The 12 Best Tennis Movies of All Time
Challengers (In Theaters)Starring Zendaya, Josh OāConnor, and Mike Faist, Challengers features a former tennis prodigy whose career ends early due to an injury. So she seeks to help her tennis-player husband plot a comeback in the sport. His opponent? Her ex-boyfriend. The drama!
King RichardBased on the real-life story of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams, King Richard is a dramatic retelling of the familyās life before fame. The film garnered six Oscar nominations, with a Best Actor win for Will Smithāwho played Richard Williams, the father of the future icons.
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The Royal TenenbaumsLuke Wilson stars as tennis prodigy Richie Tenenbaum in Wes Andersonās early, star-studded hit. Mirroring the turbulent personality of American John McEnroe, Richie absolutely melts down in one scene, squandering his chance at a promising career.
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Match PointJonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson star in this Woody Allen psychological thriller, which involves murder and a tennis instructor. Allen had a tennis scene in Annie Hall more than thirty years prior, but the sport plays a more prominent role in Match Point.
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Strangers on a TrainThereās nothing more vigorous than a sport that pits two athletes against each other, mano a mano. In Alfred Hitchcockās Strangers on a Train, the intensity of a tennis match is juxtaposed against the suspense of a man trying to frame one of the players for murder.
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7 Days in HellStarring Andy Samberg and Kit Harington, 7 Days in Hell is a mockumentary film inspired by the 2010 Wimbledon match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut that famously went on over the course of three days. What if that was extended to a full week? Comedy gold.
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BridesmaidsBridesmaids is one of the last truly remarkable comedy films, so of course it features a tennis scene. In an impassioned match between Kristen Wiig and Rose Byrne, the two actresses put traditional tennis asideājust to pelt each other as hard as they can.
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WimbledonStarring Paul Bettany and Kirsten Dunstāone a slipping tennis pro in his thirties and the other a rising starāWimbledon is a classic romantic comedy. Even so, the tennis film features some exciting matches, including volleys against One Tree Hillās Austin Nichols.
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Battle of the SexesThough not the greatest film on this list, Battle of the Sexes, starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell, recounts the inspiring story of Billie Jean King and the WTA. As the tennis world celebrates fifty years of equal pay for women, we have no one to thank but King, a twelve-time grand-slam champion.
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FletchChevy Chase stars in 1985ās Fletch as an undercover reporter investigating a country club. While questioning his markās wife on the tennis court, he ends up flirting with her.
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California SuiteAn all-star cast (Richard Pryor, Alan Alda, Walter Matthau, Maggie Smith, Jane Fonda, Michael Caine, Elaine May, and Sheila Frazier) appears in 1978ās California Suite, which includes a scene of Pryor busting his ass on the tennis court.
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The Squid and the WhaleSurely, we couldnāt end our list of tennis scenes without including one from Noah Baumbachās The Squid and the Whale. The Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, and Jesse Eisenberg picture features a family tennis match that turns uncomfortably competitive quickly. In classic Baumbach fashion, the scene is mom versus dadāwith disastrous results.
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