't say everything i wanted or explained it well unfortunately but im glad you liked it!!! (if ever u want me to elaborate further.. i always have smth to say on carlos E3 and his E7 persona. many many rants have been made in mutuals dms on his relationship with tennis, his team, his family, and other players)
note bc i got too excited to rant: in every enneagram core (1-9 cores) there are subtypes that influence the way their basic desires/fears manifest ^^ there’s three subtypes for each core known as:
self preservation (SP) / social (SO) / sexual (SX)
with other players, i dont feel well equipped to go in depth on their enneagrams outside of assignments based little info. off the top of my head tho i'd definitely call Steffi Graff a self preservation E1 based off some of the things she's shared about herself in interviews as well as how she carried herself on court. there's one interview she did after retiring that i always reread and i think represents a lot of E1/SP1 traits of hers. btw if you read the part about her injuries and health then read ballard's how long can we play? right after it will make you very teary eyed or maybe thats just me!
I wont fully delve into the article or this will be very long and i dont think you expected me to rant about Steffi Graff of all people anon, but these are just a few points i’ve made note of in the past (as always, very messy):
E1 is part of the "gut" triad which deals with instinct/action, is concerned with survival, and is guided by anger. it sounds odd to equate her with anger when shes been labeled as a cold and unemotional person throughout her career (she is not. shes made that clear. not allowing your feelings to be a spectacle does not mean you dont still experience them) however each enneagram’s triad manifests differently depending on placement, with E1 moving towards the heart triad (2/3/4 ruled by image, relationships, emotions). with rage being a result of a perceived risk to one’s survival, the E8 externalizes and expresses it directly while the E9 attempts to repress it entirely. meanwhile the E1 internalizes their rage due to feelings of inadequacy for not being able to adapt -> imo this is because E1 moves towards the heart triad and 2/3/4 struggle with self worth
Q: We all know how well you handled pressure, but was there more going on under the surface than met the eye? Oh, a lot. Maybe I handled pressure well. but it put a big strain on me. Especially because I always tried to be really professional. I had a high standard and if I didn't meet it, I tried harder still. You know what I wish sometimes? That I found a little more "easy-ness" about tennis. Sure, I tried to take pressure off: I went to the art galleries and museums and such. But still, tennis occupied my mind too much. The eating routine, the going-to-sleep routine, the waking-up routine. The schedule. It was a compulsion.
the self preservation E1 is formed through expectations and responsibilities. when you’ve been playing tennis from the moment you could hold a racquet, and are seen as a prodigy whose career defines a large part of you, consumption is inevitable. the obligations (both bestowed upon them and created on their own) formed during childhood that never fizzled out, and the need for perfection, compels them to feel as though any time spent away from the source of that responsibility is time wasted, and only worsens their internal frustrations.
what i also find interesting and aligns a lot with the E1s compulsion to feel responsible for everything is the fact that further down in the article she talks about how issues with her family during her career sometimes helped her tennis by filling her mind with a different kind of worry and allowing herself to play merely on instinct. this is just me glazing but i truly believe thats something only she could do and further proves she is and always will be the greatest tennis player alive.
Graff on issues getting along with other players: “i always hated the gossiping that goes on at tournaments. it was one of the reasons i didn't play that much doubles until late in my career. when you play doubles, you often have to sit around all day between matches, and you know how it is.”
the instinct/action aspect of the gut triad is combined with the basic fear of corruption so they direct themselves away from social behaviors they deem ‘wrong’ aka gossip. while it might seem that the E1 would call out something like this (and many would), the self preservation 1 has a deep rooted feeling of guilt they live with alongside their internalized anger. mixed with the heavy concern with morality, they are the sole victim to the merciless judge that rests within them. in the earlier years of her career she felt very uncomfortable being on court when not actively playing tennis, so i doubt she would go on a moral tirade or feel she had any right to when she herself didnt have a deep connection with the majority of her peers.
Graff: I took the game the only way I knew how, seriously, and it wasn't in my personality to be smiling on the court or getting involved with the crowd. Graff: To me, a match was always just a match. Nothing more, nothing less. Never in my life did I feel I couldn't be friendly with another player because I had to compete against her. I never felt a desire or need to intimidate anybody.
Steffi’s personality (or lack thereof according to many) made her appear ‘detached’ from tennis and her fellow players in a way since as an interviewer stated: “on a typical day at a tournament, you came, you won, you left”. the E1’s basic desire is to be moral in every sense, and believes there is a right way to do everything. she of course did enjoy being a champion and getting praise from the crowd, however the self-critical controlled SP1 is not one to act provocatively nor encourage it. when youre already winning, there is no need to rub salt in the wound for your opponents. likewise, to intimidate them puts yourself at a mental advantage that the SP1 would deem unfair and therefore is immoral regardless of it being an aspect of sports.
again very messy thoughts i wanted to throw out since i've taken way too long to respond to this ask sorry ><!!
if you wanted to know what i think on jannik's i have A LOTTTTT to say about him always and there are enneagrams in each triad i've heavily debated with myself on which one fits him best. currently self preservation 9 is leading since they're part of the cores labeled 'robotic' lawl.... am more than willing to delve into that (please ask me about E3 and SP9.)