Oh I forgot to mention, my absolute new favorite player: Flavio Cobolli. I was wearing an AS Roma shirt and he walked by me on his way to practice, pointed at me and yelled, “Roma!” And proceeded to sing the AS Roma song to me lol. Highlight of the day ❤️
James Blake was great. Very kind and funny.
And not a player, but I got the chance to meet Bud Collins as a very young kid and he was just incredible. Told him how much I loved his tennis books and he stood there and talked with me for maybe 15-20 minutes about tennis with as much excitement as I had. I was maybe 10, Bud was 80+, and it was an extraordinarily hot/humid US Open day. His willingness and genuine excitement to talk tennis with a little kid was really something else.
You would think he is a murderer by the way he’s talked about in this sub but it turns out he is just a 20 year old who sometimes looses his cool playing one of the most stressful sports in the world it’s pretty funny especially when most of the people making those comments would crack like an egg under one tenth of the pressure
> sometimes looses his
Did you mean to say "loses"?
Explanation: Loose is an adjective meaning the opposite of tight, while lose is a verb.
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I guess if you meet someone once, it's hard to say. Players are like all humans. They can have good and bad days. Maybe Ben would be much nicer on a different day.
Yeah my interaction with Ben was much different — I bumped into him at the USO this past year the Sunday of fan week after his practice session with Andy Murray. It was before his big run there so he was still relatively unknown by most of the normies there but I was very excited to see him. Andy had a huge crowd of people around him as he was walking back to the lockers (as expected), but Ben was pretty much walking by himself, so I came up to him to ask him for a pic and to wish him luck and he was very obliging.
He was clearly very tired post his practice session so I didn’t try have a convo or anything, just got my pic and went on my way, but it was overall a very pleasant interaction.
Agreed for sure. Ever been in a frustrated moment and a close friend or family member texts/calls and your gut reaction is just like, "ugh, not now just hold on a bit please." I can't imagine being in the middle of a moment like that and then having hundreds of people swarming me and trying to take pictures with me. Worse, if you don't do it or don't act all nice and perfect, they'll go to social media and forever talk about the time you snubbed them and claim that you might seem nice but you're actually a jerk who hates their fans. Yeah some of them are making millions and living a life I'll never live but that doesn't mean they aren't human and don't deserve their own time, space, and respect.
Yeah…I saw after the tiebreak tens event he stuck around for a long time and got photos with fans etc
https://x.com/jonahtennis/status/1765250876497899992?s=20
>guess if you meet someone once, it's hard to say. Players are like all humans. They can have good and bad days
He stayed late to sign balls for the kids after they won the Eisenhower trophy. Usually after practice players wanna cool down and hit the shower to start their recovery. So not everyone will stop to sign things.
Tommy Paul took a selfie with me at Eastbourne a couple of years ago after he’d just lost to De Minaur; he must have been feeling shit but he was really sweet and friendly to me. I wasn’t a fan but I am now
Went to Indian Wells the year Badosa won before Netflix show. This was maybe 3rd round. She got swarmed by a horde of fans and stayed extra long to sign stuff and take pictures from kids and adults alike.
I saw Rune practice at last year’s US Open. After the practice he made sure to go up and down the sidelines to sign every kid’s tennis balls. He spent much more time at it than Murray who he practiced against. Murray just went once down the line then to the locker room like expected and reasonable, but Rune took his time to make sure everyone was happy.
Djokovic. I've told this story here before, but friends and I were on our way out from the Futures tour, and *not* because we were about to start hitting up challengers. We sucked, is what I'm saying. But we happened to run into Nole because tennis world and courts and stuff.
He treated us like fellow professionals instead of pesky kids even though he had already won Slams at that point and we, *I cannot stress this enough*, fucking sucked. We'd have understood if he made an excuse or disdainfully looked at us and moved on -- but instead, he went out of his way to approach *us* and make us feel like we belonged on the same planet as him.
I know you can't make a claim about someone's entire being with one conversation, but he was incredibly nice that day, and I'll always remember him from that.
This jibes with the story that Medvedev tells about Novak inviting him to travel on his plane back when Meddy was way lower in the rankings. He seems to be especially conscious of how he treats more junior players — whether it’s out of interest in the future of the sport, or remembering when he was in their shoes, or just basic decency (or all three).
Very cool that you got to have that experience.
Novak has always encouraged, respected and helped younger athletes, even going so far as starting the PTPA with Vasek Pospisil. He knows what disrespect feels like from his days as a young player in the 2000s.
My mom’s cousin worked Indian Wells for YEARS (like 30+) and said that Novak was by far one of the nicest people she had met. She used to drive them around in a golf cart and he was super friendly. She said Roger was too and his wife “used to be” lol. Apparently, after she had the twins, she changed.
Great Story thanks for sharing. I recently met the ex sporting director of Liverpool who may get the job again after Jürgen Klopp leaves. In a room full of people who achieved less than him, this guy was probably the nicest and most approachable.
Was really interesting interaction to see. Almost as if when you made it to the highest levels and are comfortable with who you are, you recognize you can do a lot to give a smile and help those coming up.
That’s pretty incredible and it must’ve been a super inspiring moment to have arguably the GOAT of tennis go out of his way to talk to you guys. I would say though that you are probably still better than 99% of tennis players if you’re playing on the futures tour so I doubt you suck. Keep your head high!
I've got about four different photos with Felix Auger-Aliassime just from standing near the guy, without even having to ask. I've always, always seen him go out of his way to stop for fans on the way to practice and back. Lovely fella.
Sinner stopped for a photo with me and my partner even though he was scheduled to hit the court in 20 minutes for a match - he was clearly in a big rush but still made the time and I really wouldn't have blamed him if he just dashed off.
I find doubles players to be the nicest generally, maybe because they're not always the absolute A-List. Jamie Murray and Michael Venus are great guys in particular.
I didn't get to speak to her but Camila Osorio was especially good with the kids - this was in Madrid so she was talking away with some of them in Spanish, albeit for a short time. She seemed genuine and friendly.
The rudest would have to be Tsitsipas (visibly bored and dismissive, tossing out pre-signed photos with zero interaction and eye contact) and Cristian Garin (moody on court, audibly bitching about everything, totally unappreciative of his passionate Chilean fans), but who knows, maybe I caught them on bad days.
That's fantastic! I can imagine it too - he and Andy strike me as extremely grounded, down-to-earth people, something definitely went well in their upbringing for sure
I saw Elena Dementieva at a mall in a Miami suburb in 2006 or 2007. I told her “Good luck!” and she said “thank you” with a big grin. Later that day I found out she had lost her match the day prior, and was likely engaging in some retail therapy. I still cringe when I think of that moment. Thank you, Elena, for handling our awkward encounter with such grace.
This is dating and I know you're looking for recent players, but have to shout out how incredibly nice Mary Carillo was back in the day. I remember going to the US Open and waiting with friends (we were about 11 or 12) outside where the players would go in and out for the day to get autographs and she saw us, gave us her autograph and then said something like "how would you like to be my little cousins and go inside and get some great autographs?" Anyway, she brought us into the main area right outside the locker room telling the guards we were family to her. When we got inside, Martina Navratilova was making her way out to a court (probably to practice) because it was like day one of the open and she was being swamped by people but stopped to give me an autograph - she was very frustrated by the amount of people bombarding her but was super gracious.
As a former ballboy and otherwise tennis fanatic, I’ve met/interacted with so many I’ve lost count. Most are overall nice I can answer more if you to comment about specific players. Gilles Simon, Opelka, Ryan Harrison, Timea Babos are the ones I’ve had overly bad experiences with.
Simon yelled at me for not bringing the towel when he asked for it, then yelled for not bringing it fast enough, then yelled for bringing it when he didn’t ask for it (I was certain he did), then yelled again when it was a changeover and I didn’t know to put the towel over his racket bag instead of handing it to him. Yes I’m serious.
Opelka was a constant monologue towards whoever would listen, combined with wanting the towel every single point (even after double faults), and complaining if not fast enough
Harrison was by far the worst. Imagine all of the above, but also arguing with umpires, the crowd, his box, and trying to get under his opponent’s skin. He asked me personally to remove a giant cicada from the court, even though he had his racket in his hand and could’ve flicked it away. Thank goodness it flew away by the time I got there lol not sure what I would’ve done
Harrison doesn’t surprise me. I remember seeing on tv, his face while waving his racket at ball kids to move faster. He just seemed impatient and completely rude for no reason. I would’ve lost my job working with him on court lol.
Few from the USO who've been great over the years:
**Novak** \- this guy has mobs of people around him and he stays so long to accomodate even after practice. Probably the best I've seen with the fans especiallly given the overwhelming amount of people hanging on every move.
**Tommy Paul** \- fantastic. Just a really cool, down to earth dude. Took time for pictures and to chat with everyone after practice. In no rush at all.
**Kokkinakis** \- very good, as well.
**Gaston** \- very good with fans
**Tsitsipas** \- passes out his presigned cards
**Andy Murray** \- pretty good with pics and autographs after practice
Yeah, wasn't expecting it either. He was just hanging out with his coach and coach's son on court 4 after practice. Was pretty late at night during fan week. He was playing some fun games (seeing how high they could hit a ball in the air, etc.). Took pics with everyone who asked and signed anything asked. Very relaxed guy.
Fan week is great - except for kids day when parents rudely push their kids to get autographs and swarm the players. Ruud almost got trampled last year .
Rublev .. during the U.S. open last year in 2023 he had a very difficult 4th round match vs Draper (4 sets ) but took a lot out of him .. then after the on court interview he signed autographs and was about to leave and security guards said no more pics .. Then my daughter ran towards the court side asked him for a photo he was nice to wait patiently and let me take a photo.
Similar thing happened when I was at World Tennis League last December. After one of the matches started Rublev was still signing autographs despite the security telling him to leave. It was only until the end of the first game that Rublev left. Sadly I couldn't get my autograph, but nevertheless class act.
Medvedev. I didn’t meet him personally per se but I was standing right in front of him when he was signing balls and stuff for kids after a win at the ATP cup, he was really nice and engaging with the kids, making sure to sign every everything
Med became my all-time fave when I met him. So nice, and incredibly patient with a kid who’s Mum was trying to get a perfect photo and made the poor kid go back and get another one when she wasn’t satisfied, he had all the time in the world for it. Was training with a junior or lower ranked player and was so incredibly encouraging about how they were playing. Signed everything and did every selfie for everyone there.
I met Andrey the same day and he was extremely grumpy lol, so everyone can have bad / good days I suppose
Met Djokovic as a teenager - I was watching him practice and it was just me and my friend for about an hour, watching and waiting for an autograph hopefully. Then the match behind us finished and we got absolutely swamped and pushed out of the way by bigger men and families pushing their little kids in front. Novak told his security guard to take us to the entrance to the players area and he’d meet us there, and we got a photo and a quick chat, everyone else just for a walking autograph. It was extremely thoughtful of him and we were so stoked!
Same tournament I had Tsonga sign a tennis ball and even in our 5 second interaction he was a delight, just remember he had the biggest smile!
Dimitrov, Tommy Haas, and Cilic were some guys I saw practicing at UCLA and all were super nice. Tommy even congratulated me when I hit a running forehand crosscourt pass, he said “That was Sampras-like!”
Mackie and Marcos are also super nice, although I did know them from UCLA beforehand.
Ostapenko was very nice to fans at last USO, which was funny to see immediately after she personally kicked a heckler out of the audience during the match lol. Medvedev stayed to sign for a while after a match that ended past 1am, which I thought was nice
I've met a good bunch of nice players (including Roger and Rafa) at tournaments, but I guess potentially more interesting and surprising are players I've happened to run into outside of tournaments. It's really cool to see players be nice and approachable to fans when there are no cameras on them. Here are a few stories:
I ran into Tommy Haas randomly at LAX airport in 2020 right before covid having a coffee and spoke with him for a minute. He was so nice and approachable. I told him that he signed a hat for me at Indian Wells 2013 and he laughed and said "that was a long long time ago!" just seemed like an awesome dude. I couldn't believe that a former world #1 tennis player wasn't being harassed out in public, but literally in 10 minutes of sitting at the next table over from him, not one person noticed him!
Spring 2021 I ran into Sam Querrey a few times at a physical therapy spot in LA when I was recovering from a shoulder surgery (from tennis lol). I only shared a few words with him, I told him I was a big fan, and that I watched him take out Murray at Wimbledon 2017. Honestly his face lit up with a huge smile and he thanked me for being a fan and watching him play! Super nice guy.
Back in 2005 or 2006 when I was like 14ish I saw Andre Agassi down in La Jolla and he was magnanimous! He was chatting with a bunch of people at the club, cracking jokes with everyone, gave me a high five, he was so freaking cool! At the time, he was the biggest player on tour, was down in San Diego where there was no tournament for him, was just hitting at our club, having fun, and making time to socialize and give everyone the time-of-day. I remember this one old dude got up to leave in the middle of his practice session, and he called out to Agassi in the middle of a point, "looking good, Andre!" Agassi stopped what he was doing, turned around to the old guy in the stands, and said "Hey, thank you!" and gave him a thumbs up and had a huge smile on his face. Even as a kid I was super impressed that this ultra famous incredible tennis player would handle being interrupted by a stranger with such poise and class!
Met Carlos in 2022 after he won Miami in Monte Carlo. He wasn't as popular as he is now (the guy who introduced me said he wasn't getting enough attention for it to be annoying yet). Had a few words with JCF, Carlitos was very shy and down to earth.
Also other encouters at the club, Hurckacz/Sinner/Dimitrov always say hi. Hubi really loves talking about cars. Only mfer that doesn't say hi back is Zverev. Also see Daniil at Mouratoglou quite often but he seems to dislike attention so I stay away from him.
Also met Raducanu in a non tournament/club setting, super shy but was very nice. Gaston is another one that was very friendly.
I’ve met and interacted with Novak Djokovic a few times now and he has always been kind to all fans and autograph/selfie seekers. I’ve been fortunate enough to receive autographed Lacoste swag from him as well. Last year at the US Open, Novak signed autographs and took selfies with kids and adults alike for a couple hours after practice almost every day. The lines to meet Novak were long and started from Arthur Ashe all the way to the fountain.
Andre Agassi took a private picture with me when I was like 7 after he lost to Pete Sampras in a tough final. He was super sweet, and so was Brad Gilbert.
Brad Gilbert was walking by and stopped because someone asked for this autograph. He happily did it, even though the guy asking for the signature called him the wrong name!!
After Mannarino beat Shelton earlier this year at Australian Open 2024, he just walked past all the kids and fans wanting an autograph and went straight through the exit tunnel.
He’s also said one of the reasons he doesn’t have a sponsor is that he has all he needs already and doesn’t want to have to do all the media obligations etc that come with a sponsorship deal.
I stopped John Millman for a picture at the us open when i was about 10, he proceeded to ask me all about my tennis career and i remember liked that my backhand was my best shot:). I was able to play king of the court with Juan Cabal and robbie farah through a juniors program when i was younger and they blasted the balls at kids at net and were insulting kids play in spanish :(
Milos!
Especially as it was at Heathrow literally the day after he lost the Wimbledon final and you'd expect him to be a bit grumpy and surly. He was lovely.
For me, meeting Steffi Graf in her prime (mid 90s) was a massive privilege. She’s as shy as advertised back then. I was able to meet her at her residence tennis club while she was filming a commercial.
Anna Kournikova was kind to me offering me a stick of gum. Met her at an ITF tournament right before she turned professional.
Fed and Roddick were also good respectful kids as junior players even as number one juniors in the world.
Frances Tiafoe was at my work during the tennis “offseason”. As I walked by I said “Whatup Big Foe?” and he turned around with that classic Tiafoe smile from ear to ear and said “Ay what up bro!”
Ugo Humbert, Alexander Bublik and Andrey Rublev by far. All three have taken the time to sign for many fans and take pictures for them. Exceptionally chill.
Jimmy Connors. Met him at Canadian open several years ago and we talked for quite a while. I was at his amazing Wimbledon comeback match in 1987 and he was excited to discuss that with me.
I've only gotten to meet WTA players so far, but my list would be:
Nicest: Shelby Rodgers, Dasha Kasatkina, Venus Williams, Aryna Sabalenka, Madison Keys
Least Friendly: Naomi Osaka, Paula Badosa, Coco Gauff, Danielle Collins
In Coco's defense she had just lost badly so I'll cut her some slack. I've heard other people say she was lovely.
Osaka to me seems like she has mental health issues. Nothing wrong with that but I feel in her interviews- she seems super nervous somewhat or child like especially when she should be adjusted to it.
Say what you want but I feel bad for pros that aren’t personable people. I imagine it must suck to not be able to go out in public without being hoarded. Example is Michael Jordan- the guy couldn’t go anywhere and not be bombarded by fans. As a superstar pro- you have to be on and personable at almost all times or you are called an asshole. I could see how someone that may be reserved or timid in social situations might come off poorly- don’t think they do it on purpose either.
Agreed, but Osaka was openly very friendly with Japanese tourists (stopping for photos, etc) and blatantly rude/dismissive to others. Just came off as very self-serving.
Rublev took photos two separate times with me after his doubles LOSS and was booted out of cincy. Which I respect a lot
Sonego smiled in my photo after a dubs loss which was nice
Musetti looked rather dreadful, though he took a couple selfies before leaving
In her last couple of years as a singles player, Navratilova used to wander around the grounds at Eastbourne, chatting away with the crowd of small kids she had attracted. At the time, the media portrayed her as a scary Amazon but in real life she just looked like someone’s mum.
Michael Chang, snuck “backstage” as a kid at the AT&T Challenge at the Atlanta Athletic Club and he stopped, took the time for an autograph and ask about me playing tennis, incredibly nice human.
He lives in SoCal and his daughter is a really good player too. I’ve seen her name on draws my daughter has played in but never seen him. Heard he’s super nice though!
I had a very brief encounter with Kei Nishikori at Wimbledon and am pleased to say he’s as happy, friendly and ever so slightly awkward as he appears online 😅
Met John McEnroe in Paris. He was a stuck up ass hat. Jim Currier I met at a bar in Newport and he was a sweetheart. Met Caroline Wozniacki and she was delightful. Same tournament Genie Bouchard was an arrogant tool and wouldn’t interact with the kids after her match. Just walked off the court.
I met Jim Currier during the Tennis Hall of Fame tournament years ago. I met Carolyn Woz. and Genie at a WTA tournament they used to have in CT right before the U.S. open. Unfortunately it doesn’t exist anymore. John McEnroe was at the French open about 12 years ago. He was staying at our hotel and would speak to nobody and not even acknowledge people who were just saying nice things to him. Acted like some sort of rock star😂
I’ve had the same experience with Johnny Mac. He just seems like an angry individual lol.
I met Courier at the Hall of Fame tournament also, maybe 15 years ago. He was very nice to everyone.
I’ve met a bunch of players but my fave interaction was when I saw Frances Tiafoe walking at USO during the qualifying rounds & I yelled his name. He actually started laughing & stopped to chat with me & my sisters & we got some pics with him too
Happened to my friend but he met Djokovic post practice session at the Us Open in either 08 or 09. Djokovic had smashed one of his racquets during his practice session and when my friend met him afterwards he just straight up asked him if he could have the racquet that he smashed lol. And Novak gave it to him and thought it was funny. The racquet wasn’t that badly damaged but the butt-cap had fallen off
I have not met any tennis players but even if I did and they didnt give me the time of day, so what? They are humans and dont owe anyone anything. Shame your daughters didn't get a pic but i wouldnt hold it against him or anyone else for that matter. It is what it is
Vika is super nice, I got the chance to meet her at the 2018 Miami Open and she signed autographs for everyone waiting for her. Also went to the WTA finals in Cancun and Coco and Iga were very nice to the fans specially the kids!
The worst was Magdalena something. She was like 180cm or something. Asked for a photo before she was practicing and she was just angry. Not magdalena frech. It was many years ago. The nicest were probably heather watson, andrea petkovic, ajla tomljanovic, sorana cirstea, alize cornet, tsongs, ruud, dimigod, dominic thiem, bernada pera, kvitova and sasnovich. Osaka and kei were alright
I met Kyrgios on the streets of Manhattan during the 2021 US Open the day after he was obliterated by RBA in the first round. I didn’t notice it was him initially but my friend did so I went back and asked him for a photo. He said “nah man” while shaking his head in a very cold manner and kept walking away with his friends. I wasn’t a fan of his before that, and dislike him even more now.
Is it really ironic though? This sub is filled with trolls always just throwing his name out in a negative way and I haven't seen anyone back it up with a full ancedote yet 🙄
Controversial opinion, but Nick Kyrgios was so nice to my parents at the Mexican Open back in 2019. He denied pictures and autographs to everyone during the tournament week, but he for some reason took a minute for a quick hello and a picture with them all while being very cordial.
Solid dude, Nick.
At AO last month I met and chatted (plus got selfies) with Kyrgios, Cash, Vekic, Blake, Ostapenko, Shriver, Alcaraz’s father and Rune’s mum (she smokes a lot). Got close to a lot of others but these were the ones I had a good chat with. All of them were very nice and friendly. Raducanu was the least friendliest, just said ‘sorry’ and walked away with her head down no time to talk.
del Potro! Super friendly, even though I was slightly flustered and trying not to fangirl. Told him I was proud of him as an argentine and he said it meant a lot to him to hear that. I miss him!
I was at Indian Wells Wednesday and Thursday. By pure luck I had front row seats for Novak and Medvedev practicing plus was up close and personal with many other players in stadiums 2 and lower.
What struck me was how swamped the players are with fans begging for their attention. Raducanu, for example, has one fan I’d call plain creepy. I can tell you I would NOT be able to focus on the job at hand plus pay great attention to the fans.
So while they all seem nice, I can understand how some might just focus on their jobs and have to “ignore” the fans.
Francisco Cerundolo, Davidovich-Fokina, Berrentini and Sinner were really nice guys. Dan Evans not so much. It was after a loss and he had just being dealing with the ridiculous Toronto traffic so it’s hard to blame him. Ugo Humbert ignored everyone and it was a pretty bad look. No traffic or losses to blame on that instance.
Never saw them on a non tennis related event. But medvedev was a really cool guy who managed some very noisy russian fans really well (tbh the russians were just fanboying hard but a bit too much lol).
It’s true. A few years ago I went to see my local challenger event and Tomic was there playing in court 7 with hardly anyone watching. The game got tight in the end of the first set and Tomic made a stupid mistake and was unlucky with a net cord and it seemed as if he was set to lose that set. I yelled “come on Bernie you got this!” when they exchanged courts at at 4-2 in the tiebreak and Tomic acknowledge me and the in next point he played textbook tennis to get the minibreak back. From there he played a few good points and his opponent crumbled. The second set was a breeze, it was over in 25 minutes or so and I was the only clapping throughout. After the match I wished him luck for the rest of the tournament and he was actually a nice guy about it, told me he hadn’t been playing well recently but a few things had clicked for him in this match. I saw him again 2 days after and he recognised me and came to say hi. That challenger he got like to QF or SF.
Casper Ruud hands down
Very nice to look at too
Oh I forgot to mention, my absolute new favorite player: Flavio Cobolli. I was wearing an AS Roma shirt and he walked by me on his way to practice, pointed at me and yelled, “Roma!” And proceeded to sing the AS Roma song to me lol. Highlight of the day ❤️
James Blake was great. Very kind and funny. And not a player, but I got the chance to meet Bud Collins as a very young kid and he was just incredible. Told him how much I loved his tennis books and he stood there and talked with me for maybe 15-20 minutes about tennis with as much excitement as I had. I was maybe 10, Bud was 80+, and it was an extraordinarily hot/humid US Open day. His willingness and genuine excitement to talk tennis with a little kid was really something else.
That’s great to read. Never met Bud but he always seemed so genuine and good-natured on TV.
Boris Becker was rude to my Mum at Wimbledon once. She has a “dork list” on her fridge and he made it on there 😂
Ballboyed the US Open. Bryan brothers were the only people who said "Thank you" when you threw them the ball
I ballboyed a season at the Philadelphia Freedoms WTT, Christian Harrison (Ryan’s Brother) was nice like that.
Actually, Holger as well. I wasn’t a fan of his until we met him at Cincy.
Solid guy, so is his mother
Aneke is super nice and always down to chat to Rune fans.
You would think he is a murderer by the way he’s talked about in this sub but it turns out he is just a 20 year old who sometimes looses his cool playing one of the most stressful sports in the world it’s pretty funny especially when most of the people making those comments would crack like an egg under one tenth of the pressure
> sometimes looses his Did you mean to say "loses"? Explanation: Loose is an adjective meaning the opposite of tight, while lose is a verb. [Statistics](https://github.com/chiefpat450119/RedditBot/blob/master/stats.json) ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot ^^that ^^corrects ^^grammar/spelling ^^mistakes. ^^PM ^^me ^^if ^^I'm ^^wrong ^^or ^^if ^^you ^^have ^^any ^^suggestions. ^^[Github](https://github.com/chiefpat450119) ^^Reply ^^STOP ^^to ^^this ^^comment ^^to ^^stop ^^receiving ^^corrections.
Holger was soo kind and generous when I met him. I also chatted with his mother a bit, very nice lady.
I guess if you meet someone once, it's hard to say. Players are like all humans. They can have good and bad days. Maybe Ben would be much nicer on a different day.
Yeah my interaction with Ben was much different — I bumped into him at the USO this past year the Sunday of fan week after his practice session with Andy Murray. It was before his big run there so he was still relatively unknown by most of the normies there but I was very excited to see him. Andy had a huge crowd of people around him as he was walking back to the lockers (as expected), but Ben was pretty much walking by himself, so I came up to him to ask him for a pic and to wish him luck and he was very obliging. He was clearly very tired post his practice session so I didn’t try have a convo or anything, just got my pic and went on my way, but it was overall a very pleasant interaction.
This. Not acknowledging your fans doesn’t make you an asshole necessarily.
Agreed for sure. Ever been in a frustrated moment and a close friend or family member texts/calls and your gut reaction is just like, "ugh, not now just hold on a bit please." I can't imagine being in the middle of a moment like that and then having hundreds of people swarming me and trying to take pictures with me. Worse, if you don't do it or don't act all nice and perfect, they'll go to social media and forever talk about the time you snubbed them and claim that you might seem nice but you're actually a jerk who hates their fans. Yeah some of them are making millions and living a life I'll never live but that doesn't mean they aren't human and don't deserve their own time, space, and respect.
True. Also, that life comes with a lot of pressure to perform, and it takes a lot of focus to do well at a tournament as big as Indian Wells.
Also acknowledging your fans doesn't necessarily make you a good person either.
Saw Ben in Australia - he signed autographs and took photos with everyone who wanted one. Seemed very nice and patient.
Yeah…I saw after the tiebreak tens event he stuck around for a long time and got photos with fans etc https://x.com/jonahtennis/status/1765250876497899992?s=20
>guess if you meet someone once, it's hard to say. Players are like all humans. They can have good and bad days He stayed late to sign balls for the kids after they won the Eisenhower trophy. Usually after practice players wanna cool down and hit the shower to start their recovery. So not everyone will stop to sign things.
Tommy Paul took a selfie with me at Eastbourne a couple of years ago after he’d just lost to De Minaur; he must have been feeling shit but he was really sweet and friendly to me. I wasn’t a fan but I am now
Ons! Met her at Cincinnati last year. She was so sweet with everyone and the kids. She seemed genuinely happy to meet her fans
She just seems so down to earth. My daughter met her last year and said the same thing.
Madison keys is extremely nice as well as Paula Badosa
Went to Indian Wells the year Badosa won before Netflix show. This was maybe 3rd round. She got swarmed by a horde of fans and stayed extra long to sign stuff and take pictures from kids and adults alike.
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I saw Rune practice at last year’s US Open. After the practice he made sure to go up and down the sidelines to sign every kid’s tennis balls. He spent much more time at it than Murray who he practiced against. Murray just went once down the line then to the locker room like expected and reasonable, but Rune took his time to make sure everyone was happy.
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huh? the kids seems really nice.
Djokovic. I've told this story here before, but friends and I were on our way out from the Futures tour, and *not* because we were about to start hitting up challengers. We sucked, is what I'm saying. But we happened to run into Nole because tennis world and courts and stuff. He treated us like fellow professionals instead of pesky kids even though he had already won Slams at that point and we, *I cannot stress this enough*, fucking sucked. We'd have understood if he made an excuse or disdainfully looked at us and moved on -- but instead, he went out of his way to approach *us* and make us feel like we belonged on the same planet as him. I know you can't make a claim about someone's entire being with one conversation, but he was incredibly nice that day, and I'll always remember him from that.
This jibes with the story that Medvedev tells about Novak inviting him to travel on his plane back when Meddy was way lower in the rankings. He seems to be especially conscious of how he treats more junior players — whether it’s out of interest in the future of the sport, or remembering when he was in their shoes, or just basic decency (or all three). Very cool that you got to have that experience.
Novak has always encouraged, respected and helped younger athletes, even going so far as starting the PTPA with Vasek Pospisil. He knows what disrespect feels like from his days as a young player in the 2000s.
My mom’s cousin worked Indian Wells for YEARS (like 30+) and said that Novak was by far one of the nicest people she had met. She used to drive them around in a golf cart and he was super friendly. She said Roger was too and his wife “used to be” lol. Apparently, after she had the twins, she changed.
You know, becoming grumpy after having twins is like the most acceptable excuse for not being pleasant I've heard in a while haha. Like, *fair.*
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Great Story thanks for sharing. I recently met the ex sporting director of Liverpool who may get the job again after Jürgen Klopp leaves. In a room full of people who achieved less than him, this guy was probably the nicest and most approachable. Was really interesting interaction to see. Almost as if when you made it to the highest levels and are comfortable with who you are, you recognize you can do a lot to give a smile and help those coming up.
That’s pretty incredible and it must’ve been a super inspiring moment to have arguably the GOAT of tennis go out of his way to talk to you guys. I would say though that you are probably still better than 99% of tennis players if you’re playing on the futures tour so I doubt you suck. Keep your head high!
Felix Auger-Alliassime is a really nice person
I've got about four different photos with Felix Auger-Aliassime just from standing near the guy, without even having to ask. I've always, always seen him go out of his way to stop for fans on the way to practice and back. Lovely fella. Sinner stopped for a photo with me and my partner even though he was scheduled to hit the court in 20 minutes for a match - he was clearly in a big rush but still made the time and I really wouldn't have blamed him if he just dashed off. I find doubles players to be the nicest generally, maybe because they're not always the absolute A-List. Jamie Murray and Michael Venus are great guys in particular. I didn't get to speak to her but Camila Osorio was especially good with the kids - this was in Madrid so she was talking away with some of them in Spanish, albeit for a short time. She seemed genuine and friendly. The rudest would have to be Tsitsipas (visibly bored and dismissive, tossing out pre-signed photos with zero interaction and eye contact) and Cristian Garin (moody on court, audibly bitching about everything, totally unappreciative of his passionate Chilean fans), but who knows, maybe I caught them on bad days.
Garin is just Garin, looks like he's got no will to live.
"I lost the set. RIP my career."
🤣🤣🤣
Hahaha true, never has a player's enthusiasm level been so disproportionate to that of his fans
Garin was a complete douche in the players lounge at the ATP Houston tournament
Tsitsipas and his dad were both “too cool” for everyone at IW as well lol
I got a selfie with him at Cincy
Jamie! He’s so nice, I talked with him for a bit because we just happened to be walking in the exact same direction for an awkward amount of time.
That's fantastic! I can imagine it too - he and Andy strike me as extremely grounded, down-to-earth people, something definitely went well in their upbringing for sure
I saw Elena Dementieva at a mall in a Miami suburb in 2006 or 2007. I told her “Good luck!” and she said “thank you” with a big grin. Later that day I found out she had lost her match the day prior, and was likely engaging in some retail therapy. I still cringe when I think of that moment. Thank you, Elena, for handling our awkward encounter with such grace.
I love Elena Dementieva! I am so glad that she was nice to you! :)
This is dating and I know you're looking for recent players, but have to shout out how incredibly nice Mary Carillo was back in the day. I remember going to the US Open and waiting with friends (we were about 11 or 12) outside where the players would go in and out for the day to get autographs and she saw us, gave us her autograph and then said something like "how would you like to be my little cousins and go inside and get some great autographs?" Anyway, she brought us into the main area right outside the locker room telling the guards we were family to her. When we got inside, Martina Navratilova was making her way out to a court (probably to practice) because it was like day one of the open and she was being swamped by people but stopped to give me an autograph - she was very frustrated by the amount of people bombarding her but was super gracious.
Lord Jeezus, what year was this? It's gotta be 80s, right?
As a former ballboy and otherwise tennis fanatic, I’ve met/interacted with so many I’ve lost count. Most are overall nice I can answer more if you to comment about specific players. Gilles Simon, Opelka, Ryan Harrison, Timea Babos are the ones I’ve had overly bad experiences with.
Not surprised about Opelka. He was berating ball kids and line umpires a couple years ago at Wimbledon.
Not surprised about Harrison. At USOpen a few years ago on an outer court, he stopped to scream at a poor woman in the stands whose baby had cried.
Yeah he is such a miserable person
Old boy gilles and Babos were both terrible to ballpeople
You really got me there, I thought you were saying opelka was one of the ones you've had good experiences with
Haha sorry! Definitely not!
What did Timea do lol
she struts around and grunts like an alpha bison. i am sure she has whacked a ball boy or five at some point in her career.
How were your experiences with Simon, Opelka, Harrison bad?
Simon yelled at me for not bringing the towel when he asked for it, then yelled for not bringing it fast enough, then yelled for bringing it when he didn’t ask for it (I was certain he did), then yelled again when it was a changeover and I didn’t know to put the towel over his racket bag instead of handing it to him. Yes I’m serious. Opelka was a constant monologue towards whoever would listen, combined with wanting the towel every single point (even after double faults), and complaining if not fast enough Harrison was by far the worst. Imagine all of the above, but also arguing with umpires, the crowd, his box, and trying to get under his opponent’s skin. He asked me personally to remove a giant cicada from the court, even though he had his racket in his hand and could’ve flicked it away. Thank goodness it flew away by the time I got there lol not sure what I would’ve done
Harrison doesn’t surprise me. I remember seeing on tv, his face while waving his racket at ball kids to move faster. He just seemed impatient and completely rude for no reason. I would’ve lost my job working with him on court lol.
Few from the USO who've been great over the years: **Novak** \- this guy has mobs of people around him and he stays so long to accomodate even after practice. Probably the best I've seen with the fans especiallly given the overwhelming amount of people hanging on every move. **Tommy Paul** \- fantastic. Just a really cool, down to earth dude. Took time for pictures and to chat with everyone after practice. In no rush at all. **Kokkinakis** \- very good, as well. **Gaston** \- very good with fans **Tsitsipas** \- passes out his presigned cards **Andy Murray** \- pretty good with pics and autographs after practice
I'd expect nothing less from Dennis Novak
Nice!! LOL
wasnt expecting to see Gaston's name here
Yeah, wasn't expecting it either. He was just hanging out with his coach and coach's son on court 4 after practice. Was pretty late at night during fan week. He was playing some fun games (seeing how high they could hit a ball in the air, etc.). Took pics with everyone who asked and signed anything asked. Very relaxed guy.
Fan week is great - except for kids day when parents rudely push their kids to get autographs and swarm the players. Ruud almost got trampled last year .
Rublev .. during the U.S. open last year in 2023 he had a very difficult 4th round match vs Draper (4 sets ) but took a lot out of him .. then after the on court interview he signed autographs and was about to leave and security guards said no more pics .. Then my daughter ran towards the court side asked him for a photo he was nice to wait patiently and let me take a photo.
Similar thing happened when I was at World Tennis League last December. After one of the matches started Rublev was still signing autographs despite the security telling him to leave. It was only until the end of the first game that Rublev left. Sadly I couldn't get my autograph, but nevertheless class act.
Medvedev. I didn’t meet him personally per se but I was standing right in front of him when he was signing balls and stuff for kids after a win at the ATP cup, he was really nice and engaging with the kids, making sure to sign every everything
Med became my all-time fave when I met him. So nice, and incredibly patient with a kid who’s Mum was trying to get a perfect photo and made the poor kid go back and get another one when she wasn’t satisfied, he had all the time in the world for it. Was training with a junior or lower ranked player and was so incredibly encouraging about how they were playing. Signed everything and did every selfie for everyone there. I met Andrey the same day and he was extremely grumpy lol, so everyone can have bad / good days I suppose
Met Djokovic as a teenager - I was watching him practice and it was just me and my friend for about an hour, watching and waiting for an autograph hopefully. Then the match behind us finished and we got absolutely swamped and pushed out of the way by bigger men and families pushing their little kids in front. Novak told his security guard to take us to the entrance to the players area and he’d meet us there, and we got a photo and a quick chat, everyone else just for a walking autograph. It was extremely thoughtful of him and we were so stoked! Same tournament I had Tsonga sign a tennis ball and even in our 5 second interaction he was a delight, just remember he had the biggest smile!
My relatives met Roger and he was very nice and approachable. I am jealous.
Krejcikova loves watching matches live and sits next to people and talks to a lot!
I had a moment with Rafa at a golf course and he was very nice.
Dimitrov, Tommy Haas, and Cilic were some guys I saw practicing at UCLA and all were super nice. Tommy even congratulated me when I hit a running forehand crosscourt pass, he said “That was Sampras-like!” Mackie and Marcos are also super nice, although I did know them from UCLA beforehand.
Did you ever cross paths at UCLA?
I mean, I’m the same grade as Mackie, Gage, and Joe DiGiulio and I’d go to the matches all the time, so yeah.
Ostapenko was very nice to fans at last USO, which was funny to see immediately after she personally kicked a heckler out of the audience during the match lol. Medvedev stayed to sign for a while after a match that ended past 1am, which I thought was nice
Medvedev was signing autographs at like 4am at the AO this year too
I've met a good bunch of nice players (including Roger and Rafa) at tournaments, but I guess potentially more interesting and surprising are players I've happened to run into outside of tournaments. It's really cool to see players be nice and approachable to fans when there are no cameras on them. Here are a few stories: I ran into Tommy Haas randomly at LAX airport in 2020 right before covid having a coffee and spoke with him for a minute. He was so nice and approachable. I told him that he signed a hat for me at Indian Wells 2013 and he laughed and said "that was a long long time ago!" just seemed like an awesome dude. I couldn't believe that a former world #1 tennis player wasn't being harassed out in public, but literally in 10 minutes of sitting at the next table over from him, not one person noticed him! Spring 2021 I ran into Sam Querrey a few times at a physical therapy spot in LA when I was recovering from a shoulder surgery (from tennis lol). I only shared a few words with him, I told him I was a big fan, and that I watched him take out Murray at Wimbledon 2017. Honestly his face lit up with a huge smile and he thanked me for being a fan and watching him play! Super nice guy. Back in 2005 or 2006 when I was like 14ish I saw Andre Agassi down in La Jolla and he was magnanimous! He was chatting with a bunch of people at the club, cracking jokes with everyone, gave me a high five, he was so freaking cool! At the time, he was the biggest player on tour, was down in San Diego where there was no tournament for him, was just hitting at our club, having fun, and making time to socialize and give everyone the time-of-day. I remember this one old dude got up to leave in the middle of his practice session, and he called out to Agassi in the middle of a point, "looking good, Andre!" Agassi stopped what he was doing, turned around to the old guy in the stands, and said "Hey, thank you!" and gave him a thumbs up and had a huge smile on his face. Even as a kid I was super impressed that this ultra famous incredible tennis player would handle being interrupted by a stranger with such poise and class!
Rajeev Ram was super nice to my kid …
Rafa, he was playing golf here in Santander (north of Spain) and he was super nice with us taking photos and even speaking a little with the people.
Met Carlos in 2022 after he won Miami in Monte Carlo. He wasn't as popular as he is now (the guy who introduced me said he wasn't getting enough attention for it to be annoying yet). Had a few words with JCF, Carlitos was very shy and down to earth. Also other encouters at the club, Hurckacz/Sinner/Dimitrov always say hi. Hubi really loves talking about cars. Only mfer that doesn't say hi back is Zverev. Also see Daniil at Mouratoglou quite often but he seems to dislike attention so I stay away from him. Also met Raducanu in a non tournament/club setting, super shy but was very nice. Gaston is another one that was very friendly.
This comment makes me want to live in Monte Carlo more than I do already haha
I’ve met and interacted with Novak Djokovic a few times now and he has always been kind to all fans and autograph/selfie seekers. I’ve been fortunate enough to receive autographed Lacoste swag from him as well. Last year at the US Open, Novak signed autographs and took selfies with kids and adults alike for a couple hours after practice almost every day. The lines to meet Novak were long and started from Arthur Ashe all the way to the fountain.
Andre Agassi took a private picture with me when I was like 7 after he lost to Pete Sampras in a tough final. He was super sweet, and so was Brad Gilbert.
Brad Gilbert was walking by and stopped because someone asked for this autograph. He happily did it, even though the guy asking for the signature called him the wrong name!!
Jamie Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis were both extremely friendly.
Second this about TK. Stayed for a while taking pics and signing at USO
I met him at a challenger near my hometown. He was super nice and let me take a photo with him
I’m a ball boy there right now. Shelton is a jerk. The rest of the people you mentioned are all very nice. The nicest this year has been Stan though.
Curious - what makes Shelton a jerk?
How’s Mannarino ?
Oh yeah forgot abt him. We don’t like him at all. Quite rude and demanding
After Mannarino beat Shelton earlier this year at Australian Open 2024, he just walked past all the kids and fans wanting an autograph and went straight through the exit tunnel.
I get the vibe from him he’s not much of a people person / doesn’t enjoy the spotlight
Yeah, I think he seems a bit shy.
He’s also said one of the reasons he doesn’t have a sponsor is that he has all he needs already and doesn’t want to have to do all the media obligations etc that come with a sponsorship deal.
Schmiedlova, she was quite pleasant to interact with :)
I stopped John Millman for a picture at the us open when i was about 10, he proceeded to ask me all about my tennis career and i remember liked that my backhand was my best shot:). I was able to play king of the court with Juan Cabal and robbie farah through a juniors program when i was younger and they blasted the balls at kids at net and were insulting kids play in spanish :(
Medvedev - met him in a pharmacy! Check my posts for the story. Carlos, Iga, and Rublev were also very nice.
Milos! Especially as it was at Heathrow literally the day after he lost the Wimbledon final and you'd expect him to be a bit grumpy and surly. He was lovely.
Good to hear. He always seemed like a good egg.
Milos in Laver Cup seems like he's a great guy to be around. I thought he'd go be an analyst by now but he's still playing and not retired.
Rublev was the nicest (made him laugh with my bad selfie taking skills haha)
Guessing you’re not a lines person then
Federer and cilic
For me, meeting Steffi Graf in her prime (mid 90s) was a massive privilege. She’s as shy as advertised back then. I was able to meet her at her residence tennis club while she was filming a commercial. Anna Kournikova was kind to me offering me a stick of gum. Met her at an ITF tournament right before she turned professional. Fed and Roddick were also good respectful kids as junior players even as number one juniors in the world.
Frances Tiafoe was at my work during the tennis “offseason”. As I walked by I said “Whatup Big Foe?” and he turned around with that classic Tiafoe smile from ear to ear and said “Ay what up bro!”
Andy Murray without a doubt. I was a kid and he went out of his way to stop and sign everything for people who approached him
I said hi to Muguruza once and congratulated her on her FO breakout run (this was 2014). It was a super short convo but she was really nice.
Ugo Humbert, Alexander Bublik and Andrey Rublev by far. All three have taken the time to sign for many fans and take pictures for them. Exceptionally chill.
Jimmy Connors. Met him at Canadian open several years ago and we talked for quite a while. I was at his amazing Wimbledon comeback match in 1987 and he was excited to discuss that with me.
I've only gotten to meet WTA players so far, but my list would be: Nicest: Shelby Rodgers, Dasha Kasatkina, Venus Williams, Aryna Sabalenka, Madison Keys Least Friendly: Naomi Osaka, Paula Badosa, Coco Gauff, Danielle Collins In Coco's defense she had just lost badly so I'll cut her some slack. I've heard other people say she was lovely.
I met Paula during Mubadala Silicon Valley Open two years ago, she was super nice! Stopped by for autographs and pictures after her practice.
Weird, Danielle Collins seems so warm on tv lol.
Opinions on her seem very polarizing. Just like her on and off the court.
hahaha
Osaka to me seems like she has mental health issues. Nothing wrong with that but I feel in her interviews- she seems super nervous somewhat or child like especially when she should be adjusted to it. Say what you want but I feel bad for pros that aren’t personable people. I imagine it must suck to not be able to go out in public without being hoarded. Example is Michael Jordan- the guy couldn’t go anywhere and not be bombarded by fans. As a superstar pro- you have to be on and personable at almost all times or you are called an asshole. I could see how someone that may be reserved or timid in social situations might come off poorly- don’t think they do it on purpose either.
Agreed, but Osaka was openly very friendly with Japanese tourists (stopping for photos, etc) and blatantly rude/dismissive to others. Just came off as very self-serving.
Petkovic. Down.
Ashleigh Barty and Katie Boulter
Rublev took photos two separate times with me after his doubles LOSS and was booted out of cincy. Which I respect a lot Sonego smiled in my photo after a dubs loss which was nice Musetti looked rather dreadful, though he took a couple selfies before leaving
Musetti didn’t interact with anyone 😭 we only got a wave so I was a little bummed.
met quite a few players not even shitting you nicest by far was tsitsipas and his dad runner up wawrinka
Ons Jabeur hands down, sweetest person on earth, I really hope she’ll get her grand slam trophy one day
Showing my age but Jonas Bjorkman and Lindsay Davenport.
I just want to remind you that the 90s are now referred to as the late 1900s.
I read that for the first time earlier this year and felt my soul start to decompose.
It's probably me who posted it hahaha. '87 born, I feel you on that.
In her last couple of years as a singles player, Navratilova used to wander around the grounds at Eastbourne, chatting away with the crowd of small kids she had attracted. At the time, the media portrayed her as a scary Amazon but in real life she just looked like someone’s mum.
Capriati was so nice when I asked for an autograph when we were at the same hotel in Melbourne. 90s.
Pete Sampras
Not a player, but both Darren Cahill and Nick Bollettieri were extremely friendly. On the other hand, Fognini was a total douche lord.
Michael Chang, snuck “backstage” as a kid at the AT&T Challenge at the Atlanta Athletic Club and he stopped, took the time for an autograph and ask about me playing tennis, incredibly nice human.
He lives in SoCal and his daughter is a really good player too. I’ve seen her name on draws my daughter has played in but never seen him. Heard he’s super nice though!
I had a very brief encounter with Kei Nishikori at Wimbledon and am pleased to say he’s as happy, friendly and ever so slightly awkward as he appears online 😅
Clijsters was incredibly friendly
Met Chanda Rubin at the US Open - she was commenting vs playing - but she was lovely.
Met John McEnroe in Paris. He was a stuck up ass hat. Jim Currier I met at a bar in Newport and he was a sweetheart. Met Caroline Wozniacki and she was delightful. Same tournament Genie Bouchard was an arrogant tool and wouldn’t interact with the kids after her match. Just walked off the court.
Tennis hall of fame legends tournament?
I met Jim Currier during the Tennis Hall of Fame tournament years ago. I met Carolyn Woz. and Genie at a WTA tournament they used to have in CT right before the U.S. open. Unfortunately it doesn’t exist anymore. John McEnroe was at the French open about 12 years ago. He was staying at our hotel and would speak to nobody and not even acknowledge people who were just saying nice things to him. Acted like some sort of rock star😂
I’ve had the same experience with Johnny Mac. He just seems like an angry individual lol. I met Courier at the Hall of Fame tournament also, maybe 15 years ago. He was very nice to everyone.
The only one I’ve met is Cam Norrie, and he was super sweet, posing for photos with fans and apologizing for being so sweaty :)
Yes, he’s the only player I was brave enough to try and talk to after practice at the AO and he was super nice
madison keys, sloane stephens, delpo, murray
I met the Bryan brothers. They were so nice! Let me take a photo and chatted for a minute
How about the most asshole player you have ever met? I haven't met any but Zverev
Sam Stosur. She stopped for an ussie at US Open right after a practice. She was gracious and friendly.
I’ve met a bunch of players but my fave interaction was when I saw Frances Tiafoe walking at USO during the qualifying rounds & I yelled his name. He actually started laughing & stopped to chat with me & my sisters & we got some pics with him too
Anastasia Pavlychenkova
Happened to my friend but he met Djokovic post practice session at the Us Open in either 08 or 09. Djokovic had smashed one of his racquets during his practice session and when my friend met him afterwards he just straight up asked him if he could have the racquet that he smashed lol. And Novak gave it to him and thought it was funny. The racquet wasn’t that badly damaged but the butt-cap had fallen off
I have not met any tennis players but even if I did and they didnt give me the time of day, so what? They are humans and dont owe anyone anything. Shame your daughters didn't get a pic but i wouldnt hold it against him or anyone else for that matter. It is what it is
Camila Osorio absolutely she is such a nice person
Alize Cornet was really nice!
Denis shapovlov
Vitas Gerulaitis! So kind and funny. RIP
Vika is super nice, I got the chance to meet her at the 2018 Miami Open and she signed autographs for everyone waiting for her. Also went to the WTA finals in Cancun and Coco and Iga were very nice to the fans specially the kids!
The worst was Magdalena something. She was like 180cm or something. Asked for a photo before she was practicing and she was just angry. Not magdalena frech. It was many years ago. The nicest were probably heather watson, andrea petkovic, ajla tomljanovic, sorana cirstea, alize cornet, tsongs, ruud, dimigod, dominic thiem, bernada pera, kvitova and sasnovich. Osaka and kei were alright
Max Mirnyi
Tommy Haas. Ben Shelton, dude even signed my hoodie.
For some reason, Im not surprised at all that Haas is a nice guy lol.
I met Kyrgios on the streets of Manhattan during the 2021 US Open the day after he was obliterated by RBA in the first round. I didn’t notice it was him initially but my friend did so I went back and asked him for a photo. He said “nah man” while shaking his head in a very cold manner and kept walking away with his friends. I wasn’t a fan of his before that, and dislike him even more now.
Ironically, ben Shelton. 1st round AO last year, we’d spent the entire 5 setter cheering for Zhang zhizhen, was still signing stuff for everyone
Is it really ironic though? This sub is filled with trolls always just throwing his name out in a negative way and I haven't seen anyone back it up with a full ancedote yet 🙄
Controversial opinion, but Nick Kyrgios was so nice to my parents at the Mexican Open back in 2019. He denied pictures and autographs to everyone during the tournament week, but he for some reason took a minute for a quick hello and a picture with them all while being very cordial. Solid dude, Nick.
Oh and Barbora Krejokova.
At AO last month I met and chatted (plus got selfies) with Kyrgios, Cash, Vekic, Blake, Ostapenko, Shriver, Alcaraz’s father and Rune’s mum (she smokes a lot). Got close to a lot of others but these were the ones I had a good chat with. All of them were very nice and friendly. Raducanu was the least friendliest, just said ‘sorry’ and walked away with her head down no time to talk.
Also Shelby Rogers.
John Millman and Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka :)
Arthur Ashe Martina tie
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Arthur was such a nice man…died too soon..Martina nice and classy
del Potro! Super friendly, even though I was slightly flustered and trying not to fangirl. Told him I was proud of him as an argentine and he said it meant a lot to him to hear that. I miss him!
Tommy Paul
Not me, but my brother got to hit with Pete Sampras in the late 90s at Wimbledon and said he was chill, lovely and humble
I was at Indian Wells Wednesday and Thursday. By pure luck I had front row seats for Novak and Medvedev practicing plus was up close and personal with many other players in stadiums 2 and lower. What struck me was how swamped the players are with fans begging for their attention. Raducanu, for example, has one fan I’d call plain creepy. I can tell you I would NOT be able to focus on the job at hand plus pay great attention to the fans. So while they all seem nice, I can understand how some might just focus on their jobs and have to “ignore” the fans.
I’ve met Matteo Berrettini twice and he’s been nothing but amazing
Francisco Cerundolo, Davidovich-Fokina, Berrentini and Sinner were really nice guys. Dan Evans not so much. It was after a loss and he had just being dealing with the ridiculous Toronto traffic so it’s hard to blame him. Ugo Humbert ignored everyone and it was a pretty bad look. No traffic or losses to blame on that instance.
not surprised to read shelton isn’t that nice.. he looks likes hes full of himself
Never saw them on a non tennis related event. But medvedev was a really cool guy who managed some very noisy russian fans really well (tbh the russians were just fanboying hard but a bit too much lol).
Gerulaitis, autograph at Forest Hills
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“NO ONE beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row.” legend. cat-like reflexes, 2-by-4 groundstrokes, not an enemy in sight.
Alison Riske 😁
Kyrgios
Sharapova and Tomic ☺️
It’s true. A few years ago I went to see my local challenger event and Tomic was there playing in court 7 with hardly anyone watching. The game got tight in the end of the first set and Tomic made a stupid mistake and was unlucky with a net cord and it seemed as if he was set to lose that set. I yelled “come on Bernie you got this!” when they exchanged courts at at 4-2 in the tiebreak and Tomic acknowledge me and the in next point he played textbook tennis to get the minibreak back. From there he played a few good points and his opponent crumbled. The second set was a breeze, it was over in 25 minutes or so and I was the only clapping throughout. After the match I wished him luck for the rest of the tournament and he was actually a nice guy about it, told me he hadn’t been playing well recently but a few things had clicked for him in this match. I saw him again 2 days after and he recognised me and came to say hi. That challenger he got like to QF or SF.