10 Tennis Players I'd Like To Hang Out With

The rise of social media has made professional athletes more accessible now than ever, allowing fans to get to know their favourites and their personalities quite intimately. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why tennis fandom has been a bit rabid and irrational in recent years, as fans feel like they know the players they are rooting for. 

But, what if we could actually hang out and be friends with some of them? At the risk of sounding like a stalker, here are a few tennis stars who I think would be fun to spend some time with: 

JELENA JANKOVIC

I think this just about sums up why Jelena is awesome:

Saw JJ today. Welcomed her to Istanbul. "I bring the light," she says. Then walks away and yells "And the joy!" over her shoulder.

— Courtney Nguyen (@FortyDeuceTwits) October 22, 2013

RAFA NADAL

Mr. Parera loves to spend time at the beach and has been spotted numerous times on boats. A transplanted island boy, that's my kind of lifestyle. I also love to cook, and make a mean "pasta y gambas." It's settled, this is destined to be. 

ANDREA PETKOVIC

All she does is win win win on Twitter. Petko is smart, funny, and always willing to engage with fans. She'd make the perfect drinking buddy, I'd even settle for a Twitter friendship :)

TOMAS BERDYCH

Berdych just recently celebrated his one year Twitter anniversary. He's made a stellar entry into social media, and is one of the funniest players going. He doesn't seem to take himself too seriously either, and is certainly not afraid of taking a few chances, ahem, ESPN Body Mag.  

SERENA WILLIAMS

ReRe is the best tennis player in the world and trailblazing icon. Although she's had some PR missteps over the years, I'm still fascinated by all that it means and takes to be Serena Williams. She also loves to dance and go to the beach - yes and yes!  

DUSTIN BROWN

Dustin and I are both Jamaican - that commonality alone keeps me interested in his exploits. There's also the not-so-small matter of his wizardry on the tennis court. He interacts with his fans on Twitter and seems to be one of the good guys on tour.  

ANDY MURRAY

Andy's done so much in the past few months off the court to win me over: from hiring Amelie Mauresmo as coach, to his staunch support for women's tennis. I won't lie, hanging out with Andy means I'd probably get to meet momma Judy (big perk) - we could watch Deliciano's matches while eating all kinds of delicious desserts. 

VENUS WILLIAMS

Those who follow me know how much I love Vee. When photos surfaced in Australia earlier this year, with Venus donning wicketkeeper gloves, I could hardly contain my glee. Venus? Playing cricket?!?!  More seriously, Venus is such an inspiration. What she has already achieved, and still hopes to accomplish, is simply awesome. 

TOMMY HAAS

Have you seen the video of Tommy singing "Let It Go" with his daughter? Sign me up for that road trip! As I careen into my 30's, maybe Haas can share some of his secrets for looking so amazing!

KIMIKO DATE-KRUMM

I could always stalk Kimiko to find her fountain of youth, but maybe I'd be able to coax it out of her in person? I first became a fan of KDK in 1994. Here we are, 20 years later, and Kimiko is well into her second stint on tour and still inside the top-100. 

FYI:

• I do not own any of these photographs. 
  
• I am not a stalker.
• Petko, please follow me on Twitter :)