"Rafael Nadal plays his last match of the season and Twitter goes down, coincidence?" - Amid reports of Twitter shutting down, tennis fans share a few laughs

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic fans on social media have one thing in common -- their respective fandoms on Twitter that have helped them cope when their favorites lost and joined them in jubilation when they won. Thanks to Elon Musk's recent meltdown, however, those communities are at risk of being taken away from them, leading to all those fans coping in their own idiosynchratic ways.

Amidst reports that Twitter could be heading for a certain blackout over the weekend after Musk initiated the latest round of layoffs, tennis fans on the site came together to share their funniest jokes and fondest memories of their time spent on Twitter so far.

One fan pointed out how "Tennis Twitter" was at its finest during the Australian Open earlier this year, when Djokovic's visa saga gave birth to a host of memes and jokes. Recalling how everyone became immigration law experts overnight in light of the Serb's deportation, they wrote:

"I just need you to understand that Tennis Twitter was at its finest when we were all Australian immigration law experts."

Another user brought up Nadal's 2022 season coming to an end just a day earlier, wondering if it was really a coincidence that Twitter was going down as soon as the 22-time Grand Slam drew curtains on his year -- jokingly, of course.

"Rafael Nadal plays his last match of the season and twitter goes down, coincidence? I think not."

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic experience contrasting fortunes at 2022 ATP Finals

Nitto ATP Finals 2022

Coming to the tennis side of things, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have both endured contrasting finishes to their final 2022 tournament. Playing in the Green Group at the ATP Finals, the Mallorcan crashed out of the group stage with successive defeats in his opening matches against Taylor Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Thankfully, Nadal beat Casper Ruud in the final group match to end his year on a positive note, also recording his first ATP win as a father in the process. Djokovic, meanwhile, is guaranteed to finish as the leader of the Red Group, beating Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to book his spot in the knockouts.

Taking on Daniil Medvedev in his final group match, the 21-time Grand Slam champion took the opening set 6-3 and looked set to take the match. At the time of print, the pair were locked at 5-4 in the second set, with Djokovic serving to stay in the set.