List of nicknames used in tennis

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

This is a list of verified common nicknames that notable professional tennis players were personally addressed by. Some are group names collectively referring to more than one player.

A

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B

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C

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D

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E

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F

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G

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H

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I

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J

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K

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  • The King of Clay, El Matador (Spanish for "The Killer"), Raging Bull, el Toro de Manacor = Rafael Nadal[59][60]

L

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M

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N

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O

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P

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Q

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R

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S

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T

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W

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X

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Jil Teichmann s'offre Karolina Pliskova et se hisse jusqu'en finale à Cincinnati". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  2. ^ Russell Jackson (2 June 2017). "Margaret Court: astounding champion who found God and lost the respect of a nation". The Guardian. ...it was often said Court's arms were three inches longer than the average woman of her size, which earned her the nickname The Arm
  3. ^ Steve Tignor (27 February 2018). "The 50 greatest players of the Open Era (W): No. 4, Margaret Court". Tennis.com. Court's tour-mate Rosie Casals nicknamed her The Arm, for the long, strong right arm that she used to deliver heavy hooking serves, reach out and intercept passing shots, and hammer home winning smashes.
  4. ^ "Margaret Court: The Aussie Amazon". National Film and Sound Archive. 25 September 2021.
  5. ^ "50 Years Ago In Tennis – Rod Laver Clinches His First "Grand Slam"". World Tennis. 8 September 2012. Smith's only other loss was to another young American, Carole Caldwell, but "Mighty Maggie" won 13 of 15 tournaments,
  6. ^ Kevin Mitchell (29 August 2012). "US Open tennis 2012 diary: A-Rod and a hard face". The Guardian.
  7. ^ "Moon Tennis". www.nasa.gov. NASA. 30 August 2005. They call him the "Rocket Man." Tennis pro Andy Roddick holds the world's record for fast serves: 155 mph.
  8. ^ Steve Tignor (12 December 2008). "Germans aging gracefully". Tennis.com.
  9. ^ "Sanchez-Vicario retires from tennis". UPI. 12 November 2002. Sanchez-Vicario earned the nickname, "The Barcelona Bumblebee" for her buzzing, tenacious style.
  10. ^ Jesper Fjeldstad (20 November 2015). "Arantxa Sanchez Vicario to cause a buzz in Adelaide". Adelaide Now. She was nicknamed the "Barcelona Bumblebee" for the way she hustled down balls and demoralised opponents with her consistency and variety.
  11. ^ "CNN Open Court: Barcelona Bumblebee". Women's Tennis Association. 2016. Affectionately known as the Barcelona Bumblebee, Sánchez-Vicario lived up to her moniker, buzzing the width and breadth of the court in the dogged pursuit of tennis balls, none seeming too distant to be deemed a lost cause.
  12. ^ David Kane (2 September 2019). "'I was not afraid to be scared' - World No.1 Strycova reflects on whirlwind summer at US Open". Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Bar are the first letters of my name, bee is like my nickname [...]
  13. ^ Michele Galoppini (13 October 2017). "WTA Linz: Buzarnescu "I hope I can be an example", Strycova "Give me Roger for mixed doubles"". Spazio Tennis. There is a bee representing you often. Is a sort of nickname? Who made it up? Yes, it's my nickname. To be honest, in the past I played many times doubles with Iveta Benesova and she made it up at that time, it was 2011 or 2012. And since then people call me 'bee' [smile].
  14. ^ Barry Lorge (8 September 1977). "Steady Stove Bursts Young Austin's Balloon". Washington Post. Stove – who once flipped the man who gave her the nickname "Big Bad Betty", [...]
  15. ^ "Wimbledon – Mackie's Magical Mystery Tour Rolls On". Inside Tennis. 6 July 2018. The late, great Bud Collins once gave the Dutch tennis legend Betty Stöve the nickname "Big Bad Betty."
  16. ^ Stewart Fisher (10 February 2012). "Miloslav Mečíř, the Big Cat with the cream of Slovakian tennis at his disposal". The Herald. Clad in his classic Reebok gear, and adorned with trademark beard, the stylish Slovak was content to exist on his wits on the baseline, breaking cover only every now and then to languidly dispatch outrageous winners from the most unlikely angles of the court. It is a style which earned him the nickname the Big Cat...
  17. ^ Jaime Diaz (20 April 1987). "Big Cat on the prowl". Sports Illustrated. His ability to cover the court with long, even strides has earned him the nickname Big Cat.
  18. ^ James Buddell (17 September 2014). "Remembering Vitas... 20 Years On". Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
  19. ^ "'Bulldozer' David Ferrer ready to face Rafael Nadal at French". gulfnews.com. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  20. ^ "Earl Butch Buchholz | Overview | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  21. ^ "'California Comet,' noted for flashy style, helped game to national popularity; Maurice McLoughlin dies at 67; U.S. Tennis Champion in '12-13". The New York Times. 12 December 1957.
  22. ^ "Navratilova hears Hingis' cheers". Miami Herald. 10 April 1997. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  23. ^ "Daniel Fuenzalida categórico ante polémica entre el Chino y Jordi Castell: "Marcelo Ríos es un peligro para la sociedad, desde la parte de la enfermedad mental"". RedGol (in European Spanish). 21 September 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  24. ^ Seth Stevenson (1 June 2006). "Swiss Miss Bliss". Slate. Her waxy, bulbous forehead (which has inspired some on the tour to nickname her "Chucky").
  25. ^ Fein, Paul (11 September 2019). "Nick Kyrgios: entertainer or embarrassment?". Sportstar. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  26. ^ "The story of the crocodile". Lacoste. 17 August 2015. Nicknamed 'The Crocodile' as a result of a bet with his tennis team captain, René Lacoste made this unique animal the iconic logo of his brand.
  27. ^ Tom Sweetman (11 September 2014). "Rene Lacoste: The lasting legacy of 'Le Crocodile'". CNN. So tenacious was Lacoste's style of play on court, building his game from the baseline and keeping his opponents on the move with an array of precise groundstrokes, he earned the nickname "Le Crocodile"
  28. ^ "René Lacoste". International Tennis Hall of Fame. He was known as "The Crocodile", a nickname he earned from the American press after he reportedly made a bet with the French Davis Cup captain.
  29. ^ Tennis.com. "Tennis is viable—one of three takeaways from the UTR Pro Match Series". Tennis.com. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  30. ^ Ciriza, Alejandro (2021-03-23). "Del Potro, de martirio en martirio". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  31. ^ "The Demon Uncovered: Alex de Minaur On Why 'Every Day Counts' | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  32. ^ "the djoker djokovic – Google Search". www.google.com.
  33. ^ Grohmann, Karolos (24 May 2019). "'Prince of clay' Thiem hopes his time has come in Paris". Reuters. Reuters. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  34. ^ Abulleil, Reem. "Prince of clay looks to dethrone the king". The Roland-Garros Tournament official site. Fédération Française de Tennis. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  35. ^ ""La Divine" Suzanne Lenglen lights up the Antwerp 1920 Games". Olympic.org. 24 August 2019.
  36. ^ Joel Drucker (24 May 2020). "Remembering Suzanne Lenglen, who—yes—never competed at Roland Garros". Tennis.com. Pick your adjective to describe the woman dubbed "La Divine", which translates into "The Goddess".
  37. ^ Frank Deford (6 November 1972). "Here come a ton of tennis books, some of them to be welcomed with open arms". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 37, no. 19. p. M1. [...] wonderful characters like Mile. Lenglen and Maurice McLoughlin remain only clichés, the Maid Marvel and the Flame-Thatched California Comet.
  38. ^ "Fiery and Emmo maintained Australia's empire". The Age. 15 January 2007.
  39. ^ David Law (17 January 2004). "Roy Emerson: Emerson, the cream Down Under, rises again". The Independent. Known as "Emmo" to his wide circle of friends on the circuit, he was gregarious and could lead the partying without jeopardising his high standards of play.
  40. ^ Joel Drucker (18 October 2017). "Joel Drucker: In the Orbit of Emmo". The Tennis Channel. He was once so popular in his native Australia – and the world, beloved by all of his peers and millions of fans -- that a letter simply marked "Emmo" arrived on his doorstep.
  41. ^ "Tennis news: Diego Schwartzman interview: El Peque talks facing Rafael Nadal, his progress at the Slams and why size doesn't matter". Sport360 News. 10 May 2018.
  42. ^ Garcia, Hector Sr. (2020-06-04). "Rafael "El Pelón" Osuna, murió un dia como hoy accidente aéreo". Momento Deportivo RD (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  43. ^ Matt Majendie (30 January 2015). "'Sunshine super girl' Goolagong Cawley defied prejudice to become a star". CNN. Nicknamed the 'Sunshine super girl' early in her career, Goolagong Cawley achieved exactly that feat in 1971, winning the first of Grand Slam titles.
  44. ^ Dee Jefferson (3 September 2019). "Tennis champion Evonne Goolagong Cawley celebrated in new Australian play". ABC News. Her play Sunshine Super Girl (named after a nickname given by fans) will chart the life of Australia's first Aboriginal woman world champion...
  45. ^ "Wimby day 1 as it happens". BBC Sport. 23 June 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  46. ^ Jeremy Stahl (2007-05-22). "French Open – Roland Garros – Men to watch". Eurosport. Archived from the original on 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2008-05-13. After a previously disappointing claycourt season, Fed-ex won his first clay title of the spring in Hamburg.
  47. ^ "Fred Stolle AO – Tennis". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Fred Stolle had his Wimbledon singles frustrations, but overflowed with success everywhere else as one of the overpowering Australian group in the 1960s and 1970s. He was known as "Fiery Fred" or "Fiery" to his teammates for his outspoken competitiveness.
  48. ^ "Where are they now? Tom Okker". The Independent. 5 September 1995. The Flying Dutchman, as he became known, reached the Wimbledon semi-finals 10 years later before retiring in 1981...
  49. ^ "Tom Okker – The 1968 U.S. Open runner-up who got the first-prize paycheck". World Tennis Magazine. 24 August 2018. "The Flying Dutchman" was his nick-name and he and Ashe played a thrilling five-set final in 1968...
  50. ^ "Wimbledon legends: Steffi Graf". BBC Sport. 31 May 2004. Known as 'Fraulein Forehand', Graf could hit that shot like a hammer.
  51. ^ "Wimbledon Memories: Gertrude 'Gorgeous Gussie' Moran". Petticoated.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-01. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  52. ^ Spits, Scott (2018-01-27). "Australian Open 2018: Caroline Wozniacki defeats Simona Halep to claim grand slam title". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  53. ^ James Buddell (8 June 2017). "Gustavo Kuerten... Remembering 1997 Roland Garros". Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
  54. ^ "Top 5 Tennis Nicknames". www.tennisnow.com. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  55. ^ Mark Hodgkinson (2007-10-25). "Björn Borg: My life is perfect". London: Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2007-10-26. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  56. ^ Larry Schwartz. "Evert: grit, grace and glamour". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-05-13. While the titles piled up the next few year for the "Ice Maiden", the public that had adored her started to lose interest.
  57. ^ "Chris Evert: "Anyone can be a champion."". Vanity Fair. 31 May 2019. "The English press thought a schoolgirl should be giggly, so they dubbed me the ice maiden", Evert recalls.
  58. ^ Bierley, Stephen (2008-05-14). "Henin announces retirement from tennis". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
  59. ^ "All hail the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal". ESPN.com. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  60. ^ Kidd, Patrick. "Umpire brings out raging bull in Rafael Nadal". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  61. ^ "The Career of Andre Agassi". igotennis.com. 2009-03-15. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  62. ^ Fred Tupper (26 June 1972). "U.S. tennis sweep forecast". The New York Times. [...] the 6‐foot‐4‐inch Smith has all the credentials. Finalist to Newcombe a year ago, winner at Forest Hills, the "Leaning Tower of' Pasadena" has the big serve‐and‐follow game that is the absolute requisite to win on fast Wimbledon grass.
  63. ^ "Read 'em and Leap". People. 1979-11-19. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  64. ^ Collins, Bud (2016). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (3rd ed.). New York: New Chapter Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-1-937559-38-0. [...], Helen Wills (called Little Miss Poker Face because of her lack of expression on court)
  65. ^ Fein, Paul (April 2006). "Who is the greatest female player ever?". Inside Tennis. Archived from the original on 2007-05-19. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
  66. ^ "1955: American tennis star 'Little Mo' to quit". BBC News. 1955-02-22. Retrieved 2010-05-20. She earned her nickname "Little Mo" from the sportswriters who likened her explosiveness on court to the battleship USS Missouri, known as "Big Mo"
  67. ^ "Maureen Connolly Brinker". International Tennis Hall of Fame. After winning the Grand Slam, Connolly was dubbed "Little Mo," referring to the firepower of "Big Mo," the USS Missouri.
  68. ^ "Little Pancho". Nebraska Press. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  69. ^ "The Diesel, Danimal and the Flying B: Behind tennis' best nicknames". US Open.
  70. ^ "Maria Sharapova on failing that drug test: 'I felt trapped, tricked'". The Guardian. 2017-09-09. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  71. ^ Ruhi Batra (14 April 2008). "The fast life of the Siberian Siren". The Times of India.
  72. ^ "'Magician' dreams of Centre Court as stage for one last trick". The Independent. 16 June 2008. Pete Sampras famously labelled him "The Magician", a tribute to his unpredictable use of spins, lobs and drop shots.
  73. ^ Ed McGrogan (15 July 2009). "The forehad of Fabrice Santoro". Tennis.com. Fabrice Santoro, who's nicknamed "The Magician" by his fellow pros for his ability to conjure a bewildering array of angles, spins, and changes of pace with his two-handed ground strokes,...
  74. ^ A.N. Rygg (1941). Norwegians in New York, 1825–1925. Brooklyn: Brooklyn, N.Y., The Norwegian News Company. p. 209. Two Norwegian Women, Molla Bjurstedt Mallory—the girl from Norway—and Sonja Henie, have been preeminent in American sports. "Marvelous Molla" was born in Oslo and was trained as a teacher of gymnastics and as a masseuse.
  75. ^ Richard Jago (30 June 2009). "Juan Carlos Ferrero goes green as the Mosquito rediscovers his buzz". The Guardian.
  76. ^ Federico Coppini (29 October 2017). "The Mosquito – Juan Carlos Ferrero". Tennis World USA.
  77. ^ Jessica Hinchliffe; Loretta Ryan (6 January 2016). "Ken Rosewall: Tennis legend Muscles reflects on career, looks forward to sport's strong future". ABC News. Rosewall still answers to the nickname Muscles, which was given to him many decades ago. "It's a nickname that was started by my twin compatriot who is unfortunately no longer here — Lew Hoad", he said. "He had all the muscles and I didn't have any so the name stuck."
  78. ^ Scott Spits (25 May 2018). "Muscles memory: 50 years since Ken Rosewall kick-started the Open era". The Sydney Morning Herald. When the Open era commenced in 1968, bringing together the two streams of tennis, Rosewall was 33. Crucially, the lightly framed champion nicknamed Muscles was far from done.
  79. ^ Holt, Sarah (2007-06-30). "The Muhammad Ali of tennis". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  80. ^ "Murray advances to Australian Open men's final". News.com.au. 26 January 2013. [...] a group of Murray fans wearing white shirts with blue letters spelling his nickname "Muzza"...
  81. ^ Renee, Shana. "Naomi Osaka Will Serve You Now". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  82. ^ "McEnroe overruled – by scientist". BBC News. 2008-04-16. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  83. ^ Howard, Johnette (2005). The Rivals: Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova, Their Epic Duels and Extraordinary Friendship. Crown Archetype. ISBN 9780767918848.
  84. ^ "Agnieszka Radwanska, Tennis's Ninja, Retires at 29". The New York Times. 14 November 2018.
  85. ^ "Famous Devonians". BBC. Known locally as the Paignton Peach, Sue Barker was one of the world's top tennis players during the 1970s.
  86. ^ "Still a Devon girl at heart..." DevonLife. June 2020. They called her the 'Paignton Peach' because she had it all going for her – youth, a brilliant tennis talent and eyecatching good looks – and she was from Devon.
  87. ^ Dwight Chapin, Chronicle Senior Writer (2002-02-10). "Where are they now? / 'Peanut' Louie-Harper / This tennis nut made a name for herself on court". Sfgate.com. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  88. ^ George Gross. "Pistol Pete, man of emotion". Slam! Sports. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved 2008-05-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  89. ^ Henry Young and Don Riddell (31 October 2016). "Pocket rocket Cibulková shows sky's the limit". CNN. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  90. ^ Alexandra Willis (22 June 2011). "Wimbledon 2011: Questions for... Grigor Dimitrov". The Telegraph.
  91. ^ Bud Collins (13 July 2003). "Becker's route to Hall a grass-roots success". Boston Globe. p. E2 – via Newspapers.com. She was quick, combative, distinctive with a home-crafted game that set her apart as the psychedelic strokeswoman.
  92. ^ "The Diesel, Danimal and the Flying B: Behind tennis' best nicknames". US Open.
  93. ^ "Venus Williams on her nickname 'Queen Vee': 'That's my rapper name'". For The Win. 2015-01-09. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  94. ^ "How Rod Laver Became Known As "The Rocket"". World Tennis. 13 January 2012.
  95. ^ Jonathan Scott (7 January 2014). "A tribute to Rusty: the resilience of Lleyton Hewitt". Tennis.com.
  96. ^ "Wendy Turnbull". WTA Tour. Nicknamed Rabbit for her quickness afoot [...]
  97. ^ "Maria Bueno". www.tennisfame.com. International Tennis Hall of Fame. Nicknamed "The São Paulo Swallow" because she appeared out of thin air to swoop in and dominate the net,...
  98. ^ "Maria Bueno: Brazilian star of 1960s women's tennis dies". BBC News. 9 June 2018. She was labelled the "São Paulo Swallow" for her ability to dominate the net by former BBC Sport commentator John Barrett.
  99. ^ "Maria Bueno, Brazilian tennis star, dies aged 78". The Guardian. 9 June 2018. Nicknamed "The Tennis Ballerina" because of her graceful style,...
  100. ^ "Scud: My career was no dud". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 June 2012.
  101. ^ Josh Planos (3 September 2014). "The Amazing Slider-Man". The Cauldron.
  102. ^ "Hingis and Kournikova return". CNN. 5 May 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  103. ^ Ronald Atkin (2002-06-16). "John McEnroe: The golden rage of Superbrat (retd.)". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  104. ^ "'Swiss Miss' Hingis announces retirement, this time for good". The Local. 27 October 2017. The 37-year-old "Swiss Miss" has retired twice before...
  105. ^ "'Swiss Miss' Hingis, now 34, wins French Open doubles match". USA Today. 27 May 2015. All the way back at the 1997 Australian Open, when she was 16 and nicknamed "Swiss Miss", Hingis became the youngest major champion of the 20th century,...
  106. ^ "The Diesel, Danimal and the Flying B: Behind tennis' best nicknames". US Open.
  107. ^ "Verdasco adds spice to Heineken Open" --New Zealand Herald
  108. ^ George Vecsey (August 22, 2018). "For the U.S. Open, it's 40 years in Flushing Meadows, and still missing Forest Hills". The New York Times. Larsen was known as Tappy because he had a fixation for tapping stairs, nets, net posts, benches, anything and everything — a nervous habit from surviving the Normandy invasion in 1944.
  109. ^ "Aryna Sabalenka". WTA Tour. "Has a tiger tattoo on her left arm, which earned her the nickname "The Tiger"" [...]
  110. ^ Steve Bierley (2007-06-27). "Gutsy Henman finds the inner Tiger Tim". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
  111. ^ Tinling, Ted (1979). Love and Faults: Personalities Who Have Changed the History of Tennis. Crown. ASIN B000RQF87C.
  112. ^ Tinling, Ted (1984). Tinling. Sidgwick & Jackson. ISBN 0-283-98963-7.
  113. ^ Linda Pearce (25 October 2012). "Take a break, Tomic urged". Brisbane Times.
  114. ^ Greg Bishop (7 September 2009). "Town of red meat and tennis raises another star". The New York Times. Del Potro is nicknamed the Tower of Tandil...
  115. ^ "Del Potro stands tall". Australian Open. 18 January 2018. His peers may be creaking and groaning after a dozen seasons on the road and hundreds of matches contested, but the gentle giant from Argentina (they call him the Tower of Tandil) is still a spring chicken by comparison.
  116. ^ "A Temper, and a Shot, to Make McEnroe Proud" --The New York Times
  117. ^ Tennis.com. ""Settling the Score" captures Guillermo Vilas, the No. 1 that wasn't". Tennis.com. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  118. ^ W.H. Frederick (1979). "Brookes, Sir Norman Everard (1877–1968)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Known as 'The Wizard', Brookes was a master strategist and a shrewd tactician.
  119. ^ "Sir Norman Brookes". Australian Open. Sir Norman Brookes, or 'The Wizard' as he was known...
  120. ^ Zondag, De (2015-08-02). "'X-Man' Xavier Malisse blikt terug op bewogen carrière: 'Ik had nooit de nummer één van de wereld willen worden'". Site-Sportmagazine-NL (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-12-05.
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