Andrea Petkovic (Image Via Getty)
Former top-10 tennis player Andrea Petkovic is back at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open, but this time she is not competing. The retired German star is now working around the tour as a commentator and writer.
While covering the event in Indian Wells, she shared a funny and honest story about life around tennis tournaments. In a recent post on her Substack, Petkovic spoke about her first experience at Indian Wells many years ago. She remembered how players used to share hotel rooms and how fans would wait around hotels hoping to meet their favorite tennis stars. While looking back at those memories, Petkovic jokingly shared “tips” for people who might want to date professional tennis players.
Her comments quickly caught attention because she mentioned some of the sport’s biggest names like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. Petkovic explained that most tennis players care deeply about results and confidence, which is why compliments can matter a lot. Her advice was clearly meant in a humorous tone, but it still gave fans a small look into the personality and mindset of players on the professional tour.
Andrea Petkovic jokes about dating tennis stars while Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic begin Indian Wells strongly
In her Substack post, Andrea Petkovic joked that many tennis players have sensitive egos because their confidence depends heavily on match results. She made it clear that the biggest names in the sport often handle pressure differently.Petkovic wrote, “Unless they’re Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic, tennis players’ egos are fragile. All of their self-worth is tied up in their results and results in tennis are more fickle than Alexander Zverev is in interviews.”She also said people should not avoid compliments when talking to tennis players. Instead, she suggested being creative with them.Petkovic wrote, “If you’re thinking, ugh, I’ll better not compliment them, they get compliments all day. You’re wrong. You should compliment them. But be creative with it. Don’t tell Jakub Mensik you admire his serve, tell him you like his headband. Don’t tell Grigor Dimitrov that he’s handsome, tell him he’s eloquent.”
The German former player continued her playful tone by explaining that tennis players often focus only on training and competition. Because of that, she joked that the other person in a conversation may need to keep things interesting.Petkovic wrote, “You’ll have to work… hard. Let’s not beat around the bush here, tennis players are kind of dull… it’s not a knock on them, they have to be. They like sports, they like to train, they like to eat and sleep.”She added, “So, you will need to bring the personality. You have to be the one to ask questions, suggest movies, research restaurants and crack jokes.”While Petkovic’s comments made fans smile, the tennis action in Indian Wells also started strongly for the sport’s biggest stars. Carlos Alcaraz opened his campaign with a straight-sets win over Grigor Dimitrov, winning 6-3, 6-2. Jannik Sinner had an even more dominant start, defeating Dalibor Svrcina 6-1, 6-1. Novak Djokovic also moved forward in the tournament after beating Kamil Majchrzak 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
