Do you have an impersonator with a relevant racket in your area?

Rafaboy · Apr 4, 2013

Their is this Korean guy that thinks he is Djokovic, plays at my fav. court. He got the Racket, shoes, haircut, and he makes the same sound when he hits the ball. then he yells at the kids in a psuedo-Serbian accent, telling them how wrong their technique is, and to try to hit as he does.

Then, in another area 5 miles from there, is a Monfils guy giving lessons. Occasionally throwing in a few spectacular jumps, and doing stuff like sitting down on the court surface, also yielding a Wilson racket....

Ironically, they are actually pretty good players.

Im just wondering how many of these kind of guys are around in the whole country/community where you live.

Are they widespread naturally occurring phenomena, or just sporadic aborations that turn up occasionally?

MAXXply · Apr 4, 2013

Back in the mid-90s I played at a club that had a guy, early 20s, of Slavic background. He basically replicated everything about John McEnroe into his game. The clothes (Nike Challenge Court 90s vintage), shoes (ditto), Max 200G. The strut that Mac used to walk with. The S+V game, chip and charge, (imitative) soft hands, bent arms etc. And especially the serve motion LOL. Thankfully only the temper was missing.

The Meat · Apr 4, 2013

There are some people who from another university that pretend that they're WTA players. The shots, the mannerisms, and even the grunts.

They really love WTA more than ATP.....

Relinquis · Apr 4, 2013

The Meat said:
There are some people who from another university that pretend that they're WTA players. The shots, the mannerisms, and even the grunts.

They really love WTA more than ATP.....

haha.. guys or girls?

The Meat · Apr 4, 2013

Relinquis said:
haha.. guys or girls?

Guys......:shock:

It's a second tier university, it's to be expected....

Rafaboy · Apr 4, 2013

The Meat said:
Guys......:shock:

It's a second tier university, it's to be expected....

lol. amazing

The Meat said:
There are some people who from another university that pretend that they're WTA players. The shots, the mannerisms, and even the grunts.

They really love WTA more than ATP.....

Is that WITH Azarenka vibrato?

McLovin · Apr 4, 2013

Matthew 7 (English Standard Version) said:
Judge not, that you be not judged

Sadly, I was an Agassi fanboy back in the early 90s. Yes, I had the jorts & the Donnay Pro One...and the hair.

So, I will refrain from commenting on the people I see out & about sporting the wears of popular players(s).

dak95_00 · Apr 4, 2013

When I was in college in the early 90s at Eastern Kentucky University, there was a guy there who tried his absolute best to look like Agassi. He actually came close too. I'm talking the long haired variety w/ the neon/Wham clothes too. I also think he might've been on the EKU team so he was pretty good too.

The Meat · Apr 4, 2013

Rafaboy said:
lol. amazing

Is that WITH Azarenka vibrato?

It's so awkward when they come to our courts to play, they copy sharapova, azarenka, and serena pretty well.

robbo1970 · Apr 4, 2013

In the mid 80's there used to be a kid who would shout "YAH" in a German accent every time he won, like Boris Becker.

I live in Kent.

babolat king · Apr 4, 2013

There is a guy at my club who tries to copy Fed. He has the clothes, shoes, nike bandana, k90's, everything.

The thing is, he kinda looks like him too, but thats where it stops. He is prob a 3.5 at best, and tries to replicate the one hand back and powerful forehand. I like watching him because its pretty funny on how he tries so hard to actually be Fed...haha

Power Player · Apr 4, 2013

Saw some juniors playing a USTA match in which one (guy) was trying to sound like Azarenka. Guy I was hitting with yelled over to "stop screaming like a girl" and I had to tell him they were in the finals of a tournie. It was hilarious.

Relinquis · Apr 4, 2013

for some reason i can't stop laughing at this... hilarious!

robbo1970 said:
In the mid 80's there used to be a kid who would shout "YAH" in a German accent every time he won, like Boris Becker.

I live in Kent.

One of my university friends used to dress like he was a tennis player from the 60s/70s... short, tight, white shorts... very short.

THESEXPISTOL · Apr 4, 2013

In western Europe you can see lots of nadal copycats. When i started playing competitively in 2008, i saw lots of kids with babolat APD with yellow strings, bandana, capri shorts and sleeveless shirts. I thought it was creepy.

GS · Apr 4, 2013

After Michael Chang won the French Open back in 1989, this lookalike kid showed up here, all dressed up in Reebok clothing, with a Prince Chang racquet, etc. Since his brother/coach went to college here, I had to give this kid a second look. No, this guy was alittle too tall to be Chang, and only had lousy strokes....

ollinger · Apr 4, 2013

A thread about impersonation from a guy who calls himself Rafaboy.

The Isomotion31 · Apr 4, 2013

Back when I was a kid my friends and I would have fun imitating our favorite players at practice but never to the point of dressing like them. Oddly enough, none of us had owned a racket that any pros used at the time.

I did have a long sleeve Nike D.R.I. fit shirt with Agassi's then logo though.

cluckcluck · Apr 4, 2013

I don't have many "impersonators" in my area but I do have a couple of guys that have some distinction to their game:

1. Mr. Babolat
and
2. Mr. Adidas

Mr. Babolat has the 12 pack racquet bag with a matching Babolat duffle bag, Babolat T-Shirt, 6 APD with RPM, Babolat hat, Babolat wristbands, and Adidas shoes (only thing that didn't fit).

Mr. Babolat has some of the same Nadal-esq pre-serve rituals, tuck hair - pinch nose - tuck hair - pinch nose again. He's a 3.0 at best and spends more money worried about how he looks than actually learning how to improve his game. Oh and he's kind of a d-bag; total attitude towards people who accidentally hit a ball on his court (he launches it in the complete opposite direction of the person who says "sorry, ball on").

Mr. Adidas is similar to Mr. Babolat in the sense that his kit is Adidas head to toe (hat, shirt, shorts, wristbands, socks, shoes, and racquet bags). But the difference is he uses Tecnifibre sticks, the thing that gets me is that he has them in the plastic bags in his tennis bag, ya know as if he was getting them strung by P1. He puts his sticks back in the plastic bags at the end of his session.

He's not an actual bad player, though he takes foot faulting to a whole new level - he steps in about 20" past the service line on every serve...generally speaking his serves go long.

I get the wanting to have the same gear as your favorite pro but it's ridiculous for a rec payer.

PhrygianDominant · Apr 4, 2013

Sometimes I feel like I am the impersonator at my courts because I am easily the worst "regular" player. I am usually not the worst player at the courts but compared to the other guys who are there as often as I am, I am pretty bad.

My gear is probably too good for my level. At least I don't have all Fed stuff or something. I do have his bag though, but none of my other gear matches any pros. HAHA, thank god for that.

magnut · Apr 4, 2013

Stroke production, footwork, and behavior wise I am an Edberg impersonator minus the clothing. I just wear whats comfortable. I wouldnt impersonate any of these modern clowns with there rediculous clothes and rediculous attitudes. Even the shoes are so ugly now I can hardly stand it. What happened to nice white tennishoes with a simple logo? The racquets I use vary but are all vintage, thin, flexible and very heavy.

Rafaboy · Apr 4, 2013

ollinger said:
A thread about impersonation from a guy who calls himself Rafaboy.

I confess that I too, am not completely devoid of this dilemma. But unlike the hardcore
addicts, I often switch identities to keep things from becoming contrite.

Timbo's hopeless slice · Apr 4, 2013

I used to do the Pat Cash thing, right down to the Sergio Tachinni clothes and the checkered head band.

I even looked a bit like him (in 1988!)

I was young, what can I say? Wonder what ever happened to those Prince Magnesium sticks? Probably at my parents house somewhere...

ultradr · Apr 4, 2013

Yes, I'm impersonating Sampras (serve), Federer (forehand) and Gasquet (1 handed backhand).

However, I use Marat Safin's racquet.

MikeHitsHard93 · Apr 4, 2013

In highschool there was a guy at leagues that looked exactly like federer. We even called him that to his face and he just laughed lol. He didn't have the six one tour, but his face and hair totally reminded us of federer!

Sander001 · Apr 4, 2013

Many, many younger juniors[around age 10 maybe] in the national program dress like Federer or Nadal. Perhaps they get the clothing and gear for free?

HughJars · Apr 4, 2013

I dont see anything to wrong with impersonating. Rec players take so much from watching the pros play cos more than anything. One thing you can probably say about the top tier tennis players is that they are exceptional role models. Unlike football and cricket for example. Seeing kids dressed up in Rafa gear is what kids do. Who hasnt impersoated someone as a kid? Much healthier than impersonating moronic rappers that you see at the local shops.

Id rather see someone taking elements of a pro's image than looking dorky and stupid, which seems to be the norm at most clubs. Last night I saw a bloke wearing stocking for gods sake.

modena · Apr 4, 2013

HughJars said:
I dont see anything to wrong with impersonating. Rec players take so much from watching the pros play cos more than anything. One thing you can probably say about the top tier tennis players is that they are exceptional role models. Unlike football and cricket for example. Seeing kids dressed up in Rafa gear is what kids do. Who hasnt impersoated someone as a kid? Much healthier than impersonating moronic rappers that you see at the local shops.

Id rather see someone taking elements of a pro's image than looking dorky and stupid, which seems to be the norm at most clubs. Last night I saw a bloke wearing stocking for gods sake.

I can't agree more!! Well said.

Larrysümmers · Apr 4, 2013

i like to think im a spanish teaching pro. i get all decked out in my matching wind jacket and pants and hit balls at kids in a spanish accent.

Rafaboy · Apr 5, 2013

....The progression of this thread is starting to scare me:shock:

Relinquis · Apr 5, 2013

i usually wear plain t-shirts/shorts* with no logos. i don't like looking like a billboard.

one of the things i like about tennis is that, unlike most sports, you can have your own style or way of doing things. Funnily, this makes the pros distinctive enough to emulate.

Copying Pros:
One mannerism other players have pointed out to me is that i pull up my t-shirt sleeves before serving/returning serve. I think Sampras and Roddick used to do this sometimes. it's not a conscious thing.

There is this annoying guy at our club who does the Lleyton Hewitt "come on" gesture. Looks so silly, but he's so intense about it. The guy is in his late 20s and plays doubles mostly...

One of my regular hitting partners brought his girlfriend to play tennis once, she moans sharapova style on every shot, also tends to go for winners all the time. Dunno if it was an impersonation, but she was so loud that one of the coaches walked by our court and said he just wanted to check that no one was hurt!

* Shorts usually have a small logo. plain ones are harder to find.

trilix · Apr 5, 2013

I'm also a bit of an impersonator. The Rodge is my favorite player

I'm using the ps90. Standard Wilson Team backpack. Shoes are Vapor 8's. Sometimes buy the polo & shorts (when I like them), but only the version without the RF logo, cuz I don't wanna make it too obvious

rdis10093 · Apr 5, 2013

in high school I thought I was hewitt.

sureshs · Apr 5, 2013

Rafaboy said:
Their is this Korean guy that thinks he is Djokovic, plays at my fav. court. He got the Racket, shoes, haircut, and he makes the same sound when he hits the ball. then he yells at the kids in a psuedo-Serbian accent, telling them how wrong their technique is, and to try to hit as he does.

Then, in another area 5 miles from there, is a Monfils guy giving lessons. Occasionally throwing in a few spectacular jumps, and doing stuff like sitting down on the court surface, also yielding a Wilson racket....

Ironically, they are actually pretty good players.

Im just wondering how many of these kind of guys are around in the whole country/community where you live.

Are they widespread naturally occurring phenomena, or just sporadic aborations that turn up occasionally?

Do these guys look like Djokovic or Monfils in any way?

sureshs · Apr 5, 2013

The Meat said:
There are some people who from another university that pretend that they're WTA players. The shots, the mannerisms, and even the grunts.

They really love WTA more than ATP.....

You just made that up. Just admit it.

sureshs · Apr 5, 2013

cluckcluck said:
Mr. Babolat has some of the same Nadal-esq pre-serve rituals, tuck hair - pinch nose - tuck hair - pinch nose again.

He is missing the most important part.

I don't pretend to be like anyone, but I have been told that I am as smooth as Federer. I guess my playing ability just shines through even if I don't make any explicit effort.

SteveI · Apr 5, 2013

Great Thread... keep it going. I saw an Andy Roddick the other day...had the full set-up and plays on one of my buddies 7.0 mixed team.... he was maybe a decent 3.5.. My 18 year old daughter serves harder. He really had the entire look and strokes going... BTW.. he could not hit FH thru the court either..

lawlaw · Apr 5, 2013

magnut said:
Stroke production, footwork, and behavior wise I am an Edberg impersonator minus the clothing. I just wear whats comfortable. I wouldnt impersonate any of these modern clowns with there rediculous clothes and rediculous attitudes. Even the shoes are so ugly now I can hardly stand it. What happened to nice white tennishoes with a simple logo? The racquets I use vary but are all vintage, thin, flexible and very heavy.

Edberg, now there is a gentleman worthy of emulating. Class act and the meanest split-step I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. Pretty sure Stefan spelt "ridiculous" with an "i" last time I saw him though

MAXXply · Apr 5, 2013

Ok, mea culpa...when I serve, I do the Sampras-style "Put-the-racket-and-ball-together-and-jiggle-them-about" just before the takeback and toss...

The Meat · Apr 5, 2013

sureshs said:
You just made that up. Just admit it.

I really wish I was......

The Isomotion31 · Apr 5, 2013

HughJars said:
I dont see anything to wrong with impersonating. Rec players take so much from watching the pros play cos more than anything. One thing you can probably say about the top tier tennis players is that they are exceptional role models. Unlike football and cricket for example. Seeing kids dressed up in Rafa gear is what kids do. Who hasnt impersoated someone as a kid? Much healthier than impersonating moronic rappers that you see at the local shops.

Id rather see someone taking elements of a pro's image than looking dorky and stupid, which seems to be the norm at most clubs. Last night I saw a bloke wearing stocking for gods sake.

I agree with this. It is kind of fun. Not my thing, but fun. I'll do it messing around. or at practice mimic Sampras and try to do a second serve ace just to mess around.

I hope to someday encounter an impersonator.

csabam1975 · Apr 5, 2013

Rafaboy said:
Their is this Korean guy that thinks he is Djokovic, plays at my fav. court. He got the Racket, shoes, haircut, and he makes the same sound when he hits the ball. then he yells at the kids in a psuedo-Serbian accent, telling them how wrong their technique is, and to try to hit as he does.

Then, in another area 5 miles from there, is a Monfils guy giving lessons. Occasionally throwing in a few spectacular jumps, and doing stuff like sitting down on the court surface, also yielding a Wilson racket....

Ironically, they are actually pretty good players.

Im just wondering how many of these kind of guys are around in the whole country/community where you live.

Are they widespread naturally occurring phenomena, or just sporadic aborations that turn up occasionally?

Haha! Would be interesting for me to hear him yelling with a Serbian accent... Record and post, pleeeaase!

And yes, such abberations occur, live in Serbia and you cannot imagine how many youngsters think they are Djokovic on tournaments. Problem that their parents think the same way...

spinovic · Apr 5, 2013

I never was much on impersonating the pros...

...until Ernests Gulbis 3.0 arrived with that revolutionary forehand.

Now my opponents think I'm preparing to fly, when really I'm just hitting a 25 mph forehand. They're completely out of sorts.

Deleted member 232704 · Apr 5, 2013

Doesn't everyone? I loved Federer but I had no desire to copy his form since I knew I was terrible and I didn't want to really be obsessive over what I thought was a "game". Yet, i still picked up a BLX90 after a year or two from starting and when it just came out since i thought the PJ was pretty dope looking. I know plenty of people who love to impersonate players. None of them bother to get better. Doesn't do anything right. All they do is... Watch youtube and look at their preferred player to copy ( Well, at least attempt too. ) But if this is their way to enjoy the sport and get outside, then I'm not going to stop them.

Rafaboy · Apr 5, 2013

sureshs said:
Do these guys look like Djokovic or Monfils in any way?

I have never gotten up close to see their actual faces, but from 30 feet away, the Djokovic guy, close but no cigar. the Monfils guy definately caused me to pause and question if he was possibly the real one on vacation here for some reason, until i asked my friend in the tennis shop about him, who busted out laughing because he noticed the same thing too.

One thing that threw me, watching him tell his student, "so far i havent hit any winners to you yet." then he proceeded to effortlessly line drive, what looked to be an underhanded 100mph ground stroke wizzing past his student. Btw, my friend told me that this guy is not a qualified instructor in this town, nobody knows where he came from, but he has a Jamaican accent(probably another facade to get mor students) lol.

Although there seems to be many good benefits from it all, there is something either underlyingly hilarious, or alarmingly scary about this whole concept.
:lol:

Say Chi Sin Lo · Apr 5, 2013

There's a Shriekapova on the SF State courts on the weekends. Fine, whatever, women shriek, let's move on.

This was no woman however...

Rafaboy · Apr 5, 2013

Say Chi Sin Lo said:
There's a Shriekapova on the SF State courts on the weekends. Fine, whatever, women shriek, let's move on.

This was no woman however...

so far, the analysis of my study thru this thread leads me to believe that this is a common widespread phnomenon. Therefore, it may be fitting to classify all the different types with titles such as these.

since I never get to see the real thing, it may be interesting to see these copycats. One thing i know is, I'd love to see a bonified Shriekapova, if it reasonably resembled the real deal. I have a feeling that these entities dont mind if we just sat and watched(gapeing with mouths wide open) them for a timespan greater, that what is normally comfortable for the non-pro.:shock:

But yeah i mean its gotta at least be female.

Seth · Apr 5, 2013

Great thread.

When I started playing tennis, it was 2001 and I was 13. Roddick was the young American making waves. I didn't have the Babolat, but I did wear a Reebok visor and I owned every colorway of Figjams as they came available.

I didn't model any of my strokes after him, but I admired the look.]

My local rival was a different story. He attended our rival highschool and our seeds matched every year (Freshman through Senior year), so we always faced each other. He was kitted out in Reebok, donning the red/white/blue line Roddick wore in 2002. He also had three Pure Drive Team Plus frames and the bag. Even used Tournagrip and a rubberband dampener. To round it all out, he did his best to imitate the Roddick service motion. I'm proud of the fact that he never beat me.

slowfox · Apr 5, 2013

I see Nadal and Federer at my local courts all the time. Sometimes they will even play each other. We joke that it's a slam final.

Seriously, the clothes racquets and play styles...

Anton · Apr 5, 2013

I try to visualize Federer in my technique. Love the Vapor 9's...too bad he dresses like a little school boy haha.

Rafaboy · Apr 6, 2013

Seth said:
Great thread.

When I started playing tennis, it was 2001 and I was 13. Roddick was the young American making waves. I didn't have the Babolat, but I did wear a Reebok visor and I owned every colorway of Figjams as they came available.

I didn't model any of my strokes after him, but I admired the look.]

My local rival was a different story. He attended our rival highschool and our seeds matched every year (Freshman through Senior year), so we always faced each other. He was kitted out in Reebok, donning the red/white/blue line Roddick wore in 2002. He also had three Pure Drive Team Plus frames and the bag. Even used Tournagrip and a rubberband dampener. To round it all out, he did his best to imitate the Roddick service motion. I'm proud of the fact that he never beat me.

Therefore I believe that you were closer to being the real version than he was.

slowfox said:
I see Nadal and Federer at my local courts all the time. Sometimes they will even play each other. We joke that it's a slam final.

Seriously, the clothes racquets and play styles...

I'd sit thru a round of that, shriekapova or no shriekapova, it must be quite a curiousity. It would be an amazing sight, but not based on skill. lol

Anton said:
I try to visualize Federer in my technique. Love the Vapor 9's...too bad he dresses like a little school boy haha.

Ah yes, but the beauty of this understated personna is the epitome of simplicity in perfection.. A cakewalk to victory.

Do you have an impersonator with a relevant racket in your area?

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