Top 10 Tennis Racket Smashes Of All Time!

Players will actually often use a racket smash as a release of tension after a very tense part of a match.

It is not uncommon to see players bounce back and perform better after they have destroyed a racket, as they will have had a sudden release of nervous energy.

On the other hand, sometimes a player is so frustrated with themselves or the match situation that they simply lose control and need to smash their racket!

So without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the 10 best racket smashes of all time!

Top 10 Tennis Racket Smashes of All Time!

So here they are, the best racket smashes of all time. The entries below are not in any particular order, that would be like choosing between your own children!

Marcos Baghdatis – Australian Open 

In arguably the most over the top episode of rage we have seen on a tennis court, Marcos Baghdatis went and destroyed four tennis rackets in succession!

He would eventually lose in four sets to Stan Wawrinka, but he produced one of the most memorable racket smashes of all time on the way!

He sat down and destroyed the racket he was playing with!

But then, as the crowd started to get involved he went on to smash another three, much to their enjoyment!

Can’t imagine his sponsors were very happy!

Fernando Gonzalez – Indian Wells 

At the 2009 edition of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 event, hot headed Fernando Gonzalez was a set down against the great Roger Federer when he really lost his temper.

Early in the second set Gonzalez smashed his racket due to his poor serving performance in the match.

He then had a humorous interaction with the crowd when they started booing him, as he encouraged them to make more noise which got them cheering and laughing as he continued to smash up his bat!

This was one of the most light hearted and comical racket smashes we have seen!

Kristos Vliegen – Monte Carlo

At the 2009 Monte Carlo Rolex Masters 1000 event Kristos Vliegen produced one of the most brutal racket smashes of all time!

He absolutely destroyed his racket by smashing it on the court after being broken by Ivan Llubicic in the third set. Kristos even managed to snap the handle off his frame

Grigor Dimitrov – Istanbul

Grigor Dimitrov is known to have a bit of a temper out on court from time to time, but the brilliant Bulgarian seriously lost his composure at the 2016 Istanbul open.

Playing against renowned clay courter Diego Schwartzman, Dimitrov had been given two code violations for racket abuse earlier in the match.

He was 5-0 down in the final set when he broke a string and went to change his racket.

But, insead of picking up a fresh racket from his bag, he instead smashed up his third racket of the day, giving him a third and final code violation which meant he was defaulted.

Talk about losing your cool!

Novak Djokovic – Shanghai 

In the 2012 Shanghai Masters 1000 final against Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic smashed his racket to oblivion!

He had just been broken at the end of the first set and was absolutely infuriated!

He has been known to lose his temper from time to time, and when he does his racket often gets the full force of his fury.

This racket smash was one of the best we’ve seen, as Novak didn’t let up as he continued to pound his already mangled racket into the ground!

Roger Federer – Miami

At the 2009 Miami Open, the great Roger Federer was playing his long term rival Novak Djokovic when he seriously lost his cool.

Deep into the third set Federer was not happy with his level of play and missed a routine put away forehand in the net.

He was so frustrated with this error that he smashed his racket on the court and tossed it away with disgust!

This was a very rare thing to see, as Federer is known for always keeping a lid on his emotions and never losing his temper.

It was also the first time that many people had seen him get booed by a crowd. Not something the great man wanted to make a habit of!

Novak Djokovic – Davis Cup

Another feature from Novak that we just couldn’t leave out was his outburst against Gael Monfils in 2010.

Serbia actually went on to win the tournament, but during Novak’s match with the flamboyant frenchman, he really exploded!

After Djokovic hit a short angled forehand cross court, Monfils responded with a booming, slapped forehand of his own back down the line to seal a crucial break in the third set.

This then led to one of the most aggressive racket smashes we have ever seen! Novak obliterated his Head racket to an unrecognisable state.

Although, it clearly did the trick as he was able to close out the match in straight sets from there on out.

Nick Kyrgios – Cincinnati 

During the 2019 Cincinnati open, Nick Kyrgios lost his cool against Karen Khachanov and proceeded to storm off the court for what seemed to be a comfort break.

Bizarrely though, he decided to take a couple of rackets along for the ride with him…

Now, Nick is quite famous for his outbursts and on court antics, but this racket smash took things to a whole new level.

The cameras followed Nick into the corridors of the changing rooms, where he then smashed both of his rackets in anger on the ground!

He actually went off the court to destroy two of his own rackets so he would avoid a code violation!

This really was one of the most creative, outrageous and hilarious racket smashes we have seen.

Stan Wawrinka – US Open

During his 2013 match against long term rival Novak Djokovic, Stan the Man really lost his temper after missing a routine backhand passing shot.

Wawrinka has been known to lose his temper from time to time, but this racket smash escalated quickly!

He firstly bounced the racket on the floor and proceeded to smash it again to ensure the frame was broken. But then, he took things to a whole new level.

He broke the racket in half over his knee to make sure it was completely destroyed beyond repair!

Looks like Stan hasn’t been skipping leg day!

Coco Vandeweghe – Australian Open 

At the 2017 Australian Open, heavy hitting WTA player Coco Vandeweghe lost her serve and her temper at the end of the second set in her match against Pauline Parmentier.

After missing a routine backhand down the line Coco immediately bounced her racket off the floor before smashing it multiple times and throwing it into the crowd.

At least one lucky fan got to benefit from Coco’s outburst!

Takeaways

Ultimately, whilst we don’t condone smashing rackets for recreational players, watching the professionals destroy one of their many rackets can be quite entertaining to watch!

It shows they are human and have to release their emotions from time to time like the rest of us.

The only differences are that they are playing on the biggest stages, for millions of dollars worth of prize month and losing their serve could mean a lost opportunity to win a grand slam title!

Whilst we love seeing some of the most epic racket smashes out there, we hope that players don’t make a habit of doing it. It can become very expensive, even for the professionals!