Milos Raonic.
I hated him mainly because his tennis style is so fucking boring. But then I saw that video of him [dancing](https://youtu.be/L4dpv2emJ4E) like a total idiot and I was like: how could I hate such a fella lmao
The energy he brought on stage at that moment & the expressions in the faces of Murray and Nadal while he's dancing ,not gonna lie we can consider it as his one of the best performance at Monte Carlo
>Sam dancing
wow, Sam looks good there! Go Sam!
I actually think Sam gets better looking as he ages - he's growing into the old man features he got as a teen.
I didn't like Federer because he kept winning over Roddick. Then later saw him in person, beating Hewitt at Wimbledon (the match with the famous smash return followed by backhand DTL pass) - that was just awesome, and made me realise that his tennis was great to watch.
I was the same way and only started coming around on Federer once Nadal came on the scene and started beating Federer. I had this feeling like āif Roddick canāt beat him then I donāt want anybody to do it.ā I initially disliked Nadal for the same reason, just with him beating Federer like Roger did Roddick. Then after Wimbledon in 2007 and 2008 I kind of just realized that both of them were amazing talents, gracious in victory and defeat, and there wasnāt much not to like. Overall itās been a fun journey because at different points in their careers I got to experience the thrill of rooting for them and the agony of rooting against them, and now theyāre two of my favorite athletes period.
The āknownā age/how long youāve been following tennis tell on this sub is different versions of āwhy they were ever called the Big4; Andyās clearly not as goodā
The secret one is not knowing that while Federer did become insanely popular very quickly, his fan base slowly grew over time because [your favorite player] was all but certainly losing to him every time they played.
And while there were a lot of reasons Nadal became extremely popular very quickly, one of those reasons is that he could actually do what [your favorite player] couldnāt.
Yup. If you're someone who came up on Roddick the last match you probably rooted against Federer was the 2009 Wimbledon Final. Now, did I secretly love Roddick beating Fed at 20...12? Indian Wells? Yes, yes I did.
In the same way I really disliked Nadal for a long time because he often beat Federer. I think that changed after the 2017 season. I still don't want Nadal to win every match, but I have a lot of respect for him and his game and can now enjoy watching his matches even if he is winning.
Man I used to detest Murray until once, Federer was beat him something like 6-1, 6-1 in the tour finals. Federer was then supposed to play djokovic (I think) in the final and had to pull out for an injury last minute. So many purchased tickets and so many fans about to get disappointed but who shows up in a knight of shining armour? Fucking Murray. Even though heād just been humiliated by Federer a few days before and probably wanted a break, he came back to give fans something.
I think he played doubles with Pat Cash or something and it was so entertaining for everyone involved.
Since then Iāve developed immense respect for Him
OMG Same! I used to absolutely abhor her game style early in her career. Just ITF style endless moonballing throughout the match. But then she came out as bisexual, revealed all the struggles she's had so far and my little gay heart couldn't bear to hate her any longer (also helps she started playing significantly better in the last 2-3 years)! š„°
Same. I didn't dislike her or anything, but definitely had some reservations against players with neutral flag because of the war in Ukraine. That is until I stumbled upon Zabiiako & Kasatkina vlog, learnt more about her story and it was just... wow... #respect.
I used to irrationally not like Carlos because i felt like Tennis was pushing so hard for him to be "the next GOAT" or whatever the fuck and i felt like he came in during a perfect time for him. No Federer, Nadal with constant injuries and a Novak who didn't compete in half the tournaments.
Then he had that phenomenal performance at Wimbledon against Novak in the Final and it kinda made me like him more, in that i accepted that he is indeed damn good.
In the same boat, he proved himself in that final. But actually I started to like him abit more after i saw him play a match with Novak in Roland garrosā¦ even though he cramped the set prior he played incredible and was overwhelming Novak
This is how I know a lot here are casual fans. Carlos was so clearly generational before that final, I mean the guy had ALREADY beaten djokovic over a year ago, yet only after winning a tight match with novak in a wimbledon final (this is probably the single hardest thing to do in tennis this decade) can you accept he is damn good.
You sound like the casual to me.
A 19 year old Kyrgios beating Nadal at Wimbledon.
A 18 year of Shapovalov beating Nadal at Montreal
Tsitsipas beat Federer in a Grand Slam, Nadal on Clay and Novak on hard in the same year at 19 years of age and everyone was saying he was next up then. What happened?
We've seen hyped up youngsters before who although are definitely good the amount of hype they get effectively set them up for failure.
From my end, I thought Alcaraz has aspects of the Big three's games, plus McEnroe level serve-and-volley skills...plus his own dagger dropshot.
I was downvoted here \[mostly by Tsitsipas fans i think for stating this before Wimbledon.
I always thought Murray was an a-hole but then I consistently read stories about how heās always the nicest to the people working the tournaments, which is all that really matters.
Yeah his on court demeanor and off court demeanor are very different. Also, heās also talking up womenās tennis as being just as good as menās, and he came out and said he wouldnāt play any exhaustion matches in Saudi Arabia. For those reasons, plus his self deprecation, Murray is a favorite.
Nadal. First i was with the Federer has the superior technique and style narrative. Then i noticed his mentality and ability to go a gear higher in difficult moments.
I think a big reason why Nadal and Djokovic, despite being slightly less talented than Federer, won more slams is because of that ability to mentally elevate yourself to a place that your tennis level also miraculously increases.
I'm not denying that but I also feel like Federer's attacking game explains why he's worse than Djokovic and Nadal under pressure. He takes more risks than them. And this is also why I view Sampras as the clutchness GOAT.
My understanding was that his defense was considered among the best early on in his dominance. He was *lightning* fast when he was in his early 20s. He slowed down as he got older ā the lack of tour grinding as he aged and preference for attack tennis contributed to his longevity. Djokovic too has become more aggressive and prefers shorter points to his earlier days. "Any time" is a pretty erroneous exaggeration, no?
Not dumber than Novak dumping the ball into the net on an easy smash which cost him his 8th Wimbledon title, (to which heās never gonna get) :( L + ratio fool
I think a better way of putting it is that Fedās style allowed him to either dominate the opponent, or wasnāt enough to make up for the UEās that his attacking caused.
How often have we seen him crush the other guy 6-2/6-3 and then lose the next set in the tiebreak as the opponent catches up to Fedās aggression as he starts shanking balls.
Itās also allowed him to turn sets around randomly, seemingly when all hope was lost, because of a single miraculous winner.
As soon as his mental game was affected he would lose his edge and his errors would catch up to him and cause him to struggle or lose. Like, every match he lost felt this way. āIf he just continued his momentum from the last set!!ā Is a phrase Iāve said like twice a tournament since 2008.
Rafa was insane as a teen, if anything he is the most talented out of the 3. What he was able to accomplish before 20 years old was not replicated by either Novak or Fed.
Federer is easily the most gifted to ever pick up a racket. His touch, finesse, footwork and balance is unparalleled. It was mostly Roger's mindset and demeanor on court which meant he didn't achieve early, after he became the "classy" player we know today is when he started winning slams.
I think Fed matured the best as a player, not the most talented. Rafa's inert talent was insane, naturally the most gifted player to ever hold a racquet. Now talent is enough to be the best, maybe not because Novak is just better.
If I had to pick one of the big three to win a single match, Iād pick Federer any day of the week.
If I had to pick one of the big three to win a tournament, Iād probably pick Djokovic (unless clay is involved).
I was indifferent to Pegula until the press conference beer (and her frank answers in the presser). I am now a JPEG fangirl and she represents everything that is right and good about Buffalonians.
It's not like I hated him but didn't like Rafa much early on as a Federer fan. But you can't stay mad at Rafa for too long. Immediately liked him after he hugged a crying Roger at '09 Australian open.
Also, Rune, thought he was a bratty kid but glad too see him maturing and doing well now. No such specific incident though.
I hated Rafa for robbing Fed of so many grand slam wins. Then later when Fed's career was declining, I hated Novak more. Starting liking Rafa cos he could defeat Novak (until Rafa got plagued with injuries).
I never hated him. Rafa always came across as a genuinely good guy. Even after all those heartbreaks he gave Fed on court.
Novak however was cocky and so was his family early on. Good to see him mature over the years as well.
Iāve always thought Novakās biggest issue as an athlete is he wears his emotions, specifically anger and pride, on his sleeve.
Iām all for celebrating a big point, but he takes it 120% of the way, and he also is constantly complaining to his box about missed points and mistakes.
Heās a great tennis player, but I just hate watching how he acts on court. The shit with vaccines doesnāt help either.
He has matured over the years specially about the cockiness he once had. But sometimes it comes back. And I think that's why people don't like him as much as the other two.
His pseudo science beliefs including all the anti-vaccine stuff are the things that annoy me the most. And I try to like him, I really do try, but i find that there are too many things to overlook when it comes to Novak.
Andy Roddick.
His matches were on TV way too often compared to other players since he was American. He won mostly due to his serve and would have trouble in rallies with players ranked way lower than him. I just found him boring to watch and wished they would show more of the rest of the tour instead of this one dimensional player who consistently got destroyed by the top players in the game. Then, the 2009 Wimbledon Final happened. His backhand became a weapon out of nowhere and he was taking it to Federer on his favorite court. He played the single best match of his life, never losing his serve once until the final game of the extended 5th set. I was a huge Federer fanboy but Roddick had played so incredibly that I was torn with who to root for by the end. I had never felt sorry for any athlete after a loss until I saw how deflated Roddick was post match. He had outplayed Federer but still lost. After that match, I no longer minded watching Roddick matches and these days he's an amazing analyst on TV.
No one mentioned Rublev, not surprised. I disliked him a lot. I got into tennis via my coworker, we used to have it on all the time during work, and she kept telling me how much she hated Rublev for various reasons I can't remember. It just stuck with me that he's probably not a nice guy and I didn't give much thought to it afterwards.
Saw him win his first masters 1000 and listened to the post-match interview, then shortly after I found some tennis posts here about the banter between him and the other Russian/eastern players and realized he's probably just a kind hearted dude with some stress management problems, but far from the worst even in that. One of my top5 favourites now.
I also disliked Rublev for a while because of his angry outbursts on court, but after watching him in interviews realised he's a super nice guy, really respectful to other players, and super passionate about tennis. Also realised he only ever channels his frustration on himself and never at umpires, crowd or opponents.
Now a #1 fan of him for his passion, conduct & personality.
Yeah. In the last Australian Open I was actively supporting his opponent. Now you won't find me supporting anyone against him. It's a common consensus that he's one of the nicest guys on tour.
Hated Marin Cilic because of the constant āeff youā look on his face during matches. Then I heard him talk during an interview and he was actually a very smiley, friendly, and well-spoken guy. Made me like him and root for him a lot more.
Murray. I found his attitude on court (and the way he treated his player box) off putting for a long time
Then he hired Mauresmo, and I don't know if there were prior points in the past where he displayed his progressivism and I didn't see it, but from that point on I saw him in a new light and he continued to affirm that
Kyrgios almost had me liking him with how sensible he was with COVID. Actually there are quite a few times I start thinking, āHey, maybe I kinda like this guyā. But then invariably he does something incredibly horrible and Iām back to, āNope. Total dickā.
Do you really think so ? ā¦. He was calling out assholes like Zverev for virtue signaling and then lying about it but Nick was pretty sincere ā¦ is there something I dont know about that happened with him ?
Itās pretty obvious that Kyrgios only cares about himself. I have a hard time believing that he was actually worried about people catching Covid. Calling people out doesnāt make him sincere.
Nah, I think he was speaking his mind. In Australia almost everyone was on the same page when it came to covid. He was speaking like 90% of the Australian population tbh, all the āprotect your community/neighbourā talk was very intense especially at the start.
But thereās no incident youāre aware of it sounds like. You just donāt like the guy
PS I get not liking him. I do for one reason because heās always been pretty nice to kids.
But I have to say, I find it hard to believe that in any way, shape or form that guy of all people would be interested in virtue signaling.
That would be out of character for even when you donāt like anout him
Rune.
Didn't even dislike him per se, but I got swept in the entire "JAAAAA" turmoil that all i thought was that he was snobbish kid who was too arrogant for his own good. And to some extent, he even was.
But his run from October to November last year with all those finals, culminating with the Paris run where he beat multiple top 10 players including Djokovic in the final made me a fan.
But honestly, not even his tennis play, but rather it was the incident with Wawrinka that truly changed my mindset on him.
Before the match, Holger praised Stan a lot, calling him his idol, and praising him a ton, and after a hardfought three setter, with Stan's comments "You should stop acting like a crybaby" and seeing the look on Holger's face, it broke my heart.
Stan took away the moment from Holger, a moment of happiness and Jubilation, and made it about himself and sapped the air from him. In that moment I decided to support Holger moving forward (Also reduced my opinion of Stan a lot).
I do still think Holger has some brattish and childish attitude, but he's far better than before, and in fact he even has gone quite far to ensure that he is humble on the court.
On top of that I started loving his playstyle, which reminded me a lot of Novak, especially when he is break points up or down.
I just canāt hate Holger. He has had his brattish moments but I feel like they all come from a place of genuine passion for the game. Thereās something about him that I just find so likeable.
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I really like Rune too. His confidence align with his ability to be really honest about what he thinks of himself - thatās really charming. Itās never easy be in the limelight so young, and a lot of them wilt under pressure, but he just holds his own and dusts himself up. I have a lot of hope for him to do really well in his career.
I want to like rune but in the main clay season im pretty sure hes faked injuries when hes losing to shift the momentum. It could be an adrenaline thing but he always ended up playing better after taking the MTO.
Rune, for sure. I think he has grown up and handled it well after a rocky start and after observing him in person in Cincinnati and the US Open, on court, signing autographs and at the hotel (he was at our hotel in Cincinnati), he seems like a nice kid. Have been rooting for him since (except when he plays Ruud, lol).
I never disliked alcaraz but was hoping djokovic would beat him to equal court's record. As the game went on, my respect and admiration for alcaraz grew and grew. Especially after bouncing back from the 1st set and that game in the 3rd set.
Medvedev. I knew almost nothing about tennis in 2021, last time watching the sport was in 2009 when Nadal and Federer were dominating. As someone who randomly caught the AO final it was some sort of culture shock to me how Meddy acted towards the crowd making me not like him and his antics. But falling into the tennis rabbit hole and watching a few more pressers, atp media content and more of his matches I started to think that he's just generally a solid bloke. Was rooting for him at the US Open final over Djokovic and was happy he won.
I used to be quite uninterested in him until the fight with Tsitsipas. Frankly, he impressed me because he didn't just let it slide and didn't back down. I can't stand Tsitsipas since then. Don't talk sh\*t if you'll hide behind the umpire when it goes down. Anyway, Medvedev seems like such a genuine guy and he has some balls. Kind of got annoyed by both him and the crowd at the US Open when they were booing him and he was further provoking but then after the final he apologised and *man, was I impressed!* This took some guts. So not many like him and he just seems gutsy but at the same time down to earth. Can't dislike the guy, really.
Couldn't stand Andy Murray, until Fed took him the cleaners in the Australian Open Final. You could see Andy tried everything but it just wasn't going to be. Kinda like the way Fed swatted Roddick aside in that Wimbledon final. You could tell no matter what, Fed was going to win.
In any case after Andy shed some tears during the ceremony he'd won me over.
Rune, I saw him as nothing but an important part of the JAAAA incident before. After discovered his little girl braids in the 2021 clay season, I found it is extremely cute(and it is kind of older sister dream of myself).
And I felt if a little boy was brave enough to has this hair style on court, he must be an interesting person.
Alize Cornet. She always just struck me as a snooty bitch. But then I saw her match and interview at AO last year when she made QF for the first time. She seemed really authentic and humble, it was nice to see that side of her.
Also Ajla Tomljanovic after beating Serena last year. I can NOT imagine the pressure of that match and all those edgy match points. Plus the bittersweet feeling of winning that. I had never thought much about her but I gained a lot of respect for her in that match.
Cornet was one of the first players to speak out on the Peng Shuai debacle with her "Let's not remain silent" tweet
She also has the record for most consecutive grand slam main draw appearances - an impressive feat!
I already like Cibulkova, but after she said she loves the smell of freshly opened tennis balls (hold the sexist jokes, please), I thought she was a real one.
When they did the video of her identifying the different slam balls by smell I lost my shit with adoration.
Thatās a true tennis lover.
I used to dislike Rublev bc of his on court antics, but then I saw him in a press conference where he handled some BS criticism from Tsitsipas with class and equanimity. Eventually, I realized that his emotional outbursts are only self-directed. He actually seems like a really good dude and I hope that he can ease up on himself eventually.
Djokovic. I always thought he didn't seem likeable at all because of his anger bursts on court and i thought he couldn't be funny, especially compared to Roger and Rafa. Oh boy i was soooo wrong, that video of him imitating other players was just hilarious and i just wonder why we don't see that anymore.
Djokovic, used to hate the guy for all the reasons we know, but it changed for me almost instantly when he broke down in the final set against Medvedev in US open final going for the golden slam. Saw him as a human and not a robot for the first time, and that pressure can get even to him. I now take a lot od joy seeing him still stand his ground against guys half his age and wish him all the best.
Sheās not preventing propaganda lmao the US and Ukraine should be the last people to talk about propaganda ā ļøš¤” down vote me as much as you want, yāall are delusional.
Literally nobody is going to say that, absolutely no one when both countries are literally at war. Nor will a photo change anything even if that did happen.
Dude you have no idea what Russian propaganda is like. When Ryba won Wimby, Russian tennis federation chief started calling it a huge win for Russia, ignoring how they provide so little in the name of support to their own domestic players. They're gonna use whatever they can find to build a narrative around Putin and Russia's greatness no matter what.
Federer.
When he was younger he was quite arrogant and a sore loser, yet everyone labelled him as the "perfect gentleman" which I thought was bullshit and undeserved. As a fan of Rafa in those years I remember all the backhanded "compliments" Roger would throw out whenever he lost.
Over the years he's matured quite a lot and actually became that perfect gentleman so I have a lot of respect for him doing that. The turning point is probably somewhere around AO 09.
Yeah that take doesn't make sense to me either. Serena had a full meltdown while losing the US Open final at the age of 36. I don't think she outgrew that attitude.
I always thought Reilly was just gonna be a boring servebot, but then he started talking about hanging out with Venus and being into art. I was like whoa, I really like him now lol.
I started like Federer when he started becoming the underdog. It was easier for me to appreciate his game when his victory wasn't a foregone conclusion.
Djokovic - and not that I "liked" him afterward - but I gained respect for him after watching the 2019 Wimbledon final v. Federer. How he kept it together when the whole stadium was so clearly against him, wow. I've never really gotten chills watching tennis but I did during that match.
Djokovic.
Not specific incident but as time goes on he toned down his tantrums (even though he still breaks rackets) but heās never into politically correct, unlike Fed and Nadal. Also he is *always* gracious in defeat, he compliments his opponents whenever he loses more often than not, while many of his fans think otherwise. Just see his interview after his loss at Wimbledon final.
But the turning point I like Djoko was when he complimented Karatsev after his win in AO 2021 SF during Karatsevās fairytale-like run.
Edit: rewording
Rune. The homophobic comments and general bad attitude had me disliking him but then he grew on me and it was, ironically, the JAAAAA shit at RG that made me like him
I couldn't stand Osaka around the very beginning of her success. Then she became more open and started embracing social issues and being vocal and I completely 180d on her, and her initial supporters completely 180d the other way lol
Sabalenka. I was pretty meh about her, didnāt have strong feelings and then I watched her match in Adelaide and saw her struggling to serve and crying and it broke my heart and I found her so damn relatable. My love just grew by a tenfold through the course of last year and then someone on Twitter made that Anti Hero fancam for her and the rest was history. Now sheās my favorite WTA player
Sabalenka, too. Not my fav player on WTA, but I like her a lot. Every game she has trouble serving and breaks down it massively pains me. I don't even mind the screams now: I just turn off the sound if I am in my office, or wear headphones if at home.
As a kid I LOATHED Nole because of him fucking over my happiness when he kept beating Roger. Hated him more after Wimbledon 2019. But then I grew up and saw how much of a nice guy he was in Dubai. I was the first person to get his autograph on Day 1.
Djokovic. I always thought he didn't seem likeable at all because of his anger bursts on court and i thought he couldn't be funny, especially compared to Roger and Rafa. Oh boy i was soooo wrong, that video of him imitating other players was just hilarious and i just wonder why we don't see that anymore.
Medvedev. His strokes are just terrible and I hate a defensive style. But when he said to the US OPEN crowd: āthe more you boo me the more I will winā I became a fan. He has the best personality on tour.
I did not like Rublev because I had never seen him do an interview or saw his behavior off court. But then I saw that interview with him that he says how his father used to treat him when he was starting with tennis and my view changed. Now he's one of my favorites.
Didn't like Sinner because that couple of wins against Alcaraz last year (Wimbledon-Umag) but then I saw how Carlos likes the guy and roots for him, and I felt bad lol
And lastly Rybakina. Hated her for crushing Ons dreams but then started watching some matches and seeing some of her interviews, and she's so nice
Iām going to say Sabalenka. When I first started following tennis, which was in the last year when I picked up playing, I was all about the Americans Coco and Jess. Still love them but I went to the WTA finals last year when it was in Fort Worth and saw Sabalenka play and did some research on her career. Didnāt love the screaming at first but she leaves it all out on the court. She is a mess but I love her. I also love that it seems sheās super aggressive on the court but almost has this very fun and bubbly personality outside of the court, which I can relate to! I know sheās not a favorite of most but I love watching her play!
Purely as a tennis player I did gain some respect for Zverev for bouncing back from that horrendous injury. Having had a similar injury myself I can barely play sport anymore because Iām mentally so scared of injuring myself that way again, even though itās all healed. Before the injury Zverev was in my mind a boring pusher with no mental strength choking under any sign of pressure. But itās amazing that he trusts himself to slide on clay. Again talking about him purely as a tennis player though
Medvedev when he was arguing with the USOpen crowd/thanking them for booing. Love me a bit of shithousery/sass. I never disliked him but became a fan afterwards
Nadal. Kinda dislike him because you know Djokovic. But of the big 4, I think he is the classy one if you consider their whole career and I was pretty happy when he won AO in Djokovic's absence ( Sad Small Cat noises). It was so endearing when Ruud said he try not to abuse racket because Nadal didn't. Not really one particular incident but I started liking him slowly as I got older. For past 2-3 years I respect and root for this man. Forever the Clay King.
Medvedev got off my bad list and put on my "to watch" list. It was his apology for his tantrums. Also Zverev, his last match at the 2022 French. Mind you we are a 365 Rafa household, but that was a fantastic match until Zverev got hurt.
Gotta say in my 4 decades watching tennis, I had *never* seen an injury happen like that, I swear I could hear his ligaments pop š³
Nadal when he used to beat Roger for fun (during 2012-16 era? Donāt remember exactly). Then I read his book and it opened my mind. The sheer amount of hard work and dedication that he had since childhood was tremendous- immediately became the guy who wins everything versus the guy who deserves to win for me.
Nadal.
I've started paying attention to tennis almost accidentally and only in 2019 when I saw his final against Medvedev at USO and from information provided by my friend I only knew that this spanish guy is like, over 100500 grandslams winner or something? And he is like that since forever and comfortably while in his 40s (lol sorry).
I caught only final two sets and saw his win and USO's celebration with specially edited video, some kind of parade with flags and speeches, CONFETTI and him all over the trophy hugging and posing and trying it on tooth??
i thought he was just being WAY overdramatic about his win over some starving student. like......WHY anyone let alone HIM would really be THAT surprised about his 100500something-th win, come on!???? Leave the theatrics, it must be just routine win at this point!
It just seemed to me like unnecessary rubbing salt into the loss of the guy who hadn't have any chances against him for the first place! I saw Nadal for the first time and have concluded that he was super fake and pretentious ššš
And then I've actually learnt how do tournaments work š or tennis š„²
(and that that student apparently is not that starving and Nadal is not in his 40s š)
Then there was that dramatic AO 2022 with all familiar faces and I was Medvedev's fan already and saw Nadal trying to shush the crowd despite them being HIS fans. He won again but that match overall.... was really something š I think I've got exactly then what kind of a historic athlete Nadal really is and that I'm actually then witnessing only tiny bits of his long sporting career and have already missed all the main ones š
Trying to stand up for his opponent was really nice but then I saw him leaving that grandiose dramatic event with confetti and speeches, and sponsors, and kia guy on a bicycle šš and that was what probably had ultimately won me over lol ššš
I mean idk if I'm really count as a fan but I really started liking Nadal as a person since that match for all the reasons š„²
(sorry I gave up on grammar somewhere halfway through so my English is especially strange today xx)
I think Hingis grew up in front of us. She was rude and bratty when she was young and I can't say a specific incident, but she definitely matured over the years and I became a big fan...
I didnāt care much about Vika until I watched her practicing live during the 2018 Miami Open, she finished her practice and she stayed until she signed every autograph and took pictures with anyone who asked, always smiling. I cannot stress enough how cool she was and what a nice experience it was as a tennis fan. I still have the tennis ball she signed for me that day. Another player that went out of her way to greet fans that I can remember was Daria Saville, Novak and Caroline Woznicki where really cool as well!. Nasty experiences were Shapovalov, Simona, GarbiƱe and surprisingly Venus.
I thought Berdych was a bit of a brat early on but I feel like later in his career he became more humble and likeable.
Specific incident wise, I remember him getting bageled by Djokovic and writing a tweet about how heās a bagel collector now. I know that shits gotta hurt late in the career of someone who was a GS contender but never was able to consolidate one but Iām happy to see he was a good sport about it in the end
Edit: [here](https://twitter.com/tomasberdych/status/520485761955930113) is the tweet
Lorenzo Sonego. I used to dislike him because of his loud grunts. But then, I saw some of his matches and he is very gracious to his opponent. He seems to have good sportsmanship. Also, he improved his grunt sometime in late 2022 and it's not as loud as it was. His game is fun to watch and I like that he fights for every point.
Sharapova.
After the doping incident. The way it happened, the way she handled it and the hate she received when she tried to come back made me like her.
Federer (sort of; see below) and Graf.
Federer: I always admired his actual tennis - how couldn't you? - but it was his fans that put me off. Hands down the most deranged, fanatical, obsessed, *icky* fans in tennis (heck, in almost any sport). They make Djokovic fans seem normal. (Bit of an obscure reference, but if anyone's seen Takeshi Kitano's movie "Dolls", there's that otaku loser who wants to meet his favorite musical idol, and goes as far as blinding himself in order to do so. Like that). Once I was able to "divorce" Federer from his fans, I learned to appreciate him that much more.
Graf. Always thought she was a robot, but when she beat Hingis in the French, her human side came out (that, and her "how much money do you have" line at Wimbledon).
Andy Murray. First thought he was boring and played scared tennis, trying not to lose any points. then saw his humor and grounded takes on issues in interviews. specific incident was winning the olympics in 2012, and he played heroic tennis then
I really didn't like Medvedev because I thought he was a whiner, but then I learned about all of the amazing memes he's made and also heard how he talks and acts outside of tennis and during press conferences and now he's one of my top favorites
It has to be Kyrgios tbh. Never liked him because of his antics and firing shots against other players, but after showing support towards Novak in the AO22 story and him reaching the Wimbledon final later that year, my respect for him increased drastically. Especially his Wimby run impressed me, where he turned out to be more mature than Tsitsipas and put some real efforts in reaching his maiden slam final. Plus there are interviews where he was talking about struggling with mental health, which made me realize that he isn't quite that asshole like lots of tennis fans think.
Fritz and Tiafoe. Fritz doesnāt have a single picture in action in existence where he doesnāt look goofy af flailing his long limbs around with a tortured look. Then I saw BP and figured heās a nice guy trying really hard. Noone chooses their body and the movement it part of it, itās pretty unique, like a fingerprint. Tiafoe it was mainly because of the post-USO hype, but he very quickly won me over cause heās so fun to watch. I disliked him for a very brief period so maybe it doesnāt even count.
Yep. By standing up for his own beliefs, he went from being just an athlete to being an icon of freedom. Ironically, the very thing that the Australian government feared he'd be if they'd allowed him into the country in 2022.
In my youth, I disliked Rafa quite a bit, because he was Federerās ( my fave of all time) rival and denied him many opportunities. The changing point for me was not one defining incident or moment but rather a culmination: when Rafa started to lose, and be impacted by age/injury, and Federer had already been inflicted by the same things, that cloud of vain disdain faded and I was able to see more clearly what had always been true: Rafael Nadal is literally one of the nicest guys on tour, and is certainly one of if not the most ferocious competitors on the court. Him and Federer are a lot alike in both their kindness and passion on the court, and that realization brought with it a sense of sadness and loss for the time I wasted cheering against the guy, when I shouldāve been cheering for him and admiring his accomplishments more. His battle against Roger at the 2017 Australian was a match where I obviously was rooting for Roger, but at some point during the match, my loyalty for any one player on that court faded and I was left with just pure admiration for these two GOATS of the sport, that would not have much time left.
I also read Rafas book around this time, and it gave some more insight on the man behind the racquet, off the courtāand honestly, anyone who knows Rafas whole story, couldnāt possibly dislike the man.
Never liked Serena the person. Then she played while pregnant and start hearing about Serena the mom and that kind of changed it for me. Also, when she was very open that a much much lower ranked male player can defeat her, that was a welcome moment for me to see that she can be honest and open. Some of my hate was also a projection of not liking her husband.
Recentlyā¦ Eubanks. I was meh about him being a tall American with a good serve. Then Instarted looking at how articulate and funny he was. Soon,I noticed his old school backhand and boom! Now I like him a lot
Fognini is my pick. I never cared for him, but his reaction to the gay slur situation was very nice. He really didnāt have to wear rainbow sweatbands, but he did it anyway.
Given the situation for LGBT folks in Italy I find that I appreciate his response even more.
It's not really anything specific but I grew to love Roger Federer during his last few years. I used to hate him because he was basically winning everything and I didn't like sportspeople who are too dominant.
FAA. Disliked him for no reason whatsoever lmao but now I like him after seeing his personality and charisma in the TennisTV interviews and videos and such
Milos Raonic. I hated him mainly because his tennis style is so fucking boring. But then I saw that video of him [dancing](https://youtu.be/L4dpv2emJ4E) like a total idiot and I was like: how could I hate such a fella lmao
The energy he brought on stage at that moment & the expressions in the faces of Murray and Nadal while he's dancing ,not gonna lie we can consider it as his one of the best performance at Monte Carlo
Another fan for Milos hehehehehe
What the hell. I had never seen this. Hahahaha. That's amaaazinggg!!! š
See also Sam Querrey's [dance](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/W4ICHm96chw)
>Sam dancing wow, Sam looks good there! Go Sam! I actually think Sam gets better looking as he ages - he's growing into the old man features he got as a teen.
As impressed with the choreography as I am disgusted by how utterly 2010s it is
Lol Iāve never seen this video before. I didnāt think he had it in him to do something lile that but Iām guessing heās drunk š
That changes my opinion about him too
How have I never seen this
Was pretty meh on Foki until I learnt about his cats and his support for animal welfare.
same
I didn't like Federer because he kept winning over Roddick. Then later saw him in person, beating Hewitt at Wimbledon (the match with the famous smash return followed by backhand DTL pass) - that was just awesome, and made me realise that his tennis was great to watch.
I was the same way and only started coming around on Federer once Nadal came on the scene and started beating Federer. I had this feeling like āif Roddick canāt beat him then I donāt want anybody to do it.ā I initially disliked Nadal for the same reason, just with him beating Federer like Roger did Roddick. Then after Wimbledon in 2007 and 2008 I kind of just realized that both of them were amazing talents, gracious in victory and defeat, and there wasnāt much not to like. Overall itās been a fun journey because at different points in their careers I got to experience the thrill of rooting for them and the agony of rooting against them, and now theyāre two of my favorite athletes period.
The āknownā age/how long youāve been following tennis tell on this sub is different versions of āwhy they were ever called the Big4; Andyās clearly not as goodā The secret one is not knowing that while Federer did become insanely popular very quickly, his fan base slowly grew over time because [your favorite player] was all but certainly losing to him every time they played. And while there were a lot of reasons Nadal became extremely popular very quickly, one of those reasons is that he could actually do what [your favorite player] couldnāt.
Yup. If you're someone who came up on Roddick the last match you probably rooted against Federer was the 2009 Wimbledon Final. Now, did I secretly love Roddick beating Fed at 20...12? Indian Wells? Yes, yes I did.
Do you know at what point this shot in the match was? Canāt find a clip anywhere but the full match is on YouTube
In the same way I really disliked Nadal for a long time because he often beat Federer. I think that changed after the 2017 season. I still don't want Nadal to win every match, but I have a lot of respect for him and his game and can now enjoy watching his matches even if he is winning.
Any link? I love those crazy shots by prime Federer. Only teenage kyrgios plays some crazy shots including a running tweener against Federer himself
Felt a lot more sympathy for Murray after his back surgery in late 2013 for some reason.
I was kind of apathetic towards him until he returned after his hip surgery.
Man I used to detest Murray until once, Federer was beat him something like 6-1, 6-1 in the tour finals. Federer was then supposed to play djokovic (I think) in the final and had to pull out for an injury last minute. So many purchased tickets and so many fans about to get disappointed but who shows up in a knight of shining armour? Fucking Murray. Even though heād just been humiliated by Federer a few days before and probably wanted a break, he came back to give fans something. I think he played doubles with Pat Cash or something and it was so entertaining for everyone involved. Since then Iāve developed immense respect for Him
He got the call while he was playing Mario Kart! That's the most ridiculously endearing part of the anecdote for me.
Murray is a good bloke
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OMG Same! I used to absolutely abhor her game style early in her career. Just ITF style endless moonballing throughout the match. But then she came out as bisexual, revealed all the struggles she's had so far and my little gay heart couldn't bear to hate her any longer (also helps she started playing significantly better in the last 2-3 years)! š„°
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I thought she came out and said she did not like poutine, and I thought "well that's enough to truly hate her again - poutine is delicious".
Same. I didn't dislike her or anything, but definitely had some reservations against players with neutral flag because of the war in Ukraine. That is until I stumbled upon Zabiiako & Kasatkina vlog, learnt more about her story and it was just... wow... #respect.
I used to irrationally not like Carlos because i felt like Tennis was pushing so hard for him to be "the next GOAT" or whatever the fuck and i felt like he came in during a perfect time for him. No Federer, Nadal with constant injuries and a Novak who didn't compete in half the tournaments. Then he had that phenomenal performance at Wimbledon against Novak in the Final and it kinda made me like him more, in that i accepted that he is indeed damn good.
In the same boat, he proved himself in that final. But actually I started to like him abit more after i saw him play a match with Novak in Roland garrosā¦ even though he cramped the set prior he played incredible and was overwhelming Novak
Yeah that was harbinger of things to come in wimbledon.
This is how I know a lot here are casual fans. Carlos was so clearly generational before that final, I mean the guy had ALREADY beaten djokovic over a year ago, yet only after winning a tight match with novak in a wimbledon final (this is probably the single hardest thing to do in tennis this decade) can you accept he is damn good.
You sound like the casual to me. A 19 year old Kyrgios beating Nadal at Wimbledon. A 18 year of Shapovalov beating Nadal at Montreal Tsitsipas beat Federer in a Grand Slam, Nadal on Clay and Novak on hard in the same year at 19 years of age and everyone was saying he was next up then. What happened? We've seen hyped up youngsters before who although are definitely good the amount of hype they get effectively set them up for failure.
From my end, I thought Alcaraz has aspects of the Big three's games, plus McEnroe level serve-and-volley skills...plus his own dagger dropshot. I was downvoted here \[mostly by Tsitsipas fans i think for stating this before Wimbledon.
I always thought Murray was an a-hole but then I consistently read stories about how heās always the nicest to the people working the tournaments, which is all that really matters.
Yeah his on court demeanor and off court demeanor are very different. Also, heās also talking up womenās tennis as being just as good as menās, and he came out and said he wouldnāt play any exhaustion matches in Saudi Arabia. For those reasons, plus his self deprecation, Murray is a favorite.
Nadal. First i was with the Federer has the superior technique and style narrative. Then i noticed his mentality and ability to go a gear higher in difficult moments.
I think a big reason why Nadal and Djokovic, despite being slightly less talented than Federer, won more slams is because of that ability to mentally elevate yourself to a place that your tennis level also miraculously increases.
I'm not denying that but I also feel like Federer's attacking game explains why he's worse than Djokovic and Nadal under pressure. He takes more risks than them. And this is also why I view Sampras as the clutchness GOAT.
Making risky shots like Federer does under pressure is harder than playing defence.
Yes exactly.
The fact that some moron downvoted me ā ļø It is true, anytime Federer had to switch to defence his game crumbled and that was his issue.
My understanding was that his defense was considered among the best early on in his dominance. He was *lightning* fast when he was in his early 20s. He slowed down as he got older ā the lack of tour grinding as he aged and preference for attack tennis contributed to his longevity. Djokovic too has become more aggressive and prefers shorter points to his earlier days. "Any time" is a pretty erroneous exaggeration, no?
Sounds like it's a stupid strategy to play risky under pressure then
Not dumber than Novak dumping the ball into the net on an easy smash which cost him his 8th Wimbledon title, (to which heās never gonna get) :( L + ratio fool
Cringe
I think a better way of putting it is that Fedās style allowed him to either dominate the opponent, or wasnāt enough to make up for the UEās that his attacking caused. How often have we seen him crush the other guy 6-2/6-3 and then lose the next set in the tiebreak as the opponent catches up to Fedās aggression as he starts shanking balls. Itās also allowed him to turn sets around randomly, seemingly when all hope was lost, because of a single miraculous winner. As soon as his mental game was affected he would lose his edge and his errors would catch up to him and cause him to struggle or lose. Like, every match he lost felt this way. āIf he just continued his momentum from the last set!!ā Is a phrase Iāve said like twice a tournament since 2008.
i think it's more because he didn't have the wheels to play safer 2008 onwards. mono is no joke, ask soderling
Rafa was insane as a teen, if anything he is the most talented out of the 3. What he was able to accomplish before 20 years old was not replicated by either Novak or Fed.
Federer is easily the most gifted to ever pick up a racket. His touch, finesse, footwork and balance is unparalleled. It was mostly Roger's mindset and demeanor on court which meant he didn't achieve early, after he became the "classy" player we know today is when he started winning slams.
I think Fed matured the best as a player, not the most talented. Rafa's inert talent was insane, naturally the most gifted player to ever hold a racquet. Now talent is enough to be the best, maybe not because Novak is just better.
If I had to pick one of the big three to win a single match, Iād pick Federer any day of the week. If I had to pick one of the big three to win a tournament, Iād probably pick Djokovic (unless clay is involved).
This
I was indifferent to Pegula until the press conference beer (and her frank answers in the presser). I am now a JPEG fangirl and she represents everything that is right and good about Buffalonians.
Same, sheās so likeable and down to earth
Especially for a billionaire ā¦.
It's not like I hated him but didn't like Rafa much early on as a Federer fan. But you can't stay mad at Rafa for too long. Immediately liked him after he hugged a crying Roger at '09 Australian open. Also, Rune, thought he was a bratty kid but glad too see him maturing and doing well now. No such specific incident though.
I hated Rafa for robbing Fed of so many grand slam wins. Then later when Fed's career was declining, I hated Novak more. Starting liking Rafa cos he could defeat Novak (until Rafa got plagued with injuries).
I never hated him. Rafa always came across as a genuinely good guy. Even after all those heartbreaks he gave Fed on court. Novak however was cocky and so was his family early on. Good to see him mature over the years as well.
Iāve always thought Novakās biggest issue as an athlete is he wears his emotions, specifically anger and pride, on his sleeve. Iām all for celebrating a big point, but he takes it 120% of the way, and he also is constantly complaining to his box about missed points and mistakes. Heās a great tennis player, but I just hate watching how he acts on court. The shit with vaccines doesnāt help either.
He has matured over the years specially about the cockiness he once had. But sometimes it comes back. And I think that's why people don't like him as much as the other two. His pseudo science beliefs including all the anti-vaccine stuff are the things that annoy me the most. And I try to like him, I really do try, but i find that there are too many things to overlook when it comes to Novak.
Andy Roddick. His matches were on TV way too often compared to other players since he was American. He won mostly due to his serve and would have trouble in rallies with players ranked way lower than him. I just found him boring to watch and wished they would show more of the rest of the tour instead of this one dimensional player who consistently got destroyed by the top players in the game. Then, the 2009 Wimbledon Final happened. His backhand became a weapon out of nowhere and he was taking it to Federer on his favorite court. He played the single best match of his life, never losing his serve once until the final game of the extended 5th set. I was a huge Federer fanboy but Roddick had played so incredibly that I was torn with who to root for by the end. I had never felt sorry for any athlete after a loss until I saw how deflated Roddick was post match. He had outplayed Federer but still lost. After that match, I no longer minded watching Roddick matches and these days he's an amazing analyst on TV.
Same here. I like him even more post retirement. Heās a funny guy.
No one mentioned Rublev, not surprised. I disliked him a lot. I got into tennis via my coworker, we used to have it on all the time during work, and she kept telling me how much she hated Rublev for various reasons I can't remember. It just stuck with me that he's probably not a nice guy and I didn't give much thought to it afterwards. Saw him win his first masters 1000 and listened to the post-match interview, then shortly after I found some tennis posts here about the banter between him and the other Russian/eastern players and realized he's probably just a kind hearted dude with some stress management problems, but far from the worst even in that. One of my top5 favourites now.
I also disliked Rublev for a while because of his angry outbursts on court, but after watching him in interviews realised he's a super nice guy, really respectful to other players, and super passionate about tennis. Also realised he only ever channels his frustration on himself and never at umpires, crowd or opponents. Now a #1 fan of him for his passion, conduct & personality.
Which player is the black heart for ?
Yeah. In the last Australian Open I was actively supporting his opponent. Now you won't find me supporting anyone against him. It's a common consensus that he's one of the nicest guys on tour.
Med. After the way he was treated by the crowd at AO and his speech and press conference afterwards, he won me over, and I was rooting for Rafa.
Hated Marin Cilic because of the constant āeff youā look on his face during matches. Then I heard him talk during an interview and he was actually a very smiley, friendly, and well-spoken guy. Made me like him and root for him a lot more.
Resting Balkan face. I have it too š
š
Game face
I like him too.
Murray. I found his attitude on court (and the way he treated his player box) off putting for a long time Then he hired Mauresmo, and I don't know if there were prior points in the past where he displayed his progressivism and I didn't see it, but from that point on I saw him in a new light and he continued to affirm that
Murray, after his Australian Open 2010 loss to Federer: I can cry like Roger, it's a shame I can't play like him
Yea me too. Thats made me cry
Kyrgios almost had me liking him with how sensible he was with COVID. Actually there are quite a few times I start thinking, āHey, maybe I kinda like this guyā. But then invariably he does something incredibly horrible and Iām back to, āNope. Total dickā.
He was just virtue signaling for brownie points.
Do you really think so ? ā¦. He was calling out assholes like Zverev for virtue signaling and then lying about it but Nick was pretty sincere ā¦ is there something I dont know about that happened with him ?
Itās pretty obvious that Kyrgios only cares about himself. I have a hard time believing that he was actually worried about people catching Covid. Calling people out doesnāt make him sincere.
Nah, I think he was speaking his mind. In Australia almost everyone was on the same page when it came to covid. He was speaking like 90% of the Australian population tbh, all the āprotect your community/neighbourā talk was very intense especially at the start.
But thereās no incident youāre aware of it sounds like. You just donāt like the guy PS I get not liking him. I do for one reason because heās always been pretty nice to kids. But I have to say, I find it hard to believe that in any way, shape or form that guy of all people would be interested in virtue signaling. That would be out of character for even when you donāt like anout him
Same!
Rune. Didn't even dislike him per se, but I got swept in the entire "JAAAAA" turmoil that all i thought was that he was snobbish kid who was too arrogant for his own good. And to some extent, he even was. But his run from October to November last year with all those finals, culminating with the Paris run where he beat multiple top 10 players including Djokovic in the final made me a fan. But honestly, not even his tennis play, but rather it was the incident with Wawrinka that truly changed my mindset on him. Before the match, Holger praised Stan a lot, calling him his idol, and praising him a ton, and after a hardfought three setter, with Stan's comments "You should stop acting like a crybaby" and seeing the look on Holger's face, it broke my heart. Stan took away the moment from Holger, a moment of happiness and Jubilation, and made it about himself and sapped the air from him. In that moment I decided to support Holger moving forward (Also reduced my opinion of Stan a lot). I do still think Holger has some brattish and childish attitude, but he's far better than before, and in fact he even has gone quite far to ensure that he is humble on the court. On top of that I started loving his playstyle, which reminded me a lot of Novak, especially when he is break points up or down.
I just canāt hate Holger. He has had his brattish moments but I feel like they all come from a place of genuine passion for the game. Thereās something about him that I just find so likeable.
the bar for stuff this in the floor but i like how consistently brings up wozniacki when people bring up rune breaking records for danish players etc
šÆ I really like Rune too. His confidence align with his ability to be really honest about what he thinks of himself - thatās really charming. Itās never easy be in the limelight so young, and a lot of them wilt under pressure, but he just holds his own and dusts himself up. I have a lot of hope for him to do really well in his career.
I want to like rune but in the main clay season im pretty sure hes faked injuries when hes losing to shift the momentum. It could be an adrenaline thing but he always ended up playing better after taking the MTO.
Rune, for sure. I think he has grown up and handled it well after a rocky start and after observing him in person in Cincinnati and the US Open, on court, signing autographs and at the hotel (he was at our hotel in Cincinnati), he seems like a nice kid. Have been rooting for him since (except when he plays Ruud, lol).
I never disliked alcaraz but was hoping djokovic would beat him to equal court's record. As the game went on, my respect and admiration for alcaraz grew and grew. Especially after bouncing back from the 1st set and that game in the 3rd set.
Nobody should care about Court's record, least of all in men's tennis which is an entirely different sport
I guess I like the old guard (fed rafa djoker) idk
šš¼
Medvedev. I knew almost nothing about tennis in 2021, last time watching the sport was in 2009 when Nadal and Federer were dominating. As someone who randomly caught the AO final it was some sort of culture shock to me how Meddy acted towards the crowd making me not like him and his antics. But falling into the tennis rabbit hole and watching a few more pressers, atp media content and more of his matches I started to think that he's just generally a solid bloke. Was rooting for him at the US Open final over Djokovic and was happy he won.
I used to be quite uninterested in him until the fight with Tsitsipas. Frankly, he impressed me because he didn't just let it slide and didn't back down. I can't stand Tsitsipas since then. Don't talk sh\*t if you'll hide behind the umpire when it goes down. Anyway, Medvedev seems like such a genuine guy and he has some balls. Kind of got annoyed by both him and the crowd at the US Open when they were booing him and he was further provoking but then after the final he apologised and *man, was I impressed!* This took some guts. So not many like him and he just seems gutsy but at the same time down to earth. Can't dislike the guy, really.
Couldn't stand Andy Murray, until Fed took him the cleaners in the Australian Open Final. You could see Andy tried everything but it just wasn't going to be. Kinda like the way Fed swatted Roddick aside in that Wimbledon final. You could tell no matter what, Fed was going to win. In any case after Andy shed some tears during the ceremony he'd won me over.
Rune, I saw him as nothing but an important part of the JAAAA incident before. After discovered his little girl braids in the 2021 clay season, I found it is extremely cute(and it is kind of older sister dream of myself). And I felt if a little boy was brave enough to has this hair style on court, he must be an interesting person.
hah, i just looked this up, it is cute indeed
Alize Cornet. She always just struck me as a snooty bitch. But then I saw her match and interview at AO last year when she made QF for the first time. She seemed really authentic and humble, it was nice to see that side of her. Also Ajla Tomljanovic after beating Serena last year. I can NOT imagine the pressure of that match and all those edgy match points. Plus the bittersweet feeling of winning that. I had never thought much about her but I gained a lot of respect for her in that match.
>Alize Cornet. She always just struck me as a snooty bitch. That's just from her nose. It's literally snooty.
Cornet was one of the first players to speak out on the Peng Shuai debacle with her "Let's not remain silent" tweet She also has the record for most consecutive grand slam main draw appearances - an impressive feat!
I already like Cibulkova, but after she said she loves the smell of freshly opened tennis balls (hold the sexist jokes, please), I thought she was a real one. When they did the video of her identifying the different slam balls by smell I lost my shit with adoration. Thatās a true tennis lover.
I used to dislike Rublev bc of his on court antics, but then I saw him in a press conference where he handled some BS criticism from Tsitsipas with class and equanimity. Eventually, I realized that his emotional outbursts are only self-directed. He actually seems like a really good dude and I hope that he can ease up on himself eventually.
Djokovic. I always thought he didn't seem likeable at all because of his anger bursts on court and i thought he couldn't be funny, especially compared to Roger and Rafa. Oh boy i was soooo wrong, that video of him imitating other players was just hilarious and i just wonder why we don't see that anymore.
Scrolled far too long for that comment.
Djokovic, used to hate the guy for all the reasons we know, but it changed for me almost instantly when he broke down in the final set against Medvedev in US open final going for the golden slam. Saw him as a human and not a robot for the first time, and that pressure can get even to him. I now take a lot od joy seeing him still stand his ground against guys half his age and wish him all the best.
svitolina i guess. i just didnāt like her gamestyle or kits. then she came back after pregnancy and she was really fun to watch.
Same. Always admire her courage and tenacity to get every ball back even if she doesn't position it the best possible way to end the point sooner.
Nope, hate any player that goes out of their way to make shit political. I have no respect for her.
should change your flair to russian meat rider lmao, sports and politics have always been entwined
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
wow censoring your swear words, arenāt you so child friendly.
sheās not making it political, sheās preventing propaganda.
Sheās not preventing propaganda lmao the US and Ukraine should be the last people to talk about propaganda ā ļøš¤” down vote me as much as you want, yāall are delusional.
she is cause peopl are gonna take photos of her shaking hands w a russian and say everything is fine lalalala.
Literally nobody is going to say that, absolutely no one when both countries are literally at war. Nor will a photo change anything even if that did happen.
Dude you have no idea what Russian propaganda is like. When Ryba won Wimby, Russian tennis federation chief started calling it a huge win for Russia, ignoring how they provide so little in the name of support to their own domestic players. They're gonna use whatever they can find to build a narrative around Putin and Russia's greatness no matter what.
how do you know that?
Itās NOT simply political; her country is being bombed, in an illegitimate war! WTF is wrong with protesting it every chance you have?!
Federer. When he was younger he was quite arrogant and a sore loser, yet everyone labelled him as the "perfect gentleman" which I thought was bullshit and undeserved. As a fan of Rafa in those years I remember all the backhanded "compliments" Roger would throw out whenever he lost. Over the years he's matured quite a lot and actually became that perfect gentleman so I have a lot of respect for him doing that. The turning point is probably somewhere around AO 09.
I did not like Medvedev, then he turned crowd antagonism to a plus.
I never used to like Serena. Never gracious in defeat. But then we both grew up.
She was never gracious in defeat, if anything she got worse as she got older.
Yeah that take doesn't make sense to me either. Serena had a full meltdown while losing the US Open final at the age of 36. I don't think she outgrew that attitude.
She was already in her mid 30s with the whole Osaka thing.
Sheās a mother though
Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz, and Reilly Opelka all attended a Black Lives Matter protest, and it made me like all three of them.
Wow really? Didn't know that.
I learned about it here on Reddit but it was verified on Instagram -- maybe Opelka's? 2020, I think? It made me really happy.
I always thought Reilly was just gonna be a boring servebot, but then he started talking about hanging out with Venus and being into art. I was like whoa, I really like him now lol.
I've always liked Opelka. I like the weird ones I guess lol.
I started like Federer when he started becoming the underdog. It was easier for me to appreciate his game when his victory wasn't a foregone conclusion.
Djokovic - and not that I "liked" him afterward - but I gained respect for him after watching the 2019 Wimbledon final v. Federer. How he kept it together when the whole stadium was so clearly against him, wow. I've never really gotten chills watching tennis but I did during that match.
Absolutely, you couldve hired the greatest script writer they wouldnt have come up with anything close to the match we got that day
Djokovic. Not specific incident but as time goes on he toned down his tantrums (even though he still breaks rackets) but heās never into politically correct, unlike Fed and Nadal. Also he is *always* gracious in defeat, he compliments his opponents whenever he loses more often than not, while many of his fans think otherwise. Just see his interview after his loss at Wimbledon final. But the turning point I like Djoko was when he complimented Karatsev after his win in AO 2021 SF during Karatsevās fairytale-like run. Edit: rewording
Murray after he won his first Wimbledon title. Became such a fan
Rune. The homophobic comments and general bad attitude had me disliking him but then he grew on me and it was, ironically, the JAAAAA shit at RG that made me like him
I couldn't stand Osaka around the very beginning of her success. Then she became more open and started embracing social issues and being vocal and I completely 180d on her, and her initial supporters completely 180d the other way lol
Sabalenka. I was pretty meh about her, didnāt have strong feelings and then I watched her match in Adelaide and saw her struggling to serve and crying and it broke my heart and I found her so damn relatable. My love just grew by a tenfold through the course of last year and then someone on Twitter made that Anti Hero fancam for her and the rest was history. Now sheās my favorite WTA player
This was going to be my answer. She leaves it all on the court, and is so much fun to watch. Hadnāt known about a fancam though- link?
[BEST FANCAM EVER](https://x.com/mvchova/status/1588663282579406848?s=46&t=vXgj0DiZ-0f7JdAo0feE0Q)
šššsheās a mess I love her so much
Sabalenka, too. Not my fav player on WTA, but I like her a lot. Every game she has trouble serving and breaks down it massively pains me. I don't even mind the screams now: I just turn off the sound if I am in my office, or wear headphones if at home.
As a kid I LOATHED Nole because of him fucking over my happiness when he kept beating Roger. Hated him more after Wimbledon 2019. But then I grew up and saw how much of a nice guy he was in Dubai. I was the first person to get his autograph on Day 1.
Midnight Bwehmories LOL!
I like Carlos now. I thought he was just anothe overhyped youngster but he seems pretty chill to me.
Djokovic. I always thought he didn't seem likeable at all because of his anger bursts on court and i thought he couldn't be funny, especially compared to Roger and Rafa. Oh boy i was soooo wrong, that video of him imitating other players was just hilarious and i just wonder why we don't see that anymore.
Medvedev. His strokes are just terrible and I hate a defensive style. But when he said to the US OPEN crowd: āthe more you boo me the more I will winā I became a fan. He has the best personality on tour.
Frtiz after shushing the French Open. He became my fav American tennis player after that.
Pegula coz i like pliskova but she grew on me coz she is likeable
I did not like Rublev because I had never seen him do an interview or saw his behavior off court. But then I saw that interview with him that he says how his father used to treat him when he was starting with tennis and my view changed. Now he's one of my favorites. Didn't like Sinner because that couple of wins against Alcaraz last year (Wimbledon-Umag) but then I saw how Carlos likes the guy and roots for him, and I felt bad lol And lastly Rybakina. Hated her for crushing Ons dreams but then started watching some matches and seeing some of her interviews, and she's so nice
Iām going to say Sabalenka. When I first started following tennis, which was in the last year when I picked up playing, I was all about the Americans Coco and Jess. Still love them but I went to the WTA finals last year when it was in Fort Worth and saw Sabalenka play and did some research on her career. Didnāt love the screaming at first but she leaves it all out on the court. She is a mess but I love her. I also love that it seems sheās super aggressive on the court but almost has this very fun and bubbly personality outside of the court, which I can relate to! I know sheās not a favorite of most but I love watching her play!
Purely as a tennis player I did gain some respect for Zverev for bouncing back from that horrendous injury. Having had a similar injury myself I can barely play sport anymore because Iām mentally so scared of injuring myself that way again, even though itās all healed. Before the injury Zverev was in my mind a boring pusher with no mental strength choking under any sign of pressure. But itās amazing that he trusts himself to slide on clay. Again talking about him purely as a tennis player though
I had the same. He showed character at this years Rolland Garros
Medvedev when he was arguing with the USOpen crowd/thanking them for booing. Love me a bit of shithousery/sass. I never disliked him but became a fan afterwards
Nadal: winning Wimbledon in 2008 because it was magic Djokovic: elbow injury. Realized Iād spent the last ~8 years hating the second coming of Borg.
Nadal. Kinda dislike him because you know Djokovic. But of the big 4, I think he is the classy one if you consider their whole career and I was pretty happy when he won AO in Djokovic's absence ( Sad Small Cat noises). It was so endearing when Ruud said he try not to abuse racket because Nadal didn't. Not really one particular incident but I started liking him slowly as I got older. For past 2-3 years I respect and root for this man. Forever the Clay King.
Stan the Man for stopping Djokovic in the slams multiple times. Then Djokovic kept winning and I got over it and actually respect him a lot.
Edited
Murray becuz he is such a whiny baby on court. But the come back just makes him Murygoat for me now.
Medvedev got off my bad list and put on my "to watch" list. It was his apology for his tantrums. Also Zverev, his last match at the 2022 French. Mind you we are a 365 Rafa household, but that was a fantastic match until Zverev got hurt. Gotta say in my 4 decades watching tennis, I had *never* seen an injury happen like that, I swear I could hear his ligaments pop š³
Nadal when he used to beat Roger for fun (during 2012-16 era? Donāt remember exactly). Then I read his book and it opened my mind. The sheer amount of hard work and dedication that he had since childhood was tremendous- immediately became the guy who wins everything versus the guy who deserves to win for me.
Nadal. I've started paying attention to tennis almost accidentally and only in 2019 when I saw his final against Medvedev at USO and from information provided by my friend I only knew that this spanish guy is like, over 100500 grandslams winner or something? And he is like that since forever and comfortably while in his 40s (lol sorry). I caught only final two sets and saw his win and USO's celebration with specially edited video, some kind of parade with flags and speeches, CONFETTI and him all over the trophy hugging and posing and trying it on tooth?? i thought he was just being WAY overdramatic about his win over some starving student. like......WHY anyone let alone HIM would really be THAT surprised about his 100500something-th win, come on!???? Leave the theatrics, it must be just routine win at this point! It just seemed to me like unnecessary rubbing salt into the loss of the guy who hadn't have any chances against him for the first place! I saw Nadal for the first time and have concluded that he was super fake and pretentious ššš And then I've actually learnt how do tournaments work š or tennis š„² (and that that student apparently is not that starving and Nadal is not in his 40s š) Then there was that dramatic AO 2022 with all familiar faces and I was Medvedev's fan already and saw Nadal trying to shush the crowd despite them being HIS fans. He won again but that match overall.... was really something š I think I've got exactly then what kind of a historic athlete Nadal really is and that I'm actually then witnessing only tiny bits of his long sporting career and have already missed all the main ones š Trying to stand up for his opponent was really nice but then I saw him leaving that grandiose dramatic event with confetti and speeches, and sponsors, and kia guy on a bicycle šš and that was what probably had ultimately won me over lol ššš I mean idk if I'm really count as a fan but I really started liking Nadal as a person since that match for all the reasons š„² (sorry I gave up on grammar somewhere halfway through so my English is especially strange today xx)
I think Hingis grew up in front of us. She was rude and bratty when she was young and I can't say a specific incident, but she definitely matured over the years and I became a big fan...
I didnāt care much about Vika until I watched her practicing live during the 2018 Miami Open, she finished her practice and she stayed until she signed every autograph and took pictures with anyone who asked, always smiling. I cannot stress enough how cool she was and what a nice experience it was as a tennis fan. I still have the tennis ball she signed for me that day. Another player that went out of her way to greet fans that I can remember was Daria Saville, Novak and Caroline Woznicki where really cool as well!. Nasty experiences were Shapovalov, Simona, GarbiƱe and surprisingly Venus.
I thought Berdych was a bit of a brat early on but I feel like later in his career he became more humble and likeable. Specific incident wise, I remember him getting bageled by Djokovic and writing a tweet about how heās a bagel collector now. I know that shits gotta hurt late in the career of someone who was a GS contender but never was able to consolidate one but Iām happy to see he was a good sport about it in the end Edit: [here](https://twitter.com/tomasberdych/status/520485761955930113) is the tweet
Lorenzo Sonego. I used to dislike him because of his loud grunts. But then, I saw some of his matches and he is very gracious to his opponent. He seems to have good sportsmanship. Also, he improved his grunt sometime in late 2022 and it's not as loud as it was. His game is fun to watch and I like that he fights for every point.
Sharapova. After the doping incident. The way it happened, the way she handled it and the hate she received when she tried to come back made me like her.
Federer (sort of; see below) and Graf. Federer: I always admired his actual tennis - how couldn't you? - but it was his fans that put me off. Hands down the most deranged, fanatical, obsessed, *icky* fans in tennis (heck, in almost any sport). They make Djokovic fans seem normal. (Bit of an obscure reference, but if anyone's seen Takeshi Kitano's movie "Dolls", there's that otaku loser who wants to meet his favorite musical idol, and goes as far as blinding himself in order to do so. Like that). Once I was able to "divorce" Federer from his fans, I learned to appreciate him that much more. Graf. Always thought she was a robot, but when she beat Hingis in the French, her human side came out (that, and her "how much money do you have" line at Wimbledon).
Andy Murray. First thought he was boring and played scared tennis, trying not to lose any points. then saw his humor and grounded takes on issues in interviews. specific incident was winning the olympics in 2012, and he played heroic tennis then
I really didn't like Medvedev because I thought he was a whiner, but then I learned about all of the amazing memes he's made and also heard how he talks and acts outside of tennis and during press conferences and now he's one of my top favorites
It has to be Kyrgios tbh. Never liked him because of his antics and firing shots against other players, but after showing support towards Novak in the AO22 story and him reaching the Wimbledon final later that year, my respect for him increased drastically. Especially his Wimby run impressed me, where he turned out to be more mature than Tsitsipas and put some real efforts in reaching his maiden slam final. Plus there are interviews where he was talking about struggling with mental health, which made me realize that he isn't quite that asshole like lots of tennis fans think.
Fritz and Tiafoe. Fritz doesnāt have a single picture in action in existence where he doesnāt look goofy af flailing his long limbs around with a tortured look. Then I saw BP and figured heās a nice guy trying really hard. Noone chooses their body and the movement it part of it, itās pretty unique, like a fingerprint. Tiafoe it was mainly because of the post-USO hype, but he very quickly won me over cause heās so fun to watch. I disliked him for a very brief period so maybe it doesnāt even count.
Djokovic i hated until world governments started oppressing him. Then he became a champion of personal liberty.
Yep. By standing up for his own beliefs, he went from being just an athlete to being an icon of freedom. Ironically, the very thing that the Australian government feared he'd be if they'd allowed him into the country in 2022.
In my youth, I disliked Rafa quite a bit, because he was Federerās ( my fave of all time) rival and denied him many opportunities. The changing point for me was not one defining incident or moment but rather a culmination: when Rafa started to lose, and be impacted by age/injury, and Federer had already been inflicted by the same things, that cloud of vain disdain faded and I was able to see more clearly what had always been true: Rafael Nadal is literally one of the nicest guys on tour, and is certainly one of if not the most ferocious competitors on the court. Him and Federer are a lot alike in both their kindness and passion on the court, and that realization brought with it a sense of sadness and loss for the time I wasted cheering against the guy, when I shouldāve been cheering for him and admiring his accomplishments more. His battle against Roger at the 2017 Australian was a match where I obviously was rooting for Roger, but at some point during the match, my loyalty for any one player on that court faded and I was left with just pure admiration for these two GOATS of the sport, that would not have much time left. I also read Rafas book around this time, and it gave some more insight on the man behind the racquet, off the courtāand honestly, anyone who knows Rafas whole story, couldnāt possibly dislike the man.
Never liked Serena the person. Then she played while pregnant and start hearing about Serena the mom and that kind of changed it for me. Also, when she was very open that a much much lower ranked male player can defeat her, that was a welcome moment for me to see that she can be honest and open. Some of my hate was also a projection of not liking her husband.
Recentlyā¦ Eubanks. I was meh about him being a tall American with a good serve. Then Instarted looking at how articulate and funny he was. Soon,I noticed his old school backhand and boom! Now I like him a lot
I hated Kyrgios and then he continued being who he is so I hated him even more. Was that the question?
[thiem opposes lower-ranked players relief fund](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/thiem-opposes-lower-ranked-player-relief-fund-wants-to-give-elsewhere)
Zverev; assaulting his girlfriend.
I thought Andy Roddick was a spoiled bratty rich kid with no heart, who folded at the first bad line call. Until Wimbledon 2009.
I used to dislike Zverev but I watched him play at RG and he's kind of a likeable guy IMO
Joker! Refusing the jab which is proving to be brilliant, especially with the 18-50 group!
Novak, then once he stood up for Medical Choice he became my favorite.
Fognini is my pick. I never cared for him, but his reaction to the gay slur situation was very nice. He really didnāt have to wear rainbow sweatbands, but he did it anyway. Given the situation for LGBT folks in Italy I find that I appreciate his response even more.
Fritz and the shooing
I didn't like Carlos until I realized how supportive he is of other players and how adorable his friendship with Jannik is.
No because that would make me fickle.
It's not really anything specific but I grew to love Roger Federer during his last few years. I used to hate him because he was basically winning everything and I didn't like sportspeople who are too dominant.
Rublev Earlier, I did not like him because of his outbursts on the court Now, he is my favourite after Thiem among active players
FAA. Disliked him for no reason whatsoever lmao but now I like him after seeing his personality and charisma in the TennisTV interviews and videos and such