Whether it’s Jannik Sinner’s quiet and calm fist clench, or Aryna Sabalenková’s wild celebrations when she hits the winner, the fist pump is everywhere.
The fist pump is certainly not the most exciting celebration in tennis, but it is certainly the most common.
When it comes to iconic, Lleyton Hewitt’s “Come On” is one of the greatest of all time.
The gesture, known as vicht, is a Swedish celebration in which the hand is directed back to the player’s own face like an arrow.
Lleyton Hewitt celebrates a match point at the 2005 Sydney International.Credit: 2005
Although Hewitt popularized it, the gesture itself was inspired by the celebrations of Swedish players Mats Wilander and Niclas Kroon.
It became the subject of a dispute between Wilander and Hewitt on the day Hewitt acquired the rights to the gesture after Wilander and Kroon did not renew the trademark.
Kroon claimed to have invented the gesture while playing Yahtzee with his brother as a child, and Hewitt’s team was said to be aware that the trademark had lapsed when it happened in 2007.
These quirky and sometimes controversial celebrations can often be what players remember, and are also often borrowed from champions before them.
Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios celebrate.Credit: Getty
Take the chest bump celebration between Australians Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis as they play doubles. The celebration has become synonymous with “Special Ks,” but is most associated with twins Mike and Bob Bryan, who sported it during their illustrious career that included 16 Grand Slam titles, 39 Masters 1000 titles and 10 seasons in which they finished as No. 1 in doubles.
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic won’t have a problem winning 24 Grand Slam singles titles, but it will also be hard to forget his heart gesture to all four sides of the stadium after victory. And while it’s clearly Djokovic, it’s reminiscent of Andre Agassi blowing kisses to all four corners of the court after winning.
Novak Djokovic rips his shirt after defeating Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 Cincinnati Open.Credit: Reuters
And then there are the one (or two) celebrations that stick in fans’ minds because they’re weird and wonderful.
Like Djokovic ripping off his shirt after beating Carlos Alcaraz in the 2023 Cincinnati Open final, or Jim Courier going for a swim in Melbourne’s Yarra River after his coach flagged a potential celebration before the 1992 Australian Open.
Courier won the title in 1992 and 1993, and kept his word and went headfirst into the river.
Nowadays, tennis is a bit more restrained compared to the wild celebrations of the 80s and 90s, but there is always room for some innovative celebrations and of course a fist bump or two.
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