Tennis needs a "Bad Boy" to revive it's low status

[Mick3391]

If Novak came out after his first GS win and said "Federer? are you joking, aint got a mark on my body, just turned 20 years old, and I wiped Nadal, I MUST BE THE GREATEST, aint no man can whip me, I train like no one trains, federer if he dreams he can beat me must wake up and apologize".

If he did that, he'd BE ON THE COVER OF EVERY MAGAZINE, that's all I'm saying. Well I'm saying to be honest. When I saw Fed at the press conference, it made me sick, yea I love the fact that Fed tries to be nice, but he's not genuine, watch that Murray match, he'd go back and say over and over F...........K ing blah blah. That picture the media blanked out of him looking at Murray from the side, Fed looked like a shark, literally, ready to bite Murray, then to act as if it's no big deal, it's just a lie.

I admire a Conners idiot telling the truth more than this stuff.

Honestly guys, be honest, do you look forward to their post match interview? You KNOW what they are going to say, it's scripted and phony.

[ctoth666]

Tennis just needs top players who are more verbally confrontational. Not mean or poorly behaved or reckless. I want to see one major final in which the two finalists actually butt heads and talk sh*t about eachother.

[Mick3391]

Here's a case to PROVE MY POINT. If this happened today, let's say Federer going over the net to get into the face of Murray, THIS FORUM WOULD LIGHT UP! THE PRESS WOULD LIGHT UP! IT WOULD BE ALL OVER THE NEWS! AND GUESS WHO WOULD WIN? TENNIS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYYUtb4GUHE

[Mick3391]

By the way, although I don't agree with that behaivior, it's AUTHENTIC! Better than lies.

[Mick3391]

Originally Posted by ctoth666

Tennis just needs top players who are more verbally confrontational. Not mean or poorly behaved or reckless. I want to see one major final in which the two finalists actually butt heads and talk sh*t about eachother.

It doesn't matter their expression, but rather AUTHENTIC EXPRESSION.

Trust me guys Tennis needs this, it's no gimmick, no lie, rather the truth.

[Masayoshi]

I definitely agree that tennis needs more personality. Obviously ratings would improve a lot if there were a genuine bad boy at or near the top, but even any other kind of personality would be great.

For example, I would love a really goofy dude who does salsa or jazz steps after exciting points. Or someone who treats between-match interviews like a WWE wrestler, making ridiculous threats and promises ("I'm a gonna put him down to the mat, OLD SCHOOL! GARRRRR!"). Or a fellow who sings opera during the crossover to pick himself up when he's losing. Or somebody who had a really strong political agenda (legalize gay marriage, for example) who tries to shoehorn it into every match and interview.

I love the tennis of our top 4 guys (yes, even the grinding), but they're all incredibly boring, with the possible exception of Djoker, who seems to be actively restraining his personality.

Gentlemen's game has become a PR Robot's game.

[SLD76]

Originally Posted by always_crosscourt

All Bernie does is drive sports cars too fast.

I want a tennis number one who is implicated in organized crime, murder and sexual exploitation, knocks the umpire off his chair, punches Federer, Murray and Djokovic in the face after matches (win or lose) just to get a reaction, throws rackets at ball-boys, says racist stuff and homophobic stuff in pressers...etc...

I want to see a proper d!ck become number one with incredible talent and a completely sociopathic personality - tennis needs it badly.

you win everything.

[NEW_BORN]

I want to see a fiery on-court confrontation between Wawrinka and Baghdatis.

[slowfox]

I think the whole world is hard up for some honesty. Real honesty. And yes, tennis needs it bad.

[krz]

Originally Posted by President

This is the man you are looking for.

Yup looks like a total badass in that tank

I'd almost put my money on J Bieber in a fight with him.

[Mick3391]

Originally Posted by Masayoshi

I definitely agree that tennis needs more personality. Obviously ratings would improve a lot if there were a genuine bad boy at or near the top, but even any other kind of personality would be great.

For example, I would love a really goofy dude who does salsa or jazz steps after exciting points. Or someone who treats between-match interviews like a WWE wrestler, making ridiculous threats and promises ("I'm a gonna put him down to the mat, OLD SCHOOL! GARRRRR!"). Or a fellow who sings opera during the crossover to pick himself up when he's losing. Or somebody who had a really strong political agenda (legalize gay marriage, for example) who tries to shoehorn it into every match and interview.

I love the tennis of our top 4 guys (yes, even the grinding), but they're all incredibly boring, with the possible exception of Djoker, who seems to be actively restraining his personality.

Gentlemen's game has become a PR Robot's game.

Thank you guys, I thought I'd be picked apart by bringing this up. Yea, exactly, SOMETHING, but I would hope for TRUTH, that is whatever is real.

I would LOVE for Fed to have repeated what he thought on court! Yea, well said, I would add "Money PR Robots game"

"Why you represent Mercedes, you can't be yourself", I'm telling you, I've met with these Yahoo's in big corporate settings, most don't have a clue, they don't think, they don't understand that a guy on front of all sports magazines will ultimately sell more Mercedes, Nike or whatever it may be.

And to be clear, I don't admire ar....shes, but I do admire that they are honest, without honesty you have no clue what you are watching, you are really watching a lie, and I don't like that. So if I hate same a real bad Tomic, let's say he gets much worse, I'LL WATCH HIM, if only to bet against him!

Same deal with Ali, he told the TRUTH, and everyone hated AND watched him.

[WhiskeyEE]

Originally Posted by augustobt

Who was the bad boy from 2002 to 2007? Safin?

roddick maybe

not really a bad boy but he was very good for the sport when he was at the top.

[Djokodal Fan]

djoker was the badboy in making. Unfortunately the tennis world and fans of other players already marked him arrogant.

If someone is really brash, then he should also be ready to eat humble pie. Since top players are not ready to do that, you will never see it.

I potentially only see Donald Young doing it when he ascends the ranking

[Mike Sams]

Originally Posted by Mick3391

Here's a case to PROVE MY POINT. If this happened today, let's say Federer going over the net to get into the face of Murray, THIS FORUM WOULD LIGHT UP! THE PRESS WOULD LIGHT UP! IT WOULD BE ALL OVER THE NEWS! AND GUESS WHO WOULD WIN? TENNIS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYYUtb4GUHE

Federer would stand to lose all his sponsors and a lot of fans who look up to him if he acted that way.
As for McEnroe, he was a skinny little man with no bite.

[Mike Sams]

Tennis doesn't need a badboy. It needs great players! The business side of tennis is in great shape. What the sport needs most of all are great talents like Nadal and Federer who can produce exhilarating performances.

[Mike Sams]

BTW, to answer the question any way just for fun, a good badboy would've been Nalbandian and Gulbis. Gulbis gets up to all sorts of crazy things outside of tennis I've heard and Nalbandian has an angry demeanour. He wanted to fist fight with Del Potro and Hewitt I've heard.

[Mike Sams]

The OP wants Del Potro to say more things about Andy Murray's mother.

[powerangle]

You want a tennis bad boy a la McEnroe?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=C8Nyc9jzSDg

[Masayoshi]

Originally Posted by Mike Sams

Tennis doesn't need a badboy. It needs great players! The business side of tennis is in great shape. What the sport needs most of all are great talents like Nadal and Federer who can produce exhilarating performances.

Tennis could always use more great players, but I think the current crop is more than sufficient. The top 4 are all exciting in one way or another, and guys like Tsonga, Almagro, and Wawrinka can bring some much needed flair, as well.

The problem is, a lot of the top guys are interchangeable in terms of personalities. They say the same things before and after a match, with that same sense of false humility. They're PR robots, and it doesn't give casual fans much to latch on to. Tennis fans will always love the tennis play and they'll always be there, but casual fans need more than that to really stay interested. They need to really identify with, sympathize with, or actively despise these guys. They need a good story.

But that's if we are trying to grow the number of tennis fans (as they have to first start out as casual fans).

[papertank]

This is why I wish Tomic was actually good. It'd be nice to have an antihero in tennis these days.