15 of the Most Appropriately Named Athletes

On 20 August 2019, American professional tennis player, Tennys Sandgren ( yes, that is his real name ) defeated Andy Murray in the Winston-Salem Open.
Turns out there are many more sports stars with aptronyms – “name that is regarded as amusingly appropriate to their occupation”

Here are15 of the Most Appropriately Named Athletes.
Can you think of any others?

 

1. Usain Bolt – Jamaican sprinter, world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4 × 100 metres relay. A great name to go with his blazing speed.

 

 

 

 

2. Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods – an American professional  golfer, who is a really great driver with a wood

 

 

 

 

3. Tennys Sandgren – an American professional tennis player who broke into the Top 100 of the ATP rankings toward the end of 2017

 

 

 

4. Scott Andrew Speed – an American race car driver, who currently races in Americas Rallycross Championship for Subaru Rally Team USA. IN 2006, Scott became the first American driver to race in F1 since Michael Andretti in 1993, when he made his début at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

 

 

5. Michael Anthony Quick – retired American football wide receiver, whose job is to run away from opponents as fast as he can. He played professionally in the National Football League with the Philadelphia Eagles for nine seasons, from 1982 to 1990.

 

 

 

 

6. Layne Beachley – retired Australian professional surfer. Layne won the World Championship seven times.

 

 

 

 

7. Gary Player – retired South African professional golf player, Gary is still considered one of the greatest golfers. Gary Player won nine major championships on the regular tour and nine major championships on the Champions Tour during his glittering career
 

 

 

8. William Steven Power – an Australian motorsport driver, currently competing in the IndyCar Series. Will Power is the 2014 IndyCar Series champion, and as of 2015 the most successful road and street course race winner in the series’ history with 19 wins tied with Scott Dixon.

 

 

 

9. Lake Speed – retired American stock car racing driver

 

 

 

 

10. Marina Stepanova – a former Russian athlete who competed for the Soviet Union in the 400 metres hurdles, and became the first woman to run under 53 seconds for the event, when she ran 52.94 secs in 1986

 

 

 

 

 

11. James Sherman Jett – an American Olympic sprinter and member of the 1992 4 X 100m relay team, and a former American football wide receiver

 

 

 

12. Nathan Leeper – retired American high jumper who finished eleventh at the 2000 Olympic Games, fourth at the 2001 World Indoor Championships and seventh at the 2002 World Cup.

 

 

 

13. Alan Ball Jr – was a professional English footballer. Alan Ball Jr was also the youngest member of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning team. He played as a midfielder for various clubs, scoring more than 180 goals his league career that spanned 22 years. 

 

 

 

 

 

14. Chuck Long – a former American football player and coach. The NFL quarterback was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999 having played professionally for the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams. 

 

 

 

 

15. Anna Smashnova – retired Belarusian-born Israeli tennis player. Anna competed in 13 WTA finals and went on to win 12 of them.