Your dogged Spin keeper is a major fan of lists, and Sports Illustrated remains trusty for satiating that need. SI.com released its debatable list of the 60 best athlete accounts to follow on social channel Instagram, and six tennis stars made the cut. Those pros: Victoria Azarenka, Janko Tipsarevic, Laura Robson, Sloane Stephens, and (to the surprise of no one) Serena Williams. To note, Roger Federer makes a cameo appearance on another sportsman's feed, that of soccer star Kaka.
All such lists are subjective, arbitrary. They are to be bandied about and studied (read: scanned) and either relished or mocked. As one on Instagram myself—find me at @jonscott9, of course—this list is great, though. One change I'd make: Let's trade Serena for (again, not shockingly) Novak Djokovic. Basically because he tweeted this after beating Stanislas Wawrinka 12-10 in the fifth set at the Australian Open. Meanwhile, Serena hasn't tweeted in 40-plus weeks, though she has notably given us gems such as this geeked-out number and this '80s-tastic getup.
Without further ado, as there's been plenty of it. here is Tipsarevic's best recent Instagram upload. Here, that of Stephens. Robson's? You got it. And Vika, the world No. 1 in the women's game, hardly disappoints, as she continually flings herself around the globe. Other athletes representing on the list: Dwyane Wade, McKayla Maroney, Michael Phelps, Michelle Wie, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and a host of others who aren't Miami Heat players.
Other tennis pros who your social media–happy Spin maven likes to follow on Instagram: Mike Bryan (@mikecbryan), Svetlana Kuznetsova (@svetlanak27), Bob Bryan (@bryanbros), Elena Vesnina (@vesnushka86), Justin Gimelstob (@jgimel), and Edina Gallovits-Hall (@edinagallovits), the player married to an American (and who would like to take on American citizenship) who Serena turned her ankle against early at the Australian Open.
POLISH PRIZE Now, apropos of nothing, although her Facebook feed is rather amusing, here is Agnieszka Radwanska's latest photo upload—featuring some great hair and also a Taylor Swift–style wedding-dress type of frock. She reports that it's for Gala magazine, for which she appeared on the cover in July 2008 and presumably will do so again.
Who are your favorite players to follow on Instagram—and on all of social media?
—Jonathan Scott (@jonscott9)