List of nicknames used in tennis

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

This is a list of common nicknames for notable professional tennis players.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

W

X

See also

References

  1. ↑ Russell Jackson (2 June 2017). "Margaret Court: astounding champion who found God and lost the respect of a nation". The Guardian. ...it was often said Court’s arms were three inches longer than the average woman of her size, which earned her the nickname The Arm
  2. ↑ Steve Tignor (27 February 2018). "The 50 greatest players of the Open Era (W): No. 4, Margaret Court". Tennis.com. Court’s tour-mate Rosie Casals nicknamed her The Arm, for the long, strong right arm that she used to deliver heavy hooking serves, reach out and intercept passing shots, and hammer home winning smashes.
  3. ↑ Kevin Mitchell (29 August 2012). "US Open tennis 2012 diary: A-Rod and a hard face". The Guardian.
  4. ↑ Steve Tignor (12 December 2008). "Germans aging gracefully". Tennis.com.
  5. ↑ "Sanchez-Vicario retires from tennis". UPI. 12 November 2002. Sanchez-Vicario earned the nickname, "The Barcelona Bumblebee" for her buzzing, tenacious style.
  6. ↑ Jesper Fjeldstad (20 November 2015). "Arantxa Sanchez Vicario to cause a buzz in Adelaide". Adelaide Now. She was nicknamed the “Barcelona Bumblebee” for the way she hustled down balls and demoralised opponents with her consistency and variety.
  7. ↑ "CNN Open Court: Barcelona Bumblebee". Women's Tennis Association. 2016. Affectionately known as the Barcelona Bumblebee, Sánchez-Vicario lived up to her moniker, buzzing the width and breadth of the court in the dogged pursuit of tennis balls, none seeming too distant to be deemed a lost cause.
  8. ↑ Stewart Fisher (10 February 2012). "Miloslav Mecir, the Big Cat with the cream of Slovakian tennis at his disposal". The Herald. Clad in his classic Reebok gear, and adorned with trademark beard, the stylish Slovak was content to exist on his wits on the baseline, breaking cover only every now and then to languidly dispatch outrageous winners from the most unlikely angles of the court. It is a style which earned him the nickname the Big Cat...
  9. ↑ Jaime Diaz (20 April 1987). "Big Cat on the prowl". Sports Illustrated. His ability to cover the court with long, even strides has earned him the nickname Big Cat.
  10. ↑ "NAVRATILOVA HEARS HINGIS' CHEERS". Miami Herald. 10 April 1997. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  11. ↑ "The story of the crocodile". Lacoste. 17 August 2015. Nicknamed 'The Crocodile' as a result of a bet with his tennis team captain, René Lacoste made this unique animal the iconic logo of his brand.
  12. ↑ Tom Sweetman (11 September 2014). "Rene Lacoste: The lasting legacy of 'Le Crocodile'". CNN. So tenacious was Lacoste's style of play on court, building his game from the baseline and keeping his opponents on the move with an array of precise groundstrokes, he earned the nickname "Le Crocodile"
  13. ↑ "René Lacoste". International Tennis Hall of Fame. He was known as “The Crocodile,” a nickname he earned from the American press after he reportedly made a bet with the French Davis Cup captain.
  14. ↑ "Fiery and Emmo maintained Australia's empire". The Age. 15 January 2007.
  15. ↑ David Law (17 January 2004). "Roy Emerson: Emerson, the cream Down Under, rises again". The Independent. Known as "Emmo" to his wide circle of friends on the circuit, he was gregarious and could lead the partying without jeopardising his high standards of play.
  16. ↑ Joel Drucker (18 October 2017). "Joel Drucker: In the Orbit of Emmo". The Tennis Channel. He was once so popular in his native Australia – and the world, beloved by all of his peers and millions of fans -- that a letter simply marked “Emmo” arrived on his doorstep.
  17. ↑ "Wimby day 1 as it happens". BBC Sport. 23 June 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  18. ↑ Jeremy Stahl (2007-05-22). "French Open – Roland Garros – Men to watch". Eurosport. Archived from the original on 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2008-05-13. After a previously disappointing claycourt season, Fed-ex won his first clay title of the spring in Hamburg.
  19. ↑ "Fred Stolle AO - Tennis". Sport of Australia Hall of Fame. Fred Stolle had his Wimbledon singles frustrations, but overflowed with success everywhere else as one of the overpowering Australian group in the 1960s and 1970s. He was known as "Fiery Fred" or "Fiery" to his teammates for his outspoken competitiveness.
  20. ↑ "Wimbledon legends: Steffi Graf". BBC Sport. 31 May 2004. Known as 'Fraulein Forehand', Graf could hit that shot like a hammer.
  21. ↑ "Wimbledon Memories: Gertrude 'Gorgeous Gussie' Moran". Petticoated.com. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  22. ↑ James Buddell (8 June 2017). "Gustavo Kuerten... Remembering 1997 Roland Garros". Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
  23. ↑ Mark Hodgkinson (2007-10-25). "Björn Borg: My life is perfect". London: Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  24. ↑ Larry Schwartz. "Evert: grit, grace and glamour". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-05-13. While the titles piled up the next few year for the "Ice Maiden", the public that had adored her started to lose interest.
  25. ↑ Bierley, Stephen (2008-05-14). "Henin announces retirement from tennis". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
  26. ↑ "All hail the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal". ESPN.com. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  27. ↑ "Who's the greatest clay-courter of them all—Chris Evert or Rafa Nadal?". Tennis.com. 25 May 2017. Nadal is the King of Clay, but Evert was every bit as dominant in her day on dirt.
  28. ↑ "The Career of Andre Agassi". igotennis.com. 2009-03-15. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  29. ↑ Fred Tupper (26 June 1972). "U.S. tennis sweep forecast". The New York Times. [...] the 6‐foot‐4‐inch Smith has all the credentials. Finalist to Newcombe a year ago, winner at Forest Hills, the “Leaning Tower of’ Pasadena” has the big serve‐and‐follow game that is the absolute requisite to win on fast Wimbledon grass.
  30. ↑ "Read 'em and Leap". People. 1979-11-19. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  31. ↑ Collins, Bud (2016). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (3rd ed.). New York: New Chapter Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-1-937559-38-0. [...], Helen Wills (called Little Miss Poker Face because of her lack of expression on court)
  32. ↑ Fein, Paul (April 2006). "Who is the greatest female player ever?". Inside Tennis. Archived from the original (– Scholar search) on 2007-05-19. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
  33. ↑ "1955: American tennis star 'Little Mo' to quit". BBC News. 1955-02-22. Retrieved 2010-05-20. She earned her nickname "Little Mo" from the sportswriters who likened her explosiveness on court to the battleship USS Missouri, known as "Big Mo"
  34. ↑ "Maureen Connolly Brinker". International Tennis Hall of Fame. After winning the Grand Slam, Connolly was dubbed “Little Mo,” referring to the firepower of “Big Mo,” the USS Missouri.
  35. ↑ "'Magician' dreams of Centre Court as stage for one last trick". The Independent. 16 June 2008. Pete Sampras famously labelled him "The Magician", a tribute to his unpredictable use of spins, lobs and drop shots.
  36. ↑ Ed McGrogan (15 July 2009). "The forehad of Fabrice Santoro". Tennis.com. Fabrice Santoro, who’s nicknamed “The Magician” by his fellow pros for his ability to conjure a bewildering array of angles, spins, and changes of pace with his two-handed ground strokes,...
  37. ↑ Richard Jago (30 June 2009). "Juan Carlos Ferrero goes green as the Mosquito rediscovers his buzz". The Guardian.
  38. ↑ Federico Coppini (29 October 2017). "The Mosquito – Juan Carlos Ferrero". Tennis World USA.
  39. ↑ Holt, Sarah (2007-06-30). "BBC SPORT | Tennis | The Muhammad Ali of tennis". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  40. ↑ Jessica Hinchliffe; Loretta Ryan (6 January 2016). "Ken Rosewall: Tennis legend Muscles reflects on career, looks forward to sport's strong future". ABC News. Rosewall still answers to the nickname Muscles, which was given to him many decades ago. "It's a nickname that was started by my twin compatriot who is unfortunately no longer here — Lew Hoad," he said. "He had all the muscles and I didn't have any so the name stuck."
  41. ↑ Scott Spits (25 May 2018). "Muscles memory: 50 years since Ken Rosewall kick-started the Open era". The Sydney Morning Herald. When the Open era commenced in 1968, bringing together the two streams of tennis, Rosewall was 33. Crucially, the lightly framed champion nicknamed ‘'Muscles'’ was far from done.
  42. ↑ "Murray advances to Australian Open men's final". News.com.au. 26 January 2013. [...] a group of Murray fans wearing white shirts with blue letters spelling his nickname "Muzza"...
  43. ↑ "McEnroe overruled – by scientist". BBC News. 2008-04-16. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  44. ↑ Howard, Johnette (2005). The Rivals: Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova, Their Epic Duels and Extraordinary Friendship. Crown Archetype. ISBN 9780767918848.
  45. ↑ Dwight Chapin, Chronicle Senior Writer (2002-02-10). "Where are they now? / 'Peanut' Louie-Harper / This tennis nut made a name for herself on court". Sfgate.com. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  46. ↑ George Gross. "Pistol Pete, man of emotion". Slam! Sports. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  47. ↑ Alexandra Willis (22 June 2011). "Wimbledon 2011: Questions for... Grigor Dimitrov". The Telegraph.
  48. ↑ "How Rod Laver Became Known As "The Rocket"". World Tennis. 13 January 2012.
  49. ↑ "Moon Tennis". www.nasa.gov. NASA. 30 August 2005. They call him the "Rocket Man." Tennis pro Andy Roddick holds the world's record for fast serves: 155 mph.
  50. ↑ "Maria Bueno". www.tennisfame.com. International Tennis Hall of Fame. Nicknamed “The São Paulo Swallow” because she appeared out of thin air to swoop in and dominate the net,...
  51. ↑ "Maria Bueno: Brazilian star of 1960s women's tennis dies". BBC News. 9 June 2018. She was labelled the "Sao Paulo Swallow" for her ability to dominate the net by former BBC Sport commentator John Barrett.
  52. ↑ "Scud: My career was no dud". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 June 2012.
  53. ↑ "Hingis and Kournikova return". CNN. 5 May 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  54. ↑ Ronald Atkin (2002-06-16). "John McEnroe: The golden rage of Superbrat (retd.)". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  55. ↑ "'Swiss Miss' Hingis announces retirement, this time for good". The Local. 27 October 2017. The 37-year-old "Swiss Miss" has retired twice before...
  56. ↑ "'Swiss Miss' Hingis, now 34, wins French Open doubles match". USA Today. 27 May 2015. All the way back at the 1997 Australian Open, when she was 16 and nicknamed "Swiss Miss," Hingis became the youngest major champion of the 20th century,...
  57. ↑ "Verdasco adds spice to Heineken Open" --New Zealand Herald
  58. ↑ "Maria Bueno, Brazilian tennis star, dies aged 78". The Guardian. 9 June 2018. Nicknamed “The Tennis Ballerina” because of her graceful style,...
  59. ↑ Steve Bierley (2007-06-27). "Gutsy Henman finds the inner Tiger Tim". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
  60. ↑ Tinling, Ted (1979). Love and Faults: Personalities Who Have Changed the History of Tennis. Crown. ASIN B000RQF87C.
  61. ↑ Tinling, Ted (1984). Tinling. Sidgwick & Jackson. ISBN 0-283-98963-7.
  62. ↑ Linda Pearce (25 October 2012). "Take a break, Tomic urged". Brisbane Times.
  63. ↑ Greg Bishop (7 September 2009). "Town of red meat and tennis raises another star". The New York Times. Del Potro is nicknamed the Tower of Tandil...
  64. ↑ "Del Potro stands tall". Australian Open. 18 January 2018. His peers may be creaking and groaning after a dozen seasons on the road and hundreds of matches contested, but the gentle giant from Argentina (they call him the Tower of Tandil) is still a spring chicken by comparison.
  65. ↑ "A Temper, and a Shot, to Make McEnroe Proud" --The New York Times
  66. ↑ W.H. Frederick (1979). "Brookes, Sir Norman Everard (1877–1968)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Known as 'The Wizard', Brookes was a master strategist and a shrewd tactician.
  67. ↑ "Sir Norman Brookes". Australian Open. Sir Norman Brookes, or 'The Wizard' as he was known...
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