Tennis players who are rude and discourteous are notorious for their anger and other nasty behaviors on the court. While the majority of players maintain their etiquette and sportsmanship, a few can be cheeky and make the game unpleasant. This article will rank the top 13 most obnoxious tennis players of all time.
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Players displaying rude and controversial behavior after allowing their emotions to run them is common in tennis, as it is in other sports. There is a long list of incidents in which players lose their cool and do things they later regret. However, some of the players have repeatedly displayed unsportsmanlike behavior and comments, earning the title of “rudest player.”
Tennis Players Who Are the Rudest
If you want to know who the rudest tennis player of all time is, stick with us until the end. If you believe any other players should be included on this list, please leave their names in the comments section.
13. Adrian Mannarino
- Nationality: French
- Career titles: 1
- Status: Active
Adrain Mannarino is not well-known in the tennis world. Tennis fans dislike the player because of his controversial and rude behavior over the years. During the 2017 Wimbledon, he collided with a ball boy. Rather than apologizing, he later joked about the incident, which resulted in a £7,000 fine.
This isn’t his first run-in with the ball boys. He once repeatedly kicked the ball boy in the neck, and he purposefully threw his racket near a boy. Similarly, he criticized the inaugural New York Open, claiming that if it hadn’t been for his girlfriend, he would have committed suicide due to the tournament’s remote location.
12. Viktor Troicki
- Nationality: Serbian
- Career titles: 3
- Status: Retired
Emotions are normal during a tennis match, and they can be difficult to control at times. However, as a professional, it is a requirement. However, during the 2016 Wimbledon, Viktor Troicki made headlines for his audacious actions. Damiano Torella, the Italian umpire, erupted when Albert Ramos Vinolas was awarded an ace.
He first grabbed the ball from the ball boy’s grasp before confronting the Italian. Viktor Troicki also questioned his umpire, referring to him as evil and the worst in the world. He refused to shake hands with his opponent after losing the match and resumed his heated argument with the umpire.
In addition, he is well-known for serving a one-year ban for violating an anti-doping rule by missing a blood test in 2012.
11. Ernests Gulbis
- Nationality: Latvian
- Career titles: 6
- Status: Active
Ernests Gulbis earned the moniker “tennis’ wild child” for becoming the controversial and rude player he is today. He was once thought to be a very talented player, but he is now well known for his comments and attitudes. He once claimed that interviews with players like Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, and Murray were too boring because of their polite demeanor.
Similarly, in 2014, he stated that women should not pursue careers as professional tennis players. He also stated that he does not want his sister to play professional tennis. Furthermore, in one interview, he stated that men’s tennis is more competitive than women’s tennis.
Aside from that, he has a history of breaking rackets and confronting and cursing umpires.
10. Martina Hingis
- Nationality: Swiss
- Career titles: 43
- Status: Retired
Martina Hingis, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013, is one of the surprising names on the list of rude tennis players. She is also regarded as one of the greatest female tennis players of all time. She was the youngest Grand Slam champion and world number one during the 1990s.
Despite her great success in tennis, Martiana is no stranger to tennis controversy. Hingis made a controversial statement in 2001 when she told Time Magazine that being black had helped Willaims’ sister. She also stated that they are getting sponsors and benefits because of their skin color.
Later, Hingis told Matchball magazine that competing against Serena Willaims was like competing against a steamroller. Similarly, during the 1999 Wimbledon press conference, she referred to her former doubles partner Jana Novotna, a four-time Wimbledon champion, as “old and slow.”
9. Andy Roddick
- Nationality: American
- Career titles: 32
- Status: Retired
Andy Roddick is the last American male tennis player to win a Grand Slam. He has also reached the finals of every major championship. Fans remember him primarily for his lethal service, which made him difficult to beat. Roddick is known for his temper, in addition to his fantastic gameplay.
Furthermore, Roddick rarely left the tennis court without addressing his opponent or the umpire. Roddick’s most famous rude incident occurred in the 2010 US Open when he joked about the chair umpire saying “1800 rent-a-ref” for calling a foot fault. Similarly, in the Mutta Madrid Open in 2011, he lost 2-0 to Cipolla and smashed his racket furiously after giving up easy points.
Roddick smashed his racket again after it was discovered that the umpire had not warned him.
8. Lleyton Hewitt
- Nationality: Australian
- Career titles: 30
- Status: Retired
Lleyton Hewitt is the first of many Australians to appear on our list of rude tennis players. He is a well-known player whose achievements are overshadowed by his attitude and controversies. One of his most famous rude moments occurred during the 2001 US Open. He was having fun with James Blake.
During the game, a black linesman twice called foot-fault on him. Later, he accused the linesman of calling him flaws because of his skin color. In the same year, Hewitt called chair umpire Andre England net judge spastics at the French Open. Similarly, he was fined $1000 at Wimbledon in 2002 for his unsportsmanlike behavior.
He became enraged during his match against Robin Hasse after the chair umpire called multiple foot faults. So he smashed the racket and tapped the ball in the direction of the line judge. Hewitt also criticized the umpire’s decision during the press conference.
7. Daniel Koellerer
- Nationality: Austraian
- Career titles: 0
- Status: Retired
Unlike in other sports, the term “match-fixing” is rarely heard in tennis. When the term “match-fixing” is mentioned, everyone immediately thinks of Daniel Koellerer. He is also the first person to receive a lifetime ban for attempting to fix matches. He violated three different anti-corruption rules in sports.
People who enjoy and watch tennis were relieved when he was sentenced to a lifetime ban for attempting to fix a match. In addition, he had previously served six months of probation for his bad behavior in 2006. Furthermore, Koellerer has a history of disrespectful and rude behavior in tennis.
Julio Silva of Brazil filed charges against him during the 2010 ATP Challenger Tour in Italy for making racist remarks to ATP. He was accused of calling Silva a “monkey,” telling him to “go back to the jungle,” and performing monkey movements. During the Australian league that year, he also insulted his fellow Austrian, Stefan Koubek.
6. Marinko Matosevic
- Nationality: Australian
- Career titles: 0
- Status: Retired
Marinko Matesovic is not a well-known tennis player, but he is well-known for his rude and controversial behavior. Those who haven’t seen him play know he’s not someone you want to mess with. In his senior career, he has had limited success. Matesovic, on the other hand, appears to have an attitude problem.
From the audience and the media, he earned the moniker “Mad Dog.” Furthermore, Matosevic isn’t afraid to make headlines with his controversial antics and statements. He made a controversial comment about women’s tennis in 2014, stating that he would never hire a female tennis coach like Andy Murray.
Similarly, even after defeating Nicolas Mahut in the same year, Matosevic lost his cool. He refused to shake the umpire’s hand and kicked the on-court camera. He once shocked everyone when he screamed at children asking for his autograph while training in Miami.
5. Bernard Tomic
- Nationality: Australian
- Career titles: 4
- Status: Active
Bernard Tomic has been making headlines for his disciplinary actions since his early years. Tomic asked the umpire to eject his father from the Miami Masters in 2012. In 2013, he was sentenced to eight months in prison for headbutting and breaking his hitting partner Thomas Drouet’s nose.
Following his inappropriate behavior, he was also banned from the ATP World Tour for a year.
After losing to Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2015, Tomic lashed out at Tennis Australia for a lack of respect, support, and funding. During an interview with Channel 7, he admitted to not liking tennis and said he built his career with only 50% effort.
Following his failure to qualify for the Australian Open in 2018, he stated that he only counted the money in millions. Similarly, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won Wimbledon in 2019. He was fined £45,000 for failing to meet the “required professional standard.”For his lack of effort in winning the match, he was later dubbed Tomic the Tank Engine.
Tomic’s comments and actions suggest that he does not respect tennis and is more concerned with money than with the sport.
4. Jimmy Connors
- Nationality: American
- Career titles: 109
- Status: Retired
Jimmy Connors was a legendary tennis player who captivated audiences with his excellence, toughness, and love of the game. He still holds three Open Era men’s singles records: 109 titles, 1,557 games played, and 1,274 games won.
His competitive nature, on the other hand, turned him into a rage machine. He didn’t mind going up against the umpire, the crowd, or anyone else who stood in his way of victory.
One of his most famous heated moments occurred during the 1991 US Open. He bullied the umpire and yelled obscenities at him after making a bad call. According to previous reports, Jimmy Connors was the type of player who would wait in the parking lot to settle a score with his opponent.
3. Ilie Nastase
- Nationality: Romanian
- Career titles: 64
- Status: Retired
Long before Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe, Ilie Nastase was the original bad boy of tennis. His rude and impolite behavior on and off the court earned him the moniker “Nasty.”When Nastase played, there was a lot of mocking, swearing, and rage. His constant violent actions and words irritated fans.
Nastase was banned after retiring for repeatedly insulting female players. He began by making racial remarks about Serena Williams’ unborn child. Similarly, he was ejected from the Fed Ex Cup in 2017 after cursing out Great Britain players Anne Keothavong (captain) and Johanna Konta.
2. John McEnroe
- Nationality: American
- Career titles: 77
- Status: Retired
John McEnroe was obsessed with winning, which is not unusual, but what was unusual was how much he despised losing. He was pettish, acid-tongued, and exemplified the entitlement mentality in many ways, and he will be remembered in tennis. John McEnroe was most likely the last player to call officials jerks or hit a ball aimed at the umpire.
He was on the verge of being ejected from a Wimbledon match in 1981 after cursing at the umpire and officials. Furthermore, the phrase “you cannot be serious,” which he said to the referee, became one of tennis’ most famous lines. The Daily Express later gave him the nickname “SuperBrat.”
McEnroe was ejected from the Australian Open in 1990 after swearing at match officials during a fourth-round tie. During his playing days, he smashed countless rackets, paid hefty fines, and served bans several times for his rude behavior.
1. Nick Kyrgios
- Nationality: Australian
- Career titles: 6
- Status: Active
Nick Kyrgios is widely regarded as one of tennis’ most squandered talents. For his on-court bursts, he is regarded as the heir to John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. He has almost certainly engaged in no unsportsmanlike behavior. Furthermore, an entire book could be written about his exploits.
From verbally abusing fans to tanking, mocking opponents, and smashing rackets, he has done it all, including ranting against the official. So it’s not surprising that Kyrgios tops our list of rude tennis players. He did not play to his abilities during the 2015 Wimbledon Championships after failing to return his opponent Gasquet.
Similarly, during the 2015 Rogers Cup, he made disparaging remarks about Stan Wawrinka. ATP later suspended him for six months and fined him approximately $50,000.He was banned for two months and fined $8k for abusing fans and tanking shortly after returning from suspension in 2016.
Furthermore, he admitted to tanking in eight tournaments in 2017. Similarly, after leaving the US Open that year, he openly admitted to not liking tennis. Even John McEnroe has questioned Kyrgios’ on-court behavior and attitude on multiple occasions.
In the tennis world, he arguably ranks first on the list of people who play fines. Furthermore, in the 2019 Cincinnati Masters, Kyrgios was fined a record-breaking $113k for five different unsportsmanlike conduct violations.
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