Why did you become a fan of your favourite?

[swordtennis]

Connors was just a cool bad ass. So kewl that only the great arthur ash could shut his mouth up. Pete and andre were just apple and cherry pies. American as both those pies.

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

Lendl because it seemed no one liked him.
Nadal because he was the only one who seemed to offer any resistance to Federer.
Federer because he makes the near impossible look easy and makes tennis look effortless(it isn't but he's so good that it looks like it).
Sampras because when he was on, he was unplayable.

 

[Druss]

AA and RF:

Their style of play, on-court ‘coolness’, intelligent post-match analysis and press conferences.

Both made tennis more interesting to follow.

 

[Slightly D1]

I started playing a lot of tennis when I was younger but I had never really cared about watching professional tennis. But, around 2007 at a tournament I got hooked watching this guy on TV who wore sleeveless shirts and was dominating on my favorite surface while inside a clubhouse during a lightning delay.

 

[Deleted member 716271]

Djokovic's personality combined with his holistic training approach, diet, athleticism etc. resonates with me.

I also happen to like the "robotic" strokes. Flawless, clean tennis

 

[chatt_town]

For me it started with Feds first Wimbledon final, Federer-Phillopousis. I was 14 years old, Before this time i was like many other Brits; followed tennis for two weeks a year until Henman went out. During rain delays they would show either McEnroe-Borg 1980 final, McEnroe-Connors 1982 final or Boris Beckers 1985 win, so i knew who those guys were at least.

I didn't know anything about Federer. I had watched Phillopousis beat Agassi with a lot of aces. The Aussie was getting a lot of hype, he was a Kyrgios type underachiever. These forums would go into meltdown if Kyrgios got to a final; this is what happened here. The Scud was finally coming of age!

But Fed was too good. After the second set it was clear the Scud had no chance. On the British coverage i remember an interviewer speaking to Aussie fans on Henman Hill, who said the Scud would come back and win. But they were bad actors, they plainly didn't believe what they were saying. Federer duly won and became dominant, the Scud virtually disappeared from tennis afterward.

After this i was intrigued. I followed Federer, i watched as he routinely destroyed Roddick and Hewitt. I thought Hewitt was too much of a fist pumping screaming brat and liked seeing him lose. As i followed Federer i followed other players aswell and got more and more interested in professional tennis as a whole.

So for me Federer was the man who got me interested in the sport! Why do you love your favorite so much?

Fed...because of how he moved smoothly on the court and that ohbh and not to mention the fact he wins.

 

[Freddy Cat]

Ivo's got the best mentality in the men's game, and when he's serving at his best can put anyone into a mental walk-about. Every match just has a weird vibe to it, where even if the crowd gets into it he just stays calm and emotionally flat the whole time. Best serve of all time. Easy, natural power -- probably can still hit the ball harder than anyone else on the tour when he can line up and crank one. A good, reliable S&V game. Very unique extreme style. It's very fun to watch a player that, although with a lot of holes in his game, having a couple really strong weapons can completely render any all-round player helpless. His game is adaptable, and as he's aged, he's evolved his game to suit him. Not to mention the guy is still very much a factor, and a threat to any player, at 38 y/o, and having made it through a lot of adversity in his life.

 

[Fedforever]

I've rooted passionately for three players: Lendl, Agassi and Fed.

I became a fan of Lendl solely because I hated McEnroe. But I lived and died on every one of his matches until his retirement, even after he was beating Mac like a drum post-1985.

I became a fan of Andre because I watched him in the juniors and knew he was going to be a big deal if he could get his fitness and attitude together. His FH was better at 15 than many pros are now, and he didn't have the modern technology. Anyone with two functioning eyes could see Andre at 13 or 14 and know he was going to be a monster player.

I first saw Roger on TV when he played Andre in Basel in 1998. I liked his game and especially his footwork and thought, "hmm, I'm gonna have to follow this Swiss guy!" I first saw Fed play live at the 2000 USO where he lost to Ferrero in the third round. I knew then he was going to be a great player, and most of the people in the stands around me thought so too. Many were saying, "wow, that kid with the long hair is incredibly fast." The next time I saw Fed play live was 2001 IW and he lost in the first round to Kiefer and he didn't impress much at all. But... the rest is history!

People who claim Fed isn't fast just never saw him play live or saw him when he was young. Chang beats them all, but Fed is right up there with the fastest players I have ever seen. Monfils is blisteringly fast, sure, but lacks anticipation. Raw speed is nothing in tennis if you don't pair it with anticipation.

Bang goes my theory that MacEnroe fans become Fed fans and Lendl fans become Nadal fans.....

 

[Deleted member 742196]

Wimby 2008
Was listening to BBC at the office in the background and I kept on hearing how this Nadal guy was throttling Federer and taking it to him. Little did I know at the time who Federer and Nadal were, particularly there at centre court Wimbledon.

I've generally got a fondness for the underdog, I guess I picked the perfect moment in the time/space continuum to become a Fed fan.

 

[Patrick]

After watching "Stan Wawrinka - Top 10 Rocket Shots."

 

[skaj]

I don't have one favorite, but a few, and it is a combination of their tennis and their character.

Del Potro for example is a very nice guy, but I don't care about his game. Rios and Federer both have playing styles that I enjoy, but they also have nasty personalities.

So, if someone wants to become my favorite, they need to be entertaining on court and as well as decent human beings.

 

[Tennisanity]

^^^ LOL, yeah right.

 

[vive le beau jeu !]

i've always loved obscene and cheating behaviours (as well as pharmaceutical innovations) so i naturally warmed up to the nadal.

 

[swordtennis]

wrong thread my computer is wacking out here.

 

[ChaelAZ]

I suppose my all time favorite has been Nadal for this generation. I watched some of his early play back when I was still an devoted Aggasi fan and always like his style of play, but more his competitive mindset. I wasn't a Fed fan right off because he was pretty cocky, but I've grown to appreciate his brand of tennis. I also enjoy more understated players like Theim and Goffin these days.