While players battle for titles, fans seek a different kind of victory: a moment with their favorite stars. Whether it’s a selfie, an autograph, or a simple handshake, they eagerly line up at practice courts and exits, armed with pens, paper, or even fuzzy tennis balls. While some players are more reserved, many embrace these interactions, like Coco Gauff at Indian Wells. As Roger Federer eloquently put it, “I try to give back as much as I can,” recognizing the vital role of fans. But among these encounters, which are the most hilariously memorable?

On Friday, during Nothing Major Show on YouTube, American tennis legends Sam Querrey and Jack Sock were highlighted some of the hilarious moments during their fan interactions. It all started with a fan dropping a question asking, “Do you get sick of signing giant tennis balls? The kids are so excited, but it’s gotta be tiring.” In reply to this question, Querrey said, “It’s way better to sign the giant tennis ball than a little tennis ball.“

After that, Jack Sock joined him, saying, “I was just going to say that. They are way easier.” He highlighted, “The little tennis ball, you either mess up the signature or you got to grab it, sign it, and then give it back.” Sam Querrey then said, “Is there anything worse than when someone has a small tennis ball, it’s really fuzzy, and they give you like a pen like a ballpoint pen and it’s like there’s zero chance anything is going to work.” Hearing this, even Sock gave a gentle nod, calling it very much annoying.

“They like then, seem disappointed and like upset that you couldn’t like produce a signature properly. I’m like bring a proper marker before I sign,” said Sock. Then Querrey went on to add that it’s always “brutal” too when someone doesn’t have a marker, and they’ll search their goodie bags only to end up saying, “Can’t find it.” Querrey explained that scenario by saying, “You’re just like sitting there like shaking your head like all right…get the marker.” However, he did mention that giving autographs on big tennis balls is the best.

Later on, Sock further added, “I’ve some of my biggest pet peeves.” He recalled some hilarious selfie moments and said, “When someone wants to take a selfie and they’re ready with the phone and they hold the phone up and it’s always facing the other way. Still, they haven’t flipped it to selfie mode and they scramble coz they’re like nervous or something…so many things go wrong.” How do other ATP players feel about the constant fan demand for autographs and selfies?

During a previous interview with ATPTour.com, Stefanos Tsitsipas was asked if he had collected any autographs as a kid. In reply to that, the Greek said he doesn’t remember when he went hunting for autographs the first time, but he definitely remembers walking around with the big tennis balls that the tournament had provided. Is there anything like these that he would never sign?

“On a few occasions, I have been asked to sign people’s arms or shoulders so they can later tattoo my autograph. I kindly refused. Because I don’t feel comfortable with that. I’ve been asked to sign phones, which I have done a few times, but I don’t feel comfortable doing it.”

In that same interview, Alex de Minaur also talked about his experiences, saying, “I’ve signed a couple shoes and tennis racquets. Tennis racquets are actually not the easiest to sign because the grip is not flat, it’s an odd shape. Those are very difficult to sign.”

Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz said he always makes sure kids get his autograph first and then went on to reveal his bizarre moment while interacting with the fans. “I’ve signed lots of weird stuff. Sometimes nice stuff I sign, but I didn’t want to sign a designer bag when someone gave that to me.“

The lengths fans go to are remarkable. Alexander Zverev shared a story of signing a fan’s arm, only to see that signature permanently inked as a tattoo. And when it comes to fan engagement, few can match Coco Gauff‘s enthusiasm.

Coco Gauff taught her fans how to take a perfect selfie at Indian Wells

Coco Gauff’s dedication to her fans is undeniable. From signing sneakers at last year’s WTA Finals – a moment she shared with heartfelt gratitude on Instagram – to meeting her superfan Maurice in Germany, she consistently makes time for personal connections. And recently at Indian Wells, she took it a step further, hosting a fun and interactive session where she shared valuable lessons with her fans.

Coco Gauff is fond of chasing perfection, and this time, she was spotted helping her fans take a perfect post-match selfie. In the video clip shared by the official IG page of the BNP Paribas Open, Gauff showed them how to do it.

She said, “Now, smile. Wait, no, model face here, Now smile, now funny face. The selfie game here at Indian Wells is pretty big, and it takes a long time to get on…I mean, I’ve been out here since I was 14. So you approach them slowly, and we’re going to take a selfie. So, guys, you saw how it’s done. They’re going to scream, but you just ignore the screaming. Just focus on channeling your model faces and smile like we talked about.“

Be it on the court or off the court, these tennis stars never fail to bring smiles to the faces of their fans. Share your thoughts about these hilarious yet so touching fan interactions.