The Baseline Top 5: Tennis Friendships

Monday was International Friendship Day, and, though tennis is a famously individualistic pursuit, it's incubated plenty of great friendships over the years.

Here are five reasons why the most solitary sport isn't that lonely after all:

1

You know you're true friends when you don't let one of the biggest titles in tennis come between you. Stephens bested Keys in straight sets in the 2017 US Open final, and again in the French Open semis. But both matches ended in warm hugs, and the Americans have since gone on a mini-tour of exhibitions together.

2

As the two players most primed to take over the tour when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal retire, Thiem and Zverev can't avoid being compared to one another. And they're friendship only invites it more.

"They share a language, have been known to road-trip between tournaments, and are prone to chummy posts on social media," Louisa Thomas wrote for Vogue in 2017.

3

These two friends have the same first name, were both born in Russia and even co-parent their very own Minion.

4

Not many doubles tandems have been through more together than this French pairing. They own three Grand Slam doubles titles, including the 2018 French Open.

5

Friendship can demonstrated in a lot of ways, but among of the grandest has to be customized shoes.