In pro tennis, 2009 might go down as the Year in Twitter. Every pro, it seemed, got into the act. The pro tours even had to warn players from divulging too much information that could be used by nefarious gamblers looking for an edge at their local sports bet. Amazingly, some players—we won’t name names—didn’t take the endeavor of Tweeting with the rigor and gravitas it demands and deserves. Others clearly understood the degree to which Twitter had redefined their lives, and ours. Who should you be following? We hand out the grades on some of the Twitter-heads in tennis to give you some guidance.
Sam Querrey
Twitter.com/samquerrey
In the world of the 140-character limit, Querrey is king. Droll, without a hint of irony, he gets to the point. On the day he crashed through a glass table, ending his 2009 season in horrific fashion, he didn’t mince words. “Worst day ever.” Perhaps one of Sam’s followers could have reminded him that he had another 128 characters to flesh out the incident. No matter. Querrey is the best young American on tour, with his own intern, no less. But don’t go thinking Sam is a prima donna. He wrestles with Everyman issues—“What should I have for dinner”—and makes Everyman decisions—“I decided on hamburgers haha”. Forget the highlife. Querrey knows how to appreciate life’s simple pleasures (“I just had the best haircut of all time,” “watching caddyshack,” “football, vma’s and entourage today. I’m not leaving the sofa”).
What we learn . . . .
He’s the all-American kid whose idea of Nirvana involves lying in bed watching Seinfeld re-runs. “Is there anything better?”
Tweet Grade: A
Amer Delic
Twitter.com/amerdelic
If there’s a player who fancies himself Tweeting from an ivory tower, it’s Delic. While rehabbing his knee this fall, the American with the fading Bosnian accent decided to go back to school, attending classes at the place where he won the NCAA singles title, the University of Illinois. Alas, his career as a journeyman on tour failed to buy him BMOC status, at least when it comes to parking. “People giving out parking tickets on campuses could be the most hated and most annoying people ever! They are not human!” And like many students, Delic could be accused of sharing too much information, as when he Tweeted pictures of his knee injection (“I apologize for ruining some people’s appetites”), and for sounding righteous—“I am volunteering with elementary kids today. What are you doing???”
What we learn….
Delic is not afraid to ask the tough questions. “Are social networks making students more narcissistic?”
Twitter Grade: C+
Robin Soderling
Twitter.com/Rsoderling
The Sod isn’t the most prolific on Twitter, but he could be the most peculiar. In a good way, that is. It starts with his profile picture. It’s tennis meets Dali, with Soderling fist pumping against a vibrant backdrop of flames, out of which a hawk emerges. The picture is apropos, as there’s a bit of the tortured artist in Soderling’s Tweets. “So damn tired. I hate traveling,” which is no small statement for a person whose livelihood revolves around planes, trains and automobiles. Thankfully, it isn’t all doom and gloom for Soderling. He knows how to get crazy after a big win (“Having pizza, coke and jellybeans for dinner in my bed. I know it’s not good, but I think I deserve it tonight”) and appreciate those who help him bear the burden of being a world-class pro (“I have a nice coach. He does everything for me”).
What we learn….
Sod will never be late for a match. “By the way, I have a new watch. The collection is getting bigger. :-)”
Tweet Grade: B
Mats Wilander
Twitter.com/mwilander
It appears that someone has hacked into the Swede’s Twitter account. For in between a few of Mats’ musings on matches are Mat’s betting tips for upcoming matches. “Read my betting tips for the dramatic semi-finals in US Open.” Is this really the seven-time Grand Slam champion or the person who’s signing off some Tweets with the mysterious “ED” attribution? The left hand corner of Wilander’s homepage explains everything—Wilander, it turns out, is pimping Expekt, a global sports book, poker, casino and bingo. Even Grand Slams champs need to make a buck.
What we learn….
That, according to Expekt, Wilander isn’t just a player, he’s a “Tennis Ambassador.”
Twitter Grade: D (for fans); A (for gamblers)
Andy Murray
Twitter.com/andy_murray
The smart and surly Scot was one of the first players to embrace Twitter. And he continues to do an amazingly thorough job of letting his followers know what’s going on, from playing football and tennis at Everton Football Club to having his umpteenth annoying drug test. “Can’t imagine a more relaxing way to start the day than having someone watching u go to the toilet!” He harnesses the power of Twitter to hit back at reporters: “Got asked yesterday by an American journalist, who is Fred Perry? I said one of the greatest players ever and walked off laughing. How can u report on tennis and not know that?” Twitter is also the means through which Murray torments his best mate, Britain’s No. 1 doubles player, Ross Hutchins. “Ross Hutchins is going bald. He’s a tad sensitive about it.” “Dominated table football vs. Ross H. He has no game.” “They’re giving out websites to anyone: www.rosshutchins.net”
What we learn….
A diehard fantasy football (soccer) player, Murray has been waging a campaign on Twitter to help stamp out “Rossing”—the practice to copy other players’ teams to gain an advantage.
Twitter Grade: A-
Ross Hutchins
Twitter.com/roscohutchins
“There is no such thing as Rossing, guys. It’s Andying. We must cut Andying out of our league.” “It’s very easy for Andy to be good at fantasy football when he copies the best manager’s team!” “Anddddyyyy doesn’t have a clue about weather. The only way he knows it’s raining is when the rain hits his massive bald patch.”
What we learn….
Britain’s best doubles player needs to sharpen is (verbal) returns.
Twitter Grade: C-
Serena Williams
Twitter.com/serenajwilliams
When does Twittering go from being interesting and entertaining to completely random and tedious? The answer is a subjective one, of course, but Serena knows how to walk the line. In the time it takes most players to compose one Tweet, Serena can fire off dozens on subjects ranging from self-help (“If a guy says he doesn’t want to commit—don’t force it!!! Let him think while you meet others too!!! It’s so simple!!”) to self-loathing (“I’m a deadbeat. And a loser”). You’ll get whiplash trying to keep up with the zigs and zags of Serena’s thoughts and whereabouts, and you can be forgiven if you’re not riveted by her self-promotion, like when she facetiously asked, “Does anyone remember the name of my book?” But Serena is the undisputed No. 1 for bringing you into her life, a fact no better illustrated than when she went mattress shopping and posted pictures of herself trying out the comfort quotient on various beds.
What we learned….
She’s writing a script….she loves one-upping Andy Roddick….her musical tastes go from Mozart to Green Day….she gets writer’s block….OMG, she bought a Miley Cyrus song….she goes to Build a Bear….
Grade: A-
Andy Roddick
**Twitter.com/andyroddick**
For someone with such an explosive, high-energy game, Roddick’s Tweets seem to be more appropriate reading material for insomnia sufferers. Blame his coach, Larry Stefanki. The man has A-Rod in the gym and on the track virtually non-stop. It might eventually help Andy bag that long-coveted second Grand Slam, but it’s killing his chances of becoming a professional Tweeter. “Gonna cruise out to find a track.” “Morning! Heading to the track in a bit.” “Worked out all day long….already in bed and dead tired.” “Got kicked off of the track at Austin high today.” “Found a track and didn’t get kicked off….Life’s little victories.” This is not the stuff of Twitter magic. But, be fair to Roddick, there are some nuggets of interest. Each month, he and his wife, Brooklyn, agree to share one revealing fact about each other. Andy on Brooklyn: she “used to practice kissing on a Taylor Hanson poster hung up on her wall when she was 10.” Brooklyn on Andy: He “couldn’t go to sleepovers until he was 10 years old because of his bedwetting.”
What we learn….
It’s not so much what we learn about Andy as what Andy teaches us: “Playing scrabble on my phone and apparently ‘poo’ is not in the dictionary.”
Grade: B-
James Martin is the editor-in-chief of TENNIS. Follow him on Twitter.