It seems like a lot of people here have very strong preferences as to which players they support, to the point of disliking or hating their main rivals and having crazy flame wars with each other over it.
How do you choose which players are worthy of your fandom? Also, on a bit of a lower scale, how do you choose which players you root for during, say, a given tournament?
I'll share mine:
ATP
I'm in the weird position of actually being a light fan of all of the top 4 (Fed, Nad, Mur, Djo), but not really liking any of them personally.
Fed has probably the most beautiful game on the male tour - his technique and footwork is just very aesthetically pleasing, even when he does completely shank it. And he still has the most variety among the top guys, more willing to come to net and hit drop shots (even though he mucks those up quite a lot). The man does ooze arrogance, though, and seems to have a bit of an entitlement complex.
Nadal is a very entertaining human backboard. Has a tremendous fighting spirit, and it's very fun to watch him when he's behind in a match. His crazy moonballs give some players fits (hi Fed), and I love that. He does seem to have a stick up his butt, though, and never really seems to have fun out on the court. Very intense, whiny and no sense of humour.
Djokovic has improved his game so much over the last couple of years and it's just great watching the overall quality of his game. His backhand is ace, and his return of serve is very enjoyable. Also has the human backboard factor. I actually like Djokovic's on-court attitude - I like that he laughs it off, claps for good opponent shots, and sometimes dips into goofball mode. Of the 4, I like his on-court persona the best, but I get this eerie feeling that his behavior is very calculated, and that unsettles me.
Murray seems to me like a pusher who is forcing himself to wear an attacker's clothing, and he keeps getting better at it. Fake it til you make it. I wouldn't even call him a pusher anymore. He's still vaguely defensive-oriented, but he has weapons and isn't afraid to use them. Like the other guys, very tough fighter, and I like how he's finally coming into his own after losing his first several slam finals. What I don't like is, like Nadal, he has a very whiny, intense attitude on court - he doesn't seem to play with much joy. Maybe that's required for some people to do well, but it doesn't endear them to me.
So I enjoy all 4 of those guys, and am never disappointed when we have them taking their usual 4 semi-final spots. But it's for their tennis, and not really them as people.
However, the guy that I really like and would love to see do well would probably be Tsonga, because something about his on-court attitude is just very endearing. There's still some joy and flair there, even though the results haven't been super great for him. And I like his attacking net game. Hopefully with his new coach, he may be able to get consistent enough to be a real threat at the slams again. Even if not, I'll still always root for this guy. Allez!
Monfils also gets an "always-root-for" nod from me. He's incredibly joyous and entertaining, and I just wish he'd dial it back a tiny little bit, to prevent injuries and to gain some consistency. I don't know if he has it in him, but what I wouldn't give to see this guy in a slam final!
WTA:
I don't really have a big favorite here, either. At the moment, I guess I'm supporting a few folks.
Radwanska gets the nod from me because her game reminds me more of that strategic WTA play of old, with her use of slices, drop shots, and net play. Her lack of sheer power hurts her, but endears her to me as bit of an underdog when facing the power players. She also seems to avoid the melodramatic crap that some WTA players seem to engage in on-court.
Azarenka gets a slight nod from me because she's my hope against Serena, who is just an awful person and I hope fails all the time (I rarely get my wish!). Also against Sharapova, who I merely dislike. Vika would get more enthusiastic support from me if she stopped her banshee-wailing thing. She does seem to be somewhat likable, actually.
Bartoli gets my support because she looks like a cartoon character or a kid hopped up on sugar out there with her little routine between points. She has this crazy frantic energy, but isn't really a jerk about it, and it's very endearing.
How do you choose which players are worthy of your fandom? Also, on a bit of a lower scale, how do you choose which players you root for during, say, a given tournament?
I'll share mine:
ATP
I'm in the weird position of actually being a light fan of all of the top 4 (Fed, Nad, Mur, Djo), but not really liking any of them personally.
Fed has probably the most beautiful game on the male tour - his technique and footwork is just very aesthetically pleasing, even when he does completely shank it. And he still has the most variety among the top guys, more willing to come to net and hit drop shots (even though he mucks those up quite a lot). The man does ooze arrogance, though, and seems to have a bit of an entitlement complex.
Nadal is a very entertaining human backboard. Has a tremendous fighting spirit, and it's very fun to watch him when he's behind in a match. His crazy moonballs give some players fits (hi Fed), and I love that. He does seem to have a stick up his butt, though, and never really seems to have fun out on the court. Very intense, whiny and no sense of humour.
Djokovic has improved his game so much over the last couple of years and it's just great watching the overall quality of his game. His backhand is ace, and his return of serve is very enjoyable. Also has the human backboard factor. I actually like Djokovic's on-court attitude - I like that he laughs it off, claps for good opponent shots, and sometimes dips into goofball mode. Of the 4, I like his on-court persona the best, but I get this eerie feeling that his behavior is very calculated, and that unsettles me.
Murray seems to me like a pusher who is forcing himself to wear an attacker's clothing, and he keeps getting better at it. Fake it til you make it. I wouldn't even call him a pusher anymore. He's still vaguely defensive-oriented, but he has weapons and isn't afraid to use them. Like the other guys, very tough fighter, and I like how he's finally coming into his own after losing his first several slam finals. What I don't like is, like Nadal, he has a very whiny, intense attitude on court - he doesn't seem to play with much joy. Maybe that's required for some people to do well, but it doesn't endear them to me.
So I enjoy all 4 of those guys, and am never disappointed when we have them taking their usual 4 semi-final spots. But it's for their tennis, and not really them as people.
However, the guy that I really like and would love to see do well would probably be Tsonga, because something about his on-court attitude is just very endearing. There's still some joy and flair there, even though the results haven't been super great for him. And I like his attacking net game. Hopefully with his new coach, he may be able to get consistent enough to be a real threat at the slams again. Even if not, I'll still always root for this guy. Allez!
Monfils also gets an "always-root-for" nod from me. He's incredibly joyous and entertaining, and I just wish he'd dial it back a tiny little bit, to prevent injuries and to gain some consistency. I don't know if he has it in him, but what I wouldn't give to see this guy in a slam final!
WTA:
I don't really have a big favorite here, either. At the moment, I guess I'm supporting a few folks.
Radwanska gets the nod from me because her game reminds me more of that strategic WTA play of old, with her use of slices, drop shots, and net play. Her lack of sheer power hurts her, but endears her to me as bit of an underdog when facing the power players. She also seems to avoid the melodramatic crap that some WTA players seem to engage in on-court.
Azarenka gets a slight nod from me because she's my hope against Serena, who is just an awful person and I hope fails all the time (I rarely get my wish!). Also against Sharapova, who I merely dislike. Vika would get more enthusiastic support from me if she stopped her banshee-wailing thing. She does seem to be somewhat likable, actually.
Bartoli gets my support because she looks like a cartoon character or a kid hopped up on sugar out there with her little routine between points. She has this crazy frantic energy, but isn't really a jerk about it, and it's very endearing.
), I was a huge fan of Borg, and for the life me the only real reason I can think of for that was his calm, quiet demeanour.
