ATP Stars Pin Rivals on Naughty or Nice Donuts

In the quiet hum of December 2025, a table of donuts at an ATP Tour gathering turned into an impromptu tribunal for the circuit’s sharpest rivalries. Eight players, including Top 10 stars Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, sifted through photos of their Head2Head opponents. They placed images on ‘naughty’ or ‘nice’ piles, judgments shaped by months of crosscourt rallies and down-the-line winners that tested nerves on every surface.

The game captured the Tour’s blend of tension and levity, where a heavy topspin forehand in a Roland Garros quarterfinal might earn respect or resentment. Rivals like ATP No. 1 Club members Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic faced verdicts that echoed their on-court dominance. As laughter filled the room, these stacks revealed how psychological edges—forged in tiebreaks under stadium lights—linger into the off-season.

Watch Tennis Players Place Each Other On The ‘Naughty Or Nice’ Cake:

Split opinions test Alcaraz‘s edge

Alcaraz’s photo sparked divided stacks, with Gabriel Diallo leaning naughty after eyeing the Spaniard’s tattoos—a mark of the intensity behind his explosive inside-out forehands. Auger-Aliassime countered by deeming him nice, drawn to that ever-present smile that softens the pressure of facing Alcaraz’s 1–2 patterns on hard courts. These contrasts highlighted how his game demands constant adjustments, like deeper returns to counter topspin loops that arc high over the net before dipping sharply.

After a season of grinding baselines on sun-scorched surfaces, such verdicts surfaced the mental toll: Alcaraz’s energy can disarm in casual moments but intensify the focus needed for crosscourt defenses. Fritz and Shelton exchanged glances during the judgments, their own encounters with him marked by rallies that stretched points into endurance tests. As the piles grew, it became clear these opinions mirrored tactical preparations for 2026, where a rival’s charm might mask the threat of a sudden net rush.

Djokovic commands quiet deference

Djokovic drew universal caution, his aura prompting Davidovich Fokina’s humorous dodge amid the group’s chuckles. The Serb’s 101 tour-level titles loomed large, a legacy built on unerring returns that turn aggressive serves into prolonged exchanges on grass. No one risked the naughty pile, respecting how his slice backhands carve through rallies, forcing errors in high-pressure deuces.

Shelton and Fritz nodded in agreement, recalling matches where Djokovic’s consistency unraveled their one–two setups, demanding flawless footwork across transitions from clay to hard. The deference spoke to the Tour’s hierarchy, where young players calibrate aggressive inside-in shots against his baseline mastery. In this light moment, the game underscored the harmony that survives the season’s relentless push, setting a tone of mutual regard before the next Grand Slam cycle.

Bublik’s tricks fuel naughty consensus

Bublik’s image piled high on naughty, his unpredictable style a frequent target in the judgments. Perricard’s gripe about those 20 underarm serves captured the frustration of adapting to tactics that disrupt rhythm on faster courts, turning routine returns into hurried scrambles. The Kazakh’s drop shots and underspin lobs keep opponents guessing, amplifying the mental strain of variable surfaces from Wimbledon’s quick grass to indoor hard courts.

Auger-Aliassime and Diallo joined the chorus, their experiences echoing how Bublik’s flair tests composure in extended points. After a year of such chaos amid structured patterns, the naughty tag felt like a release, hinting at evolving rivalries where his mischief could spark deeper clashes. As the off-season beckons, these stacks preview 2026’s dynamics, where nice intentions meet the naughty edge of competition on the scoreboard.