US Open announces ballperson puppies in hilarious prank

April Fools' Day is a generally awful time to be online, with the internet filled with cringe-inducing pranks that usually aren't the least bit funny.

But, at least in the tennis realm, there were a couple of jokes this year that really caught on. For one, the US Open tweeted that it would be bringing on puppies as ballpeople for this year's tournament:

While lots of people were disappointed that the news wasn't real ...

Borna Coric, as well as Kevin Anderson's dog, Lady Kady, was happy to play along:

Perhaps even crueler, though, others on Twitter started a rumor that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer would be playing doubles together at the Madrid Open.

Ricky Dimon of The Grandstand even included a fake Federer quote alluding to retirement.

It's not enjoyable to get punked on April 1, but, if the US Open ever changes its mind and wants to make the people—and dogs—happy, it could always follow the lead of the Brazil Open, which has used actual dogs in exhibitions in the past.