Tennis Fans for Trump[edit]

"Tennis Fans for Trump" was a prominent Twitter account (now named X) that specialized in spreading racist, homophobic, and fascist rhetoric through the realm of current tennis events. It was created in June of 2020 by an anonymous user. Tennis Fans for Trump intentionally posted shocking and inflammatory tweets and videos to garner large attention in the tennis community and in the sports community at large. Many videos posted to the account mocked players who were on losing streaks, accused them of cheating, and invalidated their achievements.

At its peak, the account was extremely popular. In January of 2022, it had over 288,000 followers. This meant that it had more followers than even most top tennis players. However, the number is likely higher when taking into account the heavy number of shadow-bans and total bans the account received. Tennis Fans for Trump also had one of the best engagement rates in Twitter history. With an average rate of 29%, it was one of the highest of all of Twitter in 2021 and parts of 2022. In January of 2022, the account received over 3,248,000 likes, which translates to over 19,000 likes per post. Subsequently, the account's posts received widespread media attention from major outlets such as OutKick, Fox News, PragerU, Tennis Channel and the Daily Wire. It also received notable interactions with tennis stars such as Victoria Azarenka, Nick Kyrgios, Martina Navratilova, and Jim Courier. Other figures such as J.D Vance, Candace Owens, and NFL superstar Antonio Brown have also had interactions with the account.

In March of 2022, the account was permanently suspended for violating many community standards. This came after a series of racist tweets directed at Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka went viral. The blatant spreading of conspiracy theories surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Russian-Ukraine war, and many other alt-right conspiracies also played a factor into the account's removal.

Account Inception[edit]

Tennis Fans for Trump joined Twitter in June of 2020. Very little is known about the creator except that they are located in the Philadelphia region of the United States. Internet deep-dives and reverse searches were also unfruitful. Most tweets at that time were generally positive, and acted as a fan account for pro players such as top-ranked American Jennifer Brady, and tennis legend Novak Djokovic. However, the account started to experience rapid growth as the content posted became more extreme and political. The first ban was given relatively swiftly after their creation, in response to misinformation regarding the Hunter Biden corruption scandal and the outcome of 2020 United States Presidential Election. With a modest following at first, the account quickly blew up and surpassed 50,000 followers within the first few months. Election denialism became increasingly prevalent, and was a staple on the page. Notably, it gained popularity with many high-profile Donald Trump supporters with its pro-Trump messaging.

Mainstream Success[edit]

The account first gained prominence after the 2020 elections. Many of its claims about topics such as election rigging and interference, and supposed rampant voter fraud were outright slanderous, false, or misleading. The account was temporarily banned shortly after for spreading misinformation about the Hunter Biden laptop scandal ,but was quickly reinstated. From that point on, Tennis Fans for Trump experienced significant growth, gaining thousands of followers a month. In the month of March in 2021, the account received over 100,000 likes, averaging over 570 likes per post. Despite shadow-bans relating to other controversies, the account was one of the best performing sports accounts on the platform by engagement rates. With a 29.5% engagement rate, it was one of the highest on Twitter for all of 2021. Many of their tweets that spread blatant misinformation in some cases topped over 500,000 likes.

In 2022, Tennis Fans for Trump would once again experience another uptick in growth following the Novak Djokovic deportation saga. Many mainstream outlets featured their tweets in articles, and Tennis Fans for Trump reached its all time high follower peak. Later that year, the account was suspended indefinitely for breaking over 289 of the platform's community guidelines, mostly due to a series of viral tweets mocking the mental health of Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka. Tennis Fans for Trump has not been heard from ever since.

Controversy[edit]

2020 United States Presidential Election[edit]

Tennis Fans for Trump spread many misleading conspiracy theories regarding the 2020 U.S Presidential Elections. Theories of election rigging, voter fraud, and censorship were common themes of the account, despite mountains of evidence on the contrary. They also criticized the January 6th Capitol Attack, senselessly claiming it was orchestrated by the federal government. They also denied the election results, claiming that the election was "stolen" and that Donald Trump was the "real president".

Rafael Nadal and Jefferey Epstein Conspiracy Theory[edit]

In November of 2021, Tennis Fans for Trump claimed that they had evidence of Rafael Nadal's alleged connection with serial sex offender Jefferey Epstein. This evidence included fake flight lists, photo shopped images, and edited court documents. These claims were criticized for being "pathetic and troubling" by many online tennis pundits.

2022 Australian Open Debacle[edit]

In January of 2022, Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic was denied entry and deported from Australia after providing fake information regarding his COVID-19 vaccination status. This resulted in the massive spread of ableist and untrue information from Tennis Fans for Trump. During the Australian Open tournament, they called on their followers to "make their voices heard", which resulted in the leaking of the tournament director's off-site office. The tweets were quickly deleted, and protesters who arrived at the director's office peacefully left.

Impact and Recognition[edit]

The impact of this account was wide-reaching, and was credited by many for increasing the tension between many major tennis fan-bases. SportsKeeda describes it positively as "Tennis Fans for Trump has changed the way we view tennis fans, and has brought more life into the tennis media industry that desperately needed it."

Many pro players have interacted with this account in the past. Former world #1, Victoria Azarenka, responded to a tweet criticizing her 2021 results bluntly by saying "A total fucking joke". Other players such as Amanda Anisimova, Sloane Stephens, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Martina Navratilova, and Jim Courier, have all criticized and responded to Tennis Fans for Trump.

Tennis Fans for Trump was at its peak, the most followed independent tennis Twitter account in the platform's history. They have also received many awards and nominations, including Tennis Magazine's "Influencer of the Year" which they lost in 2021. In the same year, they were ranked at #18 on Turning Point USA’s “Conservative Voice Power Rankings”, being ranked alongside notable figures such as Sean Hannity, Ben Shapiro, and Tucker Carlson among others.