Is there a common element to....

[RaulRamirez]

...which players you decide to root for?

What do you think makes you a fan of certain players, or a non-fan if that's the case?

Playing style?
Results?
Potential?
Personality -- on or off court?
Identification with (whatever basis)?
Something else?

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

Playing style. I want to be entertained.

 

[FeroBango]

Federer, Pete, Mac, Alcaraz, Kyrgios, Stan, Nishikori, Shapo are some of those I've historically liked. Wonder what connects these guys.

 

[RaulRamirez]

Federer, Pete, Mac, Alcaraz, Kyrgios, Stan, Nishikori, Shapo are some of those I've historically liked. Wonder what connects these guys.

Let's see...all of them are from North America (or Europe, or Australia or Asia).
All hit a one-handed...or two-handed backhand.
All are quiet, understated...and the opposite.
...
I think I'm all over the place on both tours.
I love quiet, dignified, classy -- growing up, I loved Arthur Ashe...and also Ilie Nastase.
I prefer the OHBH (and play with one). Hence I like Fed...but prefer Rafa and Novak.
A lot of variables.

 

[Shaolin]

95% play style

5% OCD stuff probably only I care about

 

[MeatTornado]

I'll always lean more offense than defense

 

[nolefam_2024]

Big serve big forehand for me, the American style.

But I hate errors. Errors look yucki to me.

 

[Connor35]

Yes. I like being entertained. So the two attributes I like, with my current faves who have those attributes are:

Great movers (Iga, Tommy Paul)
Players with variety (Korda, Muchova)

 

[Clay lover]

Free-flowing, maximum rotation and therefore open-stance forehands. The use of angular momentum pleases me and back in the days it took place more commonly on clay courts. Found Guga's strokes to be aesthetically pleasing cus he generated a lot of torque with his gangly frame and relaxed swing of both wings. Andreev, Nadal had similar flowing swings that actively engaged the hips, and I ended up getting fascinating by a whole generation of clay courters. Nowadays Ruud and Alcaraz do something similar for me.

Open-stance, heavy topspin forehands were not a new invention but I feel like the 2000s gen ushered in a new wave of players who were able to do everything from defend to attack with that swing due to how the development of their technique coincided with the modern strings and light frames.

 

[ghostofMecir]

..i need to follow someone, who is highly succesful, so that player could make me happy more...i don't follow losers and "occassional" winners

 

[InsuranceMan]

^^^^^^^ Classic. What a surprise

 

[zakopinjo]

Federer, Pete, Mac, Alcaraz, Kyrgios, Stan, Nishikori, Shapo are some of those I've historically liked. Wonder what connects these guys.

They all thinks that Novak is GOAT.

 

[FeroBango]

They all thinks that Novak is GOAT.

Sure is. Love me some early career Novak and some 2023 Novak too.

 

[ChrisRF]

Playing style above everything else. And admittedly combined with at least a decent importance. Because it wouldn't be much fun to root for someone who regularly only plays the first 1 or 2 days of the week.

Other than that I sometimes just root for new records to be set, regardless of the player who achieves it.

 

[inflation_era]

Can't fake injuries.

 

[aldeayeah]

Players that don't beat themselves and have an actual game plan beyond blasting the fuzz off the ball. The craftier and more unorthodox the better.

spanish nationality also helps

 

[nolefam_2024]

Players that don't beat themselves and have an actual game plan beyond blasting the fuzz off the ball. The craftier and more unorthodox the better.

spanish nationality also helps

I say no to Spanish. They all feel dirtrats to me.

Of course raz is different

 

[Sport]

Nationality.

 

[Shaolin]

Nationality.

Somehow that doesnt surprise me.

 

[Sudacafan]

Playing style. All other features should be negligible, as I don't plan to build any kind of personal relationship with any pro player.
A poll would be helpful.

 

[SamprasisGOAT]

Big serve big forehand for me, the American style.

But I hate errors. Errors look yucki to me.

Maybe tennis isn’t the sport for you

 

[nolefam_2024]

Maybe tennis isn’t the sport for you

It's much more a sport for me than YOU so relax buddy.

 

[RaulRamirez]

Players that don't beat themselves and have an actual game plan beyond blasting the fuzz off the ball. The craftier and more unorthodox the better.

spanish nationality also helps

Verdasco?

 

[aldeayeah]

Verdasco?

mostly unwatchable with flashes of brilliance

 

[RaulRamirez]

mostly unwatchable with flashes of brilliance

Agreed...he definitely was a "basher". (was kidding)

 

[nolefam_2024]

Agreed...he definitely was a "basher".

Some in tennis world call him Verdasco Fiasco.

 

[RaulRamirez]

Some in tennis world call him Verdasco Fiasco.

I don't like a lot of nicknames here, but "Fiasco" was pretty good!

 

[SamprasisGOAT]

It's much more a sport for me than YOU so relax buddy.

What is tennis to me then if not a sport?

 

[RSJfan]

Playing style. All other features should be negligible, as I don't plan to build any kind of personal relationship with any pro player.
A poll would be helpful.

+1.

I only build tennis based personal relationships with TTW members such as my fav Dr Raul. Quality and quantity of posts as well as posting style (fact based, tennis relevant, non-trolling, respectful, and tolerant of opposing viewpoints) are the primary qualities I look for when choosing.

 

[Mainad]

Some in tennis world call him Verdasco Fiasco.

Verdasco the Fiasco was the title of one of the threads posted on here some years ago by a former poster.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Verdasco the Fiasco was the title of one of the threads posted on here some years ago by a former poster.

Who was the poster?

 

[Mainad]

Who was the poster?

Can't recall but I don't think they post on here anymore (might be wrong).

 

[Mainad]

Can't recall but I don't think they post on here anymore (might be wrong).

Found it:

Verdasco the fiasco

Will he go far in the US OPEN? pending the right draw ala wimbledon, can he cause shock upsets and take the title?

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

 

[nolefam_2024]

Found it:

Verdasco the fiasco

Will he go far in the US OPEN? pending the right draw ala wimbledon, can he cause shock upsets and take the title?

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

Nice. I see it a lot in social media for last decade.

 

[Sudacafan]

+1.

I only build tennis based personal relationships with TTW members such as my fav Dr Raul. Quality and quantity of posts as well as posting style (fact based, tennis relevant, non-trolling, respectful, and tolerant of opposing viewpoints are the primary qualities I look for when choosing).

Yours is the sanest approach I have noticed in these forums. I can only hope that more users imitate you every day.

 

[Incognito]

Federer, Pete, Mac, Alcaraz, Kyrgios, Stan, Nishikori, Shapo are some of those I've historically liked. Wonder what connects these guys.

Mine are: Agassi, Sampras, Grosjean, Berasategui, DelHotro, Nadal, Fed, Murray and Alcaraz.

Common denominator? They all have great fh except Murray. I like Murray’s personality

 

[Incognito]

They all thinks that Novak is GOAT.

I don’t think Stan thinks that

 

[Cabeza del Demonio]

...which players you decide to root for?

What do you think makes you a fan of certain players, or a non-fan if that's the case?

Playing style?
Results?
Potential?
Personality -- on or off court?
Identification with (whatever basis)?
Something else?

Hmm....
Djokovic, Tsonga, Hewitt, Safin, Agassi, Baghdatis, Dimitrov, Shapovalov, Ruud, Alcaraz.

I'll let y'all draw your conclusions

 

[MichaelNadal]

Unique playing style, dynamic offense and defense and panache

 

[The Guru]

I guess the common through line most of the players I support is great movement. The dynamic points with guys flying all over the court are so much fun that's probably why.

 

[Cabeza del Demonio]

I guess the common through line most of the players I support is great movement. The dynamic points with guys flying all over the court are so much fun that's probably why.

I think this might be the most common factor for me too. Players who will throw themselves all over the court AND play technique/precision-based tennis.

 

[weakera]

je ne sais quoi

 

[Sport]

Somehow that doesnt surprise me.

Yeah, obviously not surprising that nationality plays a role in the fanbases. A Spanish fan supporting a Spanish player is unsurprising, just like Serbian fans tend to support Novak, and Swiss tennis fans mostly supported Federer.

The same applies to other sports like football. Most Spanish football fans generally support either Real Madrid or Barcelona, or a small local team of their city or town. English football fans tend to supoort an English team like Man. City, Man. United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and so on.

It's more common seeing a Serbian tennis fan supporting Novak than vice versa, and it's more common seing an English football fan supporing an English team than supporing, say, Bayern Munich or Inter Milan.

 

[aldeayeah]

Agreed...he definitely was a "basher". (was kidding)

He has all the shots though. It's just that he tends to use them unwisely, and mentally collapse.

Basically the sinister side of Alcaraz (he's even a lefty!)

Of course his 2009 AO run is still magical, but his game has never clicked again in quite the same way (in fact i believe that run filled his head with overconfidence)

 

[Dominic & Andrey]

I love ballbashers (who are not always very tactically astute), and I am proud to say it.
Then there are wildcards like Alcaraz or Muchova.

 

[Tennfan123]

I like an aggressive player with a big shot.
Also I like players with flair and who move up the court to finish points.

 

[aldeayeah]

I love ballbashers (who are not always very tactically astute), and I am proud to say it.
Then there are wildcards like Alcaraz or Muchova.

Yeah Thiem and Rublev are the poster boys for that style LOL.

I don't dislike them but I find them to be a bit cookie cutter, especially when they play against players with a similar style.

 

[Shaolin]

Yeah, obviously not surprising that nationality plays a role in the fanbases. A Spanish fan supporting a Spanish player is unsurprising, just like Serbian fans tend to support Novak, and Swiss tennis fans mostly supported Federer.

The same applies to other sports like football. Most Spanish football fans generally support either Real Madrid or Barcelona, or a small local team of their city or town. English football fans tend to supoort an English team like Man. City, Man. United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and so on.

It's more common seeing a Serbian tennis fan supporting Novak than vice versa, and it's more common seing an English football fan supporing an English team than supporing, say, Bayern Munich or Inter Milan.

Yeah thanks for the unnecessary explanation. You dont understand my point but thats okay.

 

[InsideInForehand]

Playing style and personality. I normally tend to support players who are really calm like Sinner, Ruusuvuori and Korda. But I also really enjoy watching Medvedev play

 

[Dominic & Andrey]

Yeah Thiem and Rublev are the poster boys for that style LOL.

I don't dislike them but I find them to be a bit cookie cutter, especially when they play against players with a similar style.

I don't even like Rublev anymore though lol, makes my username pretty nonsensical.