Matching ‘Mario Tennis Aces’ characters with real-life tennis counterparts

If you own a Nintendo Switch and are at all a fan of the Mario family of video games, you probably bought Mario Tennis Aces as soon as it was available . Since then, you’ve also probably been frustrated with some levels of Adventure Mode, lost a fair share of online tournaments, and tested out all of the available characters to see which matched your style of play best.

Playing so much of this game — and I’ve been playing it an embarrassing amount despite not being very good at any of the modes — had me thinking about which real-life tennis players match up with each of the available animated avatars. During Roger Federer and Kevin Anderson’s marathon Wimbledon match, a Twitter conversation confirmed that I wasn’t the only one considering this.

So here it is, comparing the core characters in Mario Tennis Aces with top players playing on the ATP or WTA tours right now. No comparison list like this will be perfect, but I think they come pretty dang close. If you disagree, that’s what the comments are for or you can tweet at me and try to change my mind there.

Waluigi — Angelique Kerber

In Mario Tennis Aces, Waluigi is a defensive specialist who can cover large areas of the court and it is frustratingly hard to get shots past him during rallies. Enter Angelique Kerber, one of the most consistent “backboards” of today’s tennis game. Like Waluigi, Kerber went through years of being underrated until she finally found her form and started winning Majors.

Mario Tennis Aces finally gives Waluigi the respect he deserves (unlike the upcoming Super Smash Bros. game, ahem) and made him one of the best players in the game if you know how to use him. When in peak form, both players are defensive marvels and can seemingly get to any return even when you think you’ve finally hit a shot that will elude them.

Peach — Sloane Stephens

Like Peach, Sloane Stephens is beatable (especially when she’s not confident, or with Peach when you’re not confident playing as her) but has all-around court coverage skills and can hit shots by opponents at extreme angles that are difficult to reach. Plus, Sloane constantly rocks a pink dress.

Sloane’s ability to use severe cross court shots to out her opponents on the defensive — if they even get the ball back over the net — so she can put the point away with an emphatic forehand evokes Peach’s ability to paint the corners and then position herself for an un-returnable Zone Shot that will either break your racket or your spirit. Sounds exactly like how Stephens won her first major at last year’s US Open.

Boo — Gael Monfils

Boo is one of the most frustrating characters to play against in Aces. If the person controlling him employs the ghost’s slice shot as liberally as they can, the sphere of white with tiny little hands protruding from it is more annoying than when he steals your items in Mario Kart 8. He’s tough to predict and a pain to rally with.

Which sounds a whole lot like veteran Frenchman Gael Monfils, who can be similarly dangerous with his slices and drop shots but — like Boo — is at risk of falling apart if his go-to tools aren’t working. And once they’re a little shaky, the wheels can come off completely before you know it. An alternate option for this match was Maria Sharapova, who exhibits the same strengths and mental weaknesses as both of the above.

Toadette — Petra Kvitova

Toadette is a tactical character in Aces with some of the best trick shot abilities and shot making skills in the game. Kvitova, two-time Major champion, can alter her strategy at the drop of a hat with the best of them. She’s a technical master, with serve placement and line-painting shots to envy. She’s a pesterer of her opponents, in the best possible way. Anyone who has played with Toadette knows she is too.

Wario — Juan Martin del Potro

This might be my favorite comparison on this list. Wario is powerful but, like his kin Waluigi, underrated and constantly disrespected. Wario can win when it counts too! He’s been in enough spinoff sports games that he’s not really an evil character in things like Aces anymore — sure, he and Waluigi give Luigi the evil tennis racket that possesses him but that’s because they are also possessed by it and also Luigi is the worst.

My point is we’re not calling my beloved Delpo evil in this comparison because he’s most certainly not, and neither is Wario if you really got to know him. You would think Wario could be compared to Nick Kyrgios, but no. He’s a power player — but not the most powerful of the power players — who you forget about but is as worthy of being a top pick as anyone else. They both have their marketing issues (Wario with that whole “evil version of a beloved character” thing, Delpo with his injuries derailing his rise in popularity over and over again) but they are some of the most worthy people in their respective games.

Baby Bowser — Simona Halep

Baby Bowser is one of the best players in Aces, so good that a long-expected announcement was finally made last week that he would been getting NERFed (purposely made worse) as he was so unbeatable that many online players were refusing to play competitors who chose Baby Bowser for online tournaments.

Like Baby Bowser, Simona Halep is one of the best players in the game right now. She can get to almost any return and has a strong serve, with the tactical execution to back it up.

Donkey Kong — Coco Vandeweghe

A lesser used player in this particular Mario Tennis game (that conclusion based mostly on personal experience) Donkey Kong is known for his powerful shots and offensive prowess. His defense sometimes leaves something to be desired, and if you’re not on point with his Zone Shots or serve skills there aren’t really upsides to choosing him as you’re character. Which very much evokes Vandeweghe’s play, as once she loses the touch on her serve things start coming apart almost immediately — and it’s happened often enough in big matches that it’s a trend.

Without her serve working, her power fails her because she’s already back on her heels if her opponent’s return is a good one. Her speed isn’t anything to write home about either, and anyone who has played as DK knows that if someone whips a cross court charged shot and you’re stuck in one corner you’re definitely not getting there without the magical slowing down capabilities of Zone Speed. Unfortunately for Coco, Zone Speed doesn’t exist in real life.

Chain Chomp — Stan Wawrinka

This comparison isn’t as scientific as the other ones on this list, but let’s be real: you can definitely picture Wawrinka morphing into the endearing yet goofy Chain Chomp if he were to be somehow sucked into this game. Chain Chomp is a power player who can win you matches of course (hello, three-time Major champion yet still underrated Stan Wawrinka), but is mostly beloved for his goofiness on the court and puppy dog qualities.

Chain Chomp serves balls off of his own head. If that were legal at pro tournaments Stan the Man would absolutely try it to throw his opponents off. Or just get the chair umpire to giggle.

Toad — Novak Djokovic

Toad and Djokovic are similar in styles of play — they both sport impressive speed and acceleration around the court that thwarts opponent shot location strategy — but also in their private lives. What does Toad do when he’s not escorting you around Adventure Mode? Where does he go? What are his motivations? What is his head actually made out of?

Similarly, we don’t really know what Djokovic does during his mysterious treatments throughout the season. He’s out here hanging out in hyperbaric chambers to improve his game, which is exactly the kind of competitive shenanigans Toad would pull. Give us the medical receipts, you two.

Mario — Serena Williams

Who else would be the perfect match for the title character of the game? If anyone in the real world should be the center of an adventure-style tennis game where you can also crush all challengers, it’s absolutely Serena. Like Mario, she has an all around game that utilizes both power and tactics effectively. Also like Mario, she’s a hero.

She transcends generations, has fans from all walks of life, and has a whole lot of fun changing up her look and style whenever she feels like it. She can save the world with a tennis racket (or at least feel like that’s what she’s doing) and balance a loving relationship with her career on the court. She actually probably does that better than Mario, since he and Peach seem like they might have some stuff to work out as far as her getting repeatedly kidnapped or running away to her castle all the time without him. Just saying.

Rosalina — Roger Federer

First things first, Rosalina definitely gets dressed for tournaments with the help of the Vogue clothing closet. Just look at this comparison.

If that isn’t a pair of $400 haircuts and custom Nike shoes then I don’t know what to tell you. Two peas in a pod, these players. Federer is one of the best players of all time, obviously, and Rosalina’s skills have her on the path to join him. I mean, she literally wears a crown. If Nike could have talked him into it during their partnership Federer would have looked right at home in a similar headpiece during some over the top ad campaign.

A favorite of many players, Rosalina can move quickly around the court and her shots are tricky and tough to return. Many of Federer’s opponents would probably describe him the same way during his heyday. Have you ever seen a Federer backhand down-the-line that seems to visually betray physics as it curves around a player? Have you ever tried to beat Rosalina without constantly relying on Zone Shots and Tricky Shots, and even only barely managed to do it? I rest my case.

Luigi — Venus Williams

If Serena is Mario, then it only works that Venus is Luigi. And it actually works better than a simple sibling parallel! Like Luigi. Both of their serves are arguably better than Mario and Serena, and Luigi has a bit better court movement despite both characters ostensibly being all-around players.

Spike — Alexander Zverev

Spike has a small, devoted fanbase who know what he’s capable of even if the wider Mario Tennis fandom isn’t on board just yet. Zverev is the same way, in that his fans are a small but mighty group. Including those in the press who have been carrying water for his talent for a few seasons now. He might not have fulfilled his potential, and like Spike struggles a little on the biggest stages, but he’s got a future ahead of him and his fans are vocal about that.

Both of these smaller yet enjoyable players are a whole lot of fun on the court too. Their shot selection isn’t always perfect but it is always entertaining. If you’ve ever been frustrated when trying to move Spike into net for a drop shot then you’ve basically experienced Zverev choking away a return while trying to save break point in a fourth set at a Major.

Yoshi — Naomi Osaka

One website described Yoshi as “cute but deadly” in this game, and if that’s not a perfect description of Naomi Osaka’s personality and style of play then I quit.

Daisy — Rafael Nadal

Daisy is an all-around player who sometimes gets thrown into a rivalry with Peach that isn’t actually a personal rivalry as much as it is a pairing based on third party comparisons that neither player leans into all that much. Maybe I’m reading too much into the psychology around Peach and Daisy’s in-game “rivalry” over Mario but in real life Nadal and Federer definitely don’t treat each other with vitriol when they play each other, it’s out of respect and admiration for each other’s games and a simple desire to win.

Of the Peach/Rosalina/Daisy triad of tall, skinny female players in Aces Daisy is definitely the most pure fun on the court. Peach is powerful, Rosalina is nigh unstoppable (we’ll get to that comparison soon enough), but Daisy is freewheeling and enjoyable and can move around the court and return shots of all types. She also has flowing hair, and wears flashy sneakers and bright colors — who does that sound like to you?

Bowser — Kevin Anderson or John Isner

Anyone who watched the endless, interminable, boring as hell match between these two players at Wimbledon knows that either of them could be Bowser. Bowser in Aces is a rally master, a consistent shot returner who has a strong serve but not much agility around the court or shot placement skills.

In other words, he’s pretty boring and fine to play with but the win isn’t worth sitting through an entire match using him as your character. There’s not much variety from Bowser, which Anderson and Isner mimic well. If you want pace on shots, volley winners, or anything besides a bunch of lobs and slowly-paced forehands, these are not the players or animated character for you. But they seem friendly enough off the court!