What makes you like a tennis player?

[RS]

I believe we must stay on topic. Sweet Pea in the boxing thread.

Ok. I bet you will break this promise though let's see how long we can keep up not thread derailing for.

 

[vive le beau jeu !]

Something in their playing style and character that is interesting. So for me, that's players like Muster, Nadal, Hewitt, Ivanisevic, Safin, Mecir, Vilas, Connors etc. Muster and Nadal have the best playing style and the fight of a gladiator. Ivanisevic and Safin have the incredibly entertaining multi-layered personality with the temperament meltdowns and racquet smashes while being extremely talented. Hewitt has an incredible fight, smooth groundstroke ability, and loves a scrap.

Seles on the women's side too. As a kid, I could tell there was something about her that was very different from the norm, how she combined an easy going, giggly personality (very expected of a friendly teenage girl) with a strong love of tennis and a ruthless hunger to compete and win (which was more like a ruthless men's champion). Graf, by contrast, was bought up and built to be a tennis champion, and had the air of a soldier doing her duty, but there also seemed to be an underlying sadness and even loneliness to Graf at times. For Seles, it was much more an internal love of tennis and love of competing.

have you considered the possibility of a favorable bias towards left-handed players?

 

[RS]

I like rallies a lot and seeing the point develop but sometimes it's a little bit too much if that makes sense.

 

[tennis_error]

Rog crying isn't cringe. He is maximally human and doesn't hide it

Borg was so cool, a total iceman...underneath it all he was so insecure he walked away at 26 because he couldn't stand not to be absolutely dominant...then deluded himself into coming back with a wood racquet in the 80s like a total fool

Imagine Fed retired after Wimbledon 2008 and then comes back in 2019 and just gets wiped out by mugs. THAT would be cringe.

Instead, Fed came back in 2021, got wiped out by some Polish guy and finished career bageled at his favourite tournament...

 

[Rosstour]

Instead, Fed came back in 2021, got wiped out by some Polish guy and finished career bageled at his favourite tournament...

You seriously think Borg's comeback was better than the way Federer finished his career?

 

[Sudacafan]

His fans.
That's why I find it so hard to really like a tennis player.

 

[tennis_error]

You seriously think Borg's comeback was better than the way Federer finished his career?

No, but Federer's was terrible too. He was always just prolonging his end fooling with his fans hopes. Nadal is doing the same to his fans right now. Hope Novak won't do that to his fans when it's his turn...

 

[Rosstour]

No,

So why are you bringing up Fed? Just to dump on him? Cool story bro.

Borg stayed away too long, didn't win a single match in his comeback. It was a total clown show.

 

[Mustard]

So why are you bringing up Fed? Just to dump on him? Cool story bro.

Borg stayed away too long, didn't win a single match in his comeback. It was a total clown show.

Borg's comeback at 1991 Monte Carlo was bizarre. Borg used a wooden racquet, had an 80-year-old karate expert from Wales as his coach and was outplayed by Arrese.

 

[Subway Tennis]

Likeability factors for me:

- Not doing bad discussions on the court
- Interesting person
- Attitude towards the sport and maintaining its reputation
- Attitude towards competition
- Pushing yourself mentally and physically as hard as you can
- Playing Style and having a flair for the mercurial aspect of the sport (Can be many different styles - but there must be something idiosyncratic about it.)
- Great treatment of opponents
- Treatment of the court staff (ball kids and the chair umpire)

Players who represented the sport best for me:

Rafael Nadal
Thomas Muster
Stan Wawrinka
Leylah Fernandez
Coco Gauff
Ash Barty
Pat Rafter
Roger Federer
Andy Murray
Chris Evert
Carlitos Alcaraz
Alex De Minaur
Andre Agassi
Ekaterina Alexandrova
Jannik Sinner
Ben Shelton
Pete Sampras
Beatriz Haddad Maia
Boris Becker

 

[Angrybirdstar]

my favorite players are Alcaraz, Swiatek, Kasatkina, and Baez. the common traits should be fairly apparent :]

 

[mixtape]

I like tennis players with beautiful smooth swing strokes and creative game play. Lately, I find myself rooting for American tennis players because there hasn't been anyone stepping up that's been consistent since McEnroe, Connors, Agassi, Courier, Sampras, and the Williams sisters. On the WTA, I'm visually attracted to their outfits. . I also like the few players who hit flat and/or serve and volley. Baseline bashers or Servebots bore me.

 

[Sudacafan]

Style

 

[MichaelNadal]

 

[Sudacafan]

Not so stylish, but I mellowed with time to this.
We're getting older, aren't we?

 

[socallefty]

I think it has a lot to do with the first time I saw them in person (usually at Indian Wells) and how their game/style/personality appealed to me - if they have California connections, it helps. Usually having good technique and a winning attitude is a must and I don’t usually tend to like those who have clay court styles of defensive counterpunching. There are definitely biases related to countries, looks, height, clothing style etc. that also have an impact.

Amongst the top 50, I kinda like Djokovic, Alcaraz, Hurkacz, Ruud, Fritz, Paul, Wawrinka and am looking forward to seeing more of the young guns like Jarry, Lehecka, Fils, Nakashima, Michelson etc. as I’ll likely become fans of some of them.

 

[tennis_error]

So why are you bringing up Fed? Just to dump on him? Cool story bro.

Borg stayed away too long, didn't win a single match in his comeback. It was a total clown show.

You brought Fed, as bright example, go back and see, I just noticed that he is not, imo

 

[bigserving]

I am tending to more like players for who they are, and what they do off the court. If a player is involved with some kind of cool cause that puts tennis in a positive light, it probably makes me like them more.
Everybody plays the same style of game these days, so there is not much difference to choose from in that regard.

 

[Tennis_Sud]

Iam an aggressive tennis fan who appreciates the power and flair of the modern game.

• Offensive players are my jam. Think lights-out forehands, crushing serves, and relentless attacks at the net.
• The next-gen style forehand is a thing of beauty. That exaggerated loop and explosive whip generate ridiculous amounts of spin and power. It's like watching a human trebuchet launch missiles across the court.
• But brute force isn't everything. I have a soft spot for players who combine power with artistry, like the magician himself, Roger Federer. His one-handed backhand is a masterpiece, and even I, a self-proclaimed one-hand backhand skeptic, can't help but be mesmerized. ✨
• Speaking of Federer, my current faves are the young guns tearing up the tour. Alcaraz's raw power and Sinner's all-court elegance are a treat to watch. Their epic clash at the US Open was a prime example of tennis classico at its finest!

In short, I'm here for the fireworks, the finesse, and the future of the sport. Bring on the next generation!

 

[soldat]

I like a good story, humility, and good human beings.

Djokovic is the guy for me that has all those attributes, far more than Federer or Nadal. I think he is also the GOAT and has had the best comeback and epic matches of the modern era.

I also like Tommy Paul, Tiafoe, Medvedev, Rublev, Khachanov. Among the new generation I like Alcaraz, Sinner, but probably Alcaraz a little more.

For players before I like Sampras and Kuerten

I’m not a big fan of Tsitsipas

As for why you like a player it’s kind of like why you like the color blue or red. There’s no real reason sometimes,

 

[NoleFam]

I tend to root for the odd one out that I can relate to. I don't usually root for the best team or the most popular team. That goes for individual sports as well. I want to root for the one who faced a little adversity in life because that I relate to. Then comes style of play and personality. When I started rooting for my favorite male and female players, neither had a Slam or were #1. Then they both won Slams and became #1. It gives great satisfaction knowing you picked a winner. As long as they're good people, I don't care about mistakes made along the way because humans aren't perfect. Their public image is not imporant to me because it's sport not politics.