THE TRIBES OF
TENNIS TWITTER
Tennis is a game where sporting legacies are made in split-second moments, so it’s no surprise that its fanbase has found a home on Twitter, where they can live-tweet matches and devour short-form content 24 hours a day. Tennis Twitter never sleeps, following the tour around the world, from day match to night match and time zone to time zone; a sprawling ecosystem that lives and breathes every break point and smashed racket. Over the years, it’s spawned a wide variety of fan cliques, each with their own distinct style of play on the blue bird app. Familairise yourself with them here…
THE ATP SOFT ’N’ SMOLS
No one does forlorn, sad-faced emo like Andrey Rublev, the poster-child for the UWU (cute face) baby-girl-smol-boy Tennis Twitter fanbase. Rublo, or Bweh, as he’s affectionately known (due to his trademark grunt), has become the darling of the ATP Tour, gaining a cult following akin to the ones found on K-Pop Twitter. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by the official tour, who now put him at the forefront of every piece of social content to maximise clicks and engagement. The soft’n’smol fans are full of love for their good bois, creating endless streams of content such as fan-cams, cute illustrations and quote-tweeting content made almost exclusively in emojis. Fan-fiction romantic pairings are rife in this group too. The “lovers to rivals” story of Roger and Rafa (coined “Fedal”) is a fever dream, as are the many imaginary on-tour boyfriends of Dominic Thiem and Andrey Rublev. Everything their gorgeous human-golden retriever (usually with gloriously luscious, boy-band hair) does is seen through a super-cute lens and becomes adoringly meme-worthy. Perfect Gen-Z fodder, their lovable pin-ups can do no wrong: moving to Monte Carlo to avoid super-tax in their own country? Banned for reckless driving? Getting private jets everywhere? That’s not their fault! They’re just a baby!
MOST LIKELY TO TWEET:
“My heart *teary eyed emoji, teary eyed emoji, heart emoji*”
WHO THEY STAN:
Andrey Rublev, Dominic Thiem
THEY CAN’T BE SERIOUS
Jokey, snarky, and sometimes taking things a little too far, you never know where you stand with these fans. They’ll roast your favourite player, but it’s best not to take it to heart, as they’re going to talk shit just as much about their own. For the, dragging their player is a preferred pastime on the bird app, and they can be found playfully chastising tennis stars like Garbiñe Muguruza for being on holiday more than on the court or mocking Stefanos Tsitsipas for plagiarising basic faux-inspirational Instagram. They’ve amplified Denis Shapovalov’s rap career, giving it far more streams than it should have (actually, I lie, Drip deserves a Grammy.) Every tweet is laced with an ironic, self-deprecating lol and is (mostly) done in good spirits. They’re energised by the drama, lapping it up when Medvedev, Ostapenko and Rune are taking on a booing crowd, blocking fellow-players on social media or trash talking during the handshake or press conference. A salty tweet or snarky press conference remark from Sir Andy Murray makes them decidedly giddy. Be careful about rising to their taunts though, as they’ll ensnare you with their tentacles, just like their lovable evil overlord Daniil Medvedev does to his opponents on court. Just remember, it was never that serious…
Most likely to tweet:
“Me? Am I the drama? I don’t think I’m the drama?”
Who they stan:
Andy Murray, Danielle Collins, Jelena Ostapenko, Garbiñe Muguruza, Daniil Medvedev, Holger Rune, Yulia Putintseva
THE GOATS
Woe betide anyone who slanders the Big Three (Novak, Rafa and Roger) or the GOAT Serena Williams. Actually, scratch that, god help any player who ever troubles them, let alone beats them on court, because it will never be forgotten and they’ll be on this crowd’s hate list forever. If anyone dares to compare another promising young charge to their fave, it’ll send them to in an incandescent rant. No other player in the history of the sport has endured Novak’s unfair treatment from the press and public (Billie-Jean King who?). No one has Serena’s records or Rafa’s humbleness. No player has ever been so stylish as Roger. Breaking records and having incomparable careers is not enough for these fans, nor are statues erected or the stadiums and streets named in their honour. As these all-time greats wind down their careers, these fans will do anything to keep their players in the spotlight.
Most likely to tweet:
You won’t ever see it, because you’re blocked.
Who they stan:
Novak, Rafa, Roger and Serena
THE CHAOTIC WTA TWINK
Waspish, vicious and hates the ATP men. Adjacent to the “They Can’t Be Serious” gang, these twinks (a gay or bisexual young man with a slim build and youthful appearance) have a lot of fun riling up the more earnest of the Tennis Twitter fanbases. They revel in lopsided WTA scores and messy drama and live in the past, yearning for the glory days of Empress Jelena Jankovic, Vika, Aga Radwanska, Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic and their mercurial tennis, ruing their anti-hero of the era, serial pusher and evergreen complainer, Caroline Wozniacki. Everything is “a slay” or “mother”, even, inexplicably, the perpetually terribly dressed, Meghan Trainor of tennis, Bethanie Mattek-Sands. You’ll find them waiting for the return of their oh-so-white and blonde faves Genie Bouchard and Petra Kvitova, plus Bianca Andreescu to return to their former glories. It’s all fun and games, until things get nasty, and with Chaotic WTA Twink energy, boy does it.
Most likely to say:
‘Can I have five more of these little blonde bitches?’
Who they stan:
Maria Sharapova, Aga Radwanska, BMS, Genie Bouchard, Victoria Azarenka
THE PESSIMISTS
If you log on to Twitter at any given time during an Iga Swiatek or Rafael Nadal match, their fanbase will make you think they’re losing badly, when it’s usually the other way around and they’re up a set and a double break. Forever in despair, as soon as a game goes to love fifteen, everything is doom and gloom, as if their fave is already on the plane home. A momentary limp, a grimace, a shake out of the wrist, or the omittance of a “see you next year” in any speech or social post sends this group into a spiral, fearing injury or retirement. Playing someone who their favourite has a 7-0 head-2-head against means an instant panic and a definite loss incoming. This masochistic outlook is a form of doomsday catharsis for this Tennis Twitter group, all whilst their player cruises to an easy, straight sets tournament win. There is power in their panic.
Most likely to tweet:
‘Well…it’s over…’
Who they stan:
Iga Swiatek, Stefanos Tsitsipas
THE EDGY FAN
They’re not a regular tennis fan, they’re a TENNIS tennis fan and the antithesis of the GOAT-loving group. Even the slightest mention of the Big Three makes them wince. Plugging into challengers and junior tours, they’ve got the time and determination to devote to every level of the sport. They like their tennis players unknown, and are the gatekeepers of the tennis community, sniffing out fresh talent on the red dirt of a run-down clay court. As soon as a player becomes mainstream, this type of Tennis Twitter fan has already moved on. They have the tendency to be pious (“Oh you’re a fan of Carlitos Alacaraz? Did you watch him play Govind Nanda at the J1 Roehampton ITF in 2019? No? didn’t think so”). They followed your favourite before they even a twinkle in your eye, and they’ll let you know about it (in a passive aggressive sub-tweet). If a Tennis Twitter fan watches a promising young talent in an ITF Challenger, but doesn’t smugly tweet about it, did it really happen?
Most likely to tweet:
“You don’t watch ITF challengers, bro?”
Who they stan:
You won’t have heard of them, mate…
Words: Joseph Kockarian
Illustrations: Rambo Pavone