The Player that brought YOU the most joy in your lifetime

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted member 763024
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    goat

See title

  • Total voters
    143
Fedforever said:
Good comment. One interesting aspect of Big 3 rivalry is they've all had to cope with a struggle to some extent, Fed with his temperament, Nadal with his body and Djoko with having to come from behind.

I wonder if people identify with whichever one seems closest to their own struggles in life?
Click to expand...

Not me but I am basically a "fan of whoever's style I like to watch" guy so that means I also like Wawrinka for instance and my second favourite (after Fed) is Djokovic. For whatever reason, it's rare for me to break the fourth wall w.r.t any celebrity I like. I like their work and not necessarily the person that they are.
 
Djokovic easily.

Although I have never had anything against Federer, in fact regularly enjoying his matches and cheering for him in a good part of his Slam finals, especially those against Nadal, he isn't in that highest tier of my favorites.

When it comes to those guys, a lot of them weren't winning much at all in comparison to the all time greatest players. My first ever favorite Agassi was the exception, but then came Safin, who could have won way more than he did, while there were also guys like Coria, Nalbandian, Davydenko, Del Potro, Nishikori... I wish they did more, although I didn't complain much, I was a fan of their tennis more than anything. Judging by the first few years of his career, Djokovic was heading in a similar direction, but from his transformation in 2011 and everything he's achieved since then is a whole other story, and it's been wonderful fully enjoying such consistent brilliance for the first time.
 
PMChambers said:
I don't find any of the big 3 as exciting as late 70 through to 90s. Their games are bigger but their personalities cardboard.
Click to expand...
@PMChambers I agree. The big four are absolute zombies in their public personalities compared to truly defined personalities of the past (good or bad) like Connors, Mac, Lendl, Agassi, Becker, Cash, Yannick Noah and countless others. Even the "boring" personalities of Edberg or Pete were offset magnificently by rivalries with colorful guys like Boris or Andre.

It's all vanilla now because of social media, PC constraints and all that crap.
 
BeatlesFan said:
@PMChambers I agree. The big four are absolute zombies in their public personalities compared to truly defined personalities of the past (good or bad) like Connors, Mac, Lendl, Agassi, Becker, Cash, Yannick Noah and countless others. Even the "boring" personalities of Edberg or Pete were offset magnificently by rivalries with colorful guys like Boris or Andre.

It's all vanilla now because of social media, PC constraints and all that crap.
Click to expand...
Trying to be considerate and respectful as a public figure means you are a well-intentioned, polite person. Throwing temper tantrums and shading/insulting rivals in press conferences is a sign of being infantile, not colorful.
 
Rafa has given me the most joy, and the most aggravation! (;

For females it would be Martina Navritalova! (:
 
Some really Great players mentioned above. Cool thread. So much joy.

Clearly, Federer has brought many tennis fans a lot of great moments over two decades of remarkable tennis.
But, on the less obvious side of this.... Personally i am thankful for the joy of:
Guga kuerten, marko baghdatis, hicham arazi, marcelo ríos, yannick noah, stan Wawrinka,
Dreddy tennis mon, karim alami, paddy rafter, johnny mac, Patrick cash, henri Leconte, guy forget, ronald agenor, goran ivanisevic, manuel orantes, and boris Becker. I only saw rod laver once. Joy.
Ah, and on the women's tour,
justine henin, amelie mauresmo, both martinas, and evonne goolagong.
 
Last edited:
I probably like Nadal and Federer more than him as players, but Djokovic by far has the best story out of any top player. Born into a war-torn country, rises from nothing to become a top player. Plays second fiddle to Fedal for years before finally overcoming them and achieving what they couldn’t. Has a puzzling fall from grace complete with cheating allegations and love gurus, but comes back in stunning fashion. He needs a movie.
 
One Roger Federer... and it's not even close! :giggle:8-B

And I can't really explain it either. I can appreciate many sports stars from different sports, but the attachment to the old man is something else. He seems to hit all the notes, on every level. The only other star that I felt something remotely similar for was Michael Jordan. It's a VERY special 'x-factor' that I rarely see. Hard to explain. It just is. :)
 
oldmanfan said:
One Roger Federer... and it's not even close! :giggle:8-B

And I can't really explain it either. I can appreciate many sports stars from different sports, but the attachment to the old man is something else. He seems to hit all the notes, on every level. The only other star that I felt something remotely similar for was Michael Jordan. It's a VERY special 'x-factor' that I rarely see. Hard to explain. It just is. :)
Click to expand...
The thing about Jordan is that apart from his immense talent he had a competitive drive which was second to none. If someone beat him or even thought that he could beat him he took this as a challenge and raised his level in the most crucial moments. It is not a coincidence that he was 6-0 in finals, was named finals mvp in all of them and dominated all his peers. If somebody actually beat him he went home, practiced even harder and came back stronger than before. In the long run nobody could ever dominate him. This is the x-factor I felt when watching him that even when his outstanding talent was seriously challenged his will and determination would allow him to raise his game even more whenever necessary. The only other “sportsman” (if you want to call chess a sport) i know with such a boundless will to win would be Gary Kasparov. Roger Federer? Not at all.
 
The one with the middle name Parera.

If i have to choose anyone to play for my life, i will choose Rafa. Not because I am certain that he will win and thus save my life. But because i am certain that even if he fails, he will die himself in pursuit of saving my life. That way i feel the safest if Rafa is playing for my life.
He has brought the most joy as well as the most agony for me.
 
66ed45b10cde1ad22b5c089fcb67a0f6

nick-kyrgios-davis-cup-australia_3370466.jpg
ap_us_open_tennis_755372741.jpg
 
Fedforever said:
Good comment. One interesting aspect of Big 3 rivalry is they've all had to cope with a struggle to some extent, Fed with his temperament, Nadal with his body and Djoko with having to come from behind.

I wonder if people identify with whichever one seems closest to their own struggles in life?
Click to expand...

You might be right.
I consider myself to be less talented but more disciplined and hardworking (professional life ) .
Novak's transformation (diet and Physical prowess) is indeed a result of discipline and routine..
I like when less talented/less fortunate people have a chance to shine too..
That is a reason I now like Kevin Anderson bcoz he tries to fight with whatever he is gifted with, and refuses to lose.. He tries his very best.
 
maratha_warrior said:
You might be right.
I consider myself to be less talented but more disciplined and hardworking (professional life ) .
Novak's transformation (diet and Physical prowess) is indeed a result of discipline and routine..
I like when less talented/less fortunate people have a chance to shine too..
That is a reason I now like Kevin Anderson bcoz he tries to fight with whatever he is gifted with, and refuses to lose.. He tries his very best.
Click to expand...

Very interesting.

I've had anxiety issues in the past so maybe I identify with someone who seems to be battling his own mind some of the time?

Supporting a tennis player is different to supporting a team where in most cases you're choosing the one where you live or your parents took you to watch or something like that. There must always be a reason why we pick the players we do even if we're not aware of it.
 
This one's a no-brainer for me.
I only had to search for the name on the list and then click on it (Federer) ignoring the rest.

Had you held this poll in 2001 it would have been Sampras.
Funny thing is that when Sampras retired, I stopped following pro tennis completely for about 4-5 years
I missed all of Fed's early slams! :(

I must add that Mecir gave me immense joy as well, but he's no match for Federer overall.
 
NKDM said:
The tennis world is mired in GOAT debates and understandably so, gets heated and bitter at times.

This is a different kind of ‘GOAT’ poll, where the facts and figures don’t matter - at least not as far as in trying to convince others, but about what (or rather who) is dear to YOU.

It could be their style of game, the personality they brought to the sport, their success on court, shared citizenship, physical attributes or just as simple as someone you watched growing up.

The only criteria is that you have to be convinced that this the player that gave you the most joy. Titles don’t matter nor length of career. Neither slam count nor H2Hs. Just pure and simple sustained emotional joy and happiness. That’s the only honesty needed for this thread.

So go on and vote for your choice. Share with us your feelings. Tell us what made you or makes you keep coming back to this player.

Yes, it is inherently unfair because it’s NOT about stats or figures. The poll is also skewed towards the last 20-30 years of male players. Sorry if your player is not on the poll. But if you fav is an exception go on and help us appreciate them in the comments; what they mean to you.

And keep it classy folks. ;)
Click to expand...

This has been a really nice idea for a thread - lovely to get away from people bashing each other with statistics and weak eras.

I must admit I've always thought of Djokovic fans as beingpeople who would value technical excellence over the messy sporting soap opera that is Fedal. It's great to understand that people can have an emotional attachment to Djokovic as well.
 
Last edited:
Fedforever said:
This has been a really nice idea for a thread - lovely to get away from people bashing each other with statistics and weak eras.

I must admit I've always thought of Djokovic fans as beingpeople who really would value technical excellence over the messy sporting soap opera that is Fedal. It's great to understand that people can have an emotional attachment to Djokovic as well.
Click to expand...

Thank you. People bring their biases into these statistical debates anyway and it ends up becoming a source of bitterness rather than acknowledging that we can all love differently yet love the sport the same.

This is a more non-confrontational way of discussing our emotional favs.

Fed, or Nadal or whoever can rack up the most votes but it doesn’t change whom someone loves and more importantly, doesn’t feel rejected or excluded from the discussion.
 
I am thankful for the joys Ivan Lendl brought the game during his beatdowns of the likes of Beeg.
But especially so much joy when he would lose to jimmy, mac, boris, edberg, lundgren, pete, and that one time, at Wimbledon, to cashy. So awesome.
Then he did turn some of those h2h records around. And now, he brings a lot of joy to the game as a coach with his myriad facial expressions in the box!
 
Last edited:
NKDM said:
The tennis world is mired in GOAT debates and understandably so, gets heated and bitter at times.

This is a different kind of ‘GOAT’ poll, where the facts and figures don’t matter - at least not as far as in trying to convince others, but about what (or rather who) is dear to YOU.

It could be their style of game, the personality they brought to the sport, their success on court, shared citizenship, physical attributes or just as simple as someone you watched growing up.

The only criteria is that you have to be convinced that this the player that gave you the most joy. Titles don’t matter nor length of career. Neither slam count nor H2Hs. Just pure and simple sustained emotional joy and happiness. That’s the only honesty needed for this thread.

So go on and vote for your choice. Share with us your feelings. Tell us what made you or makes you keep coming back to this player.

Yes, it is inherently unfair because it’s NOT about stats or figures. The poll is also skewed towards the last 20-30 years of male players. Sorry if your player is not on the poll. But if you fav is an exception go on and help us appreciate them in the comments; what they mean to you.

And keep it classy folks. ;)
Click to expand...
Obvious one for me. 2nd would be Tsonga or Wawrinka, because of their immense talent and unbeatable peak levels.
As for which player gave me the most heartache, I'd have to go with Nadal. Nole always played so well, but kept coming up short, pre- and post- 2011. I cried a bit when Djoker finally beat Nadal again at Wimbledon.
 
Agassi and Graf in my earlier days of following tennis. Federer is the only one in the last decade or so. Sandwiched in between the above, I’d throw in Safin and Henin.

I’m really hoping for one of the NextGenners in the next 1-2 years to really get my attention in the same way those I have mentioned have done. If not, I’m afraid once Fed retires my interest in the sport will take a huge dip. I’ll still follow tennis, but not in the same way, probably just sticking to the AO and Wimbledon.
 
Fedforever said:
You're not the only one. But I did have a baby in 2004!!

I was actually on maternity leave during Wimbledon - I must have watched more of that tournament than any other and now cannot recall a single thing about it.
Click to expand...

Fed won (for the 2nd year in a row). :cool:
 
Look, I'm old as DIRT !! So, Agassi impressed for 20 yrs of my life. Fed and Nadal have been impressing me since. Nadal is my favorite now with Fed second. ABD(anybody but Djoker) :)
 
Jo tsonga is a good answer on good days. See also, richie gasquet.

Le monf and kurios niko bring more pain than joy. But, a lot of joy. So they're on my list even though they hit the backhand with one too many hands.

1977 forest hills final, vilas over jimmy. 6-0 in the last set. Joy.
1981 wimbledon final, mac over borg, 46 76 76 64. Relief. But also joy.
1984 us open semifinal, mac over jimmy, 7-5 in the fifth. Joy.
1987 wimbledon final. Cashy over lendl. Joy.
1988 us open final. Fifth set. Mats over lendl. Joy.
2002 us open final. Sweet Pete over andre in four. If it had gone five, andre wins. Relief.
2017 fifth set, oz oipen. Rf over rafito. Joy.
1983 roland garros final. Yannick over mats. Unbridled joy.

Cool thread, amici.
 
Last edited:
You know who I want back at a top level? Murray. He always tried his best and never backed down despite proving himself inferior to the three.

But he still carved out a Hell of a career didn't he? Someone should add up exactly how many weeks he spent in the top 5, because if you go to the ATP website you will see that it's mainly all his weeks listed.
 
BorgTheGOAT said:
The thing about Jordan is that apart from his immense talent he had a competitive drive which was second to none. If someone beat him or even thought that he could beat him he took this as a challenge and raised his level in the most crucial moments. It is not a coincidence that he was 6-0 in finals, was named finals mvp in all of them and dominated all his peers. If somebody actually beat him he went home, practiced even harder and came back stronger than before. In the long run nobody could ever dominate him. This is the x-factor I felt when watching him that even when his outstanding talent was seriously challenged his will and determination would allow him to raise his game even more whenever necessary. The only other “sportsman” (if you want to call chess a sport) i know with such a boundless will to win would be Gary Kasparov. Roger Federer? Not at all.
Click to expand...

You sure? The old man swapped out the stick that won him 17 slams to a new one, just so he can stay relevant/competitive. Which dominant champion does that? He went 18-2 vs. Nadal/Murray/Wawrinka since then, hugely reducing the deficit against Nadal, completely flipping the H2H against Murray, and all while having an age handicap. The fact that he's not as successful against a peaking Djokovic doesn't mean he has no will to win. Otherwise, why would he still be out there competing even though he could've easily retired in 2013-2014?

No matter. 'To me' he has the rare x-factor that 'I' don't come accross often, not since Jordan, and I care about Jordan way less than Federer.
To each their own. ;)
 
Since everyone is discussing their influences, lemme chime in with mine.

I’m 4 years older than Roger so my childhood influences are similar to his - mostly serve and volley players.

Edberg, Stich, Becker, Krajicek, Rafter, Cash, McEnroe, Navratilova and Steffi.

Agassi was a big departure for me in terms of game style but as a teenager his hair and aura probably made a bigger impact than anything else. :)

I’m a guy so never really understood when girls were fascinated with their Prince Charming fantasies but the closest I came was when Andre married Steffi. I seriously thought (or wished) Jaden Gil was going to be the perfect tennis child.

Little was I anticipating Roger to come along and sweep me off my feet. Love at first sight I tell you. I knew long before the media had started mentioning the GOAT angle that this guy would forever change the game.
 
^ The noticeable exception to my S&V likes was Sampras. Wasn’t his fault, the guy was exceptionally good but my brother and I hated him because he defeated our favorite Agassi more often than we liked. We used to call him ‘the monkey’ because of his habit of sticking his tongue out during serves, the hairy eyebrows and his penchant for snacking on bananas during changeovers.

Childish I know but yeah we were kids :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

rafabull
  • Poll Poll
Which player annoys you the most?
2 3
Replies
116
Views
8K
DM07
D
Smecz
  • Poll Poll
Who tennis player sabotaged his game the most
2
Replies
93
Views
2K
Aestheticsaboveallelse
Aestheticsaboveallelse
GameSampras
Is there a true GOAT in tennis or just a most achieved player?
Replies
7
Views
657
egn
egn
Jackuar
GOAT confirmed... Undeniable argument here...
Replies
40
Views
3K
Deleted member 307496
D
UnderratedSlam
  • Poll Poll
The "I Used To Dislike You But The More You Opened Your Mouth The More I Liked You" Poll
Replies
44
Views
1K
HetTheGreaterer
HetTheGreaterer
Back
Top