h/t: @MonteSpice

3

"welcome to this mean of communication"

Though 2013 can feel as if it wasn't that long ago, it was quite a different time in the world of social media. Players were still just joining Twitter, and the ones who were already on it hadn't exactly honed in on their voices yet. Here's how Nadal welcomed Ana Ivanovic to the site:

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The 2010s will undoubtedly go down as one of the most storied decades in tennis history. Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic redefined dominance with their performances at the Grand Slam tournaments and beyond, setting the standard for what a contemporary tennis star can be.

This will also be remembered as the first decade in which players really had control over their own public image, via social media. Players have always had means of expressing their emotions, but the popularity of Twitter has allowed them to showcase their personalities directly to the fans.

From the shady, to the sweet, to the silly, here, in chronological order, are the Top 10 tennis tweets of the 2010s:

1

"what a player u heard it here first​"

People are often pretty bad about using their social-media reach to lift others up, but Andy Murray's been doing it since the beginning—most notably when he anointed Caroline Garcia a future standout, when she was playing Roland Garros at age 17.

Maria Sharapova won that second-round bout versus Garcia, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0. But, by the decade's end, Garcia would go on to take seven WTA titles, reach the No. 4 singles ranking, win the French Open in doubles and clinch the 2019 Fed Cup for France. And she's still just 26, so Murray's "number one in the world" prophecy could still eventually become fully realized.

hat tip: @plavandoski

2

"I made you.​"

That said, there's still some fun to be had with gentle online shade: such as when Serena Williams, following Sloane Stephens' semifinals run at the 2013 Australian Open, during which Stephens beat Williams, tweeted a thinly veiled "I made you."

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h/t: @MonteSpice

3

"welcome to this mean of communication"

Though 2013 can feel as if it wasn't that long ago, it was quite a different time in the world of social media. Players were still just joining Twitter, and the ones who were already on it hadn't exactly honed in on their voices yet. Here's how Nadal welcomed Ana Ivanovic to the site:

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4

"Rafa with the same falcon... "

Nadal's quirkiness translates into the real world, too. Here, Murray points out how much smoother a falcon handler he is than Nadal:

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h/t: @ElenaM52

5

"pic of the night...:)"

At the time, Sharapova called it the "pic of the night," but this photo from the 2014 WTA Finals was really remembered as the pic of the decade. Because even stars have to let their guard down sometimes.

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h/t: @henrybreadstick

6

"I am in Australia #mates"

In addition to his on-court accomplishments, part of Tomas Berdych's career legacy will certainly be his originality online. Exhibit A: when he took literally the notion of Australia being on the bottom of the globe:

h/t: @SholzTalks10s

7

"How bow dah"

The year was 2017. Harambe memes were inescapable, as was the phrase "Cash me ousside, how bow dah?" At the same time, Sharapova was coming off of her 15-month doping suspension. In the Madrid Open, her second tournament back, she suffered a three-set loss to Eugenie Bouchard, who took great glee in celebrating her win on Twitter, invoking Bhad Bhabie herself:

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h/t: @MonteSpice

8

"better with the Titanic song"

It's a distant memory now, but there was a nearly half-decade period in the 2010s in which Federer didn't win a single major title. So when he broke the drought, against Nadal at the 2017 Australian Open, it was truly triumphant moment, one that Twitter user Pedro Lavandoski saw fit to remix with Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."

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h/t: @jessica4stein

8.5

"better with the Titanic song," pt. 2

That September, though, Nadal would get to celebrate a Federer win in equally epic fashion, when Federer clinched the Laver Cup for Team Europe in the final match, defeating Nick Kyrgios, 11-9, in a match tiebreak. That, again, merited the Titanic song.

9

"nourish your sensations"

The tail end of the decade saw something of a new generation arise on the ATP Tour, with the arrival of, among others, two-time Roland Garros finalist Dominic Thiem, US Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev and, of course, Next Gen Finals champion and now-ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas. Tsitsipas has brought—let's say—an awful lot to the tennis internet in his short time on tour so far, including some highly memorable quotes, complete with pictures to go along:

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h/t: @AtNickMiller

10

"long strolls on the beach"

The women's side witnessed several breakout stars in the late 2010s as well, such as Ashleigh Barty, Bianca Andreescu and Naomi Osaka, who, by the time she'd won her second Slam in a row, had accumulated an unbelievable amount of online swagger. Case in point:

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For better, worse and everything in between, Twitter was a defining feature of tennis in the 2010s. What's next is anyone's guess, but the one certainty is that the power will be in the players' hands.

4

"Rafa with the same falcon... "

Nadal's quirkiness translates into the real world, too. Here, Murray points out how much smoother a falcon handler he is than Nadal:

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h/t: @ElenaM52

5

"pic of the night...:)"

At the time, Sharapova called it the "pic of the night," but this photo from the 2014 WTA Finals was really remembered as the pic of the decade. Because even stars have to let their guard down sometimes.

Advertising

h/t: @henrybreadstick

6

"I am in Australia #mates"

In addition to his on-court accomplishments, part of Tomas Berdych's career legacy will certainly be his originality online. Exhibit A: when he took literally the notion of Australia being on the bottom of the globe:

Advertising

h/t: @SholzTalks10s

7

"How bow dah"

The year was 2017. Harambe memes were inescapable, as was the phrase "Cash me ousside, how bow dah?" At the same time, Sharapova was coming off of her 15-month doping suspension. In the Madrid Open, her second tournament back, she suffered a three-set loss to Eugenie Bouchard, who took great glee in celebrating her win on Twitter, invoking Bhad Bhabie herself:

h/t: @MonteSpice

8

"better with the Titanic song"

It's a distant memory now, but there was a nearly half-decade period in the 2010s in which Federer didn't win a single major title. So when he broke the drought, against Nadal at the 2017 Australian Open, it was truly triumphant moment, one that Twitter user Pedro Lavandoski saw fit to remix with Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."

Advertising

h/t: @jessica4stein

8.5

"better with the Titanic song," pt. 2

That September, though, Nadal would get to celebrate a Federer win in equally epic fashion, when Federer clinched the Laver Cup for Team Europe in the final match, defeating Nick Kyrgios, 11-9, in a match tiebreak. That, again, merited the Titanic song.

Advertising

9

"nourish your sensations"

The tail end of the decade saw something of a new generation arise on the ATP Tour, with the arrival of, among others, two-time Roland Garros finalist Dominic Thiem, US Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev and, of course, Next Gen Finals champion and now-ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas. Tsitsipas has brought—let's say—an awful lot to the tennis internet in his short time on tour so far, including some highly memorable quotes, complete with pictures to go along:

h/t: @AtNickMiller

10

"long strolls on the beach"

The women's side witnessed several breakout stars in the late 2010s as well, such as Ashleigh Barty, Bianca Andreescu and Naomi Osaka, who, by the time she'd won her second Slam in a row, had accumulated an unbelievable amount of online swagger. Case in point:

Advertising

For better, worse and everything in between, Twitter was a defining feature of tennis in the 2010s. What's next is anyone's guess, but the one certainty is that the power will be in the players' hands.