{"id":792763,"date":"2026-07-10T12:36:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T12:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/792763\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T12:36:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T12:36:14","slug":"11-celebrities-who-you-didnt-know-played-tennis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/792763\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Celebrities Who You Didn\u2019t Know Played Tennis"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n

While many celebrities are fans of tennis, some actually grew up playing the sport<\/p>\n

Celebrities like Dakota Fanning and Lars Ulrich, for example, are the children of professional tennis players<\/p>\n

Matthew McConaughey picked up a racket later in life and has since fallen in love with tennis<\/p>\n

When they’re away from the spotlight, these celebrities are hitting the tennis courts.<\/p>\n

While some stars grew up playing the sport, others embraced it later in life. Matthew McConaughey<\/a>, for example, picked up a racket in 2023; Zendaya<\/a>, meanwhile, learned to play after she was cast as Tashi Donaldson in the 2024 film Challengers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

From legendary actors to renowned musicians, here are 11 celebrities who you didn’t know played tennis.<\/p>\n

01 of 11<\/p>\n

Kaley Cuoco\"Kaley<\/p>\n

Kaley Cuoco plays in a celebrity tennis match on March 22, 2014 in Calabasas, California.
Credit: John M. Heller\/Getty<\/p>\n

The Big Bang Theory<\/a> actress Kaley Cuoco<\/a> grew up playing tennis and was a ranked junior player as a teen, according to USTA Florida<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These days, Cuoco is also passing down her love of the sport to her daughter, Matilda<\/a>. In June 2026, the proud mom shared a series of photos on Instagram of the toddler playing tennis while dressed up as Spider-Man<\/a>. “Inspiring kids everywhere,” Cuoco captioned one clip on her Instagram Stories.<\/p>\n

02 of 11<\/p>\n

Brad Pitt\"Brad<\/p>\n

Brad Pitt on Day Fourteen of the 2026 French Open on June 06, 2026 in Paris, France.
Credit: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis\/Corbis via Getty<\/p>\n

Brad Pitt<\/a> played tennis in high school and once compared himself to the legendary John McEnroe<\/a> in a 2011 interview with Parade<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“I was in this tournament and I was at my all-time McEnroe best \u2014 throwing my racket and saying words that were not acceptable,” the actor recalled.<\/p>\n

The Fight Club<\/a> star went on to explain how his father helped him shift his perspective.<\/p>\n

“Then I saw my dad stand up and walk down to the court. He got right up to me and said, ‘Are you having fun?’ I said, ‘No.’ And he said, ‘Then don’t do it,'” Pitt said. “He very calmly turned around and walked back to his seat. In that moment, all the pressure on me evaporated. I finished the game \u2014 I got crushed, but I didn’t mind. I didn’t play tennis again for maybe a good year.”<\/p>\n

03 of 11<\/p>\n

Zendaya\"Zendaya<\/p>\n

Zendaya Coleman during Day 7 of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on April 13, 2024 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.
Credit: Jean Catuffe\/Getty<\/p>\n

Though Zendaya didn’t grow up playing tennis, she did train with professional tennis coach and former pro Brad Gilbert for her role in Challengers<\/a>. The actress starred in the sports drama alongside Josh O’Connor<\/a> and Mike Faist<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“When you have a short period of time, it’s like a player getting ready for the Aussie Open,” Gilbert explained in an interview with ATPTour.com<\/a>. “You’ve got weeks to get ready, and really put in the yards… They have this [time] to become the role that they are. You’ve got a short period of time, then you’ve got to maximize your time.”<\/p>\n

04 of 11<\/p>\n

Tina Fey\"Tina<\/p>\n

Tina Fey at the 2024 US Open Tennis Championships on September 07, 2024 in New York City.
Credit: Gotham\/GC Images<\/p>\n

Tina Fey<\/a> attended high school in Upper Darby, Pa., where she was an honor student and co-editor of the student newspaper as well as a member of the drama club, two singing groups, the community service corps and the tennis team, according to TIME<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Since then, the Saturday Night Live<\/a> alum has been spotted multiple times at the US Open<\/a> with her husband Jeff Richmond<\/a>. In 2024, the couple were even joined by one of their daughters<\/a>, Alice.<\/p>\n

05 of 11<\/p>\n

Matthew McConaughey\"Matthew<\/p>\n

Matthew McConaughey plays tennis in April 2024.
Credit: Matthew McConaughey\/Instagram<\/p>\n

McConaughey embraced tennis as an adult. In June 2023, the Oscar-winning actor admitted that he felt “guilty” for having so much fun playing the sport.<\/p>\n

“I just found a hobby in tennis \u2014 first hobby I’ve had in 25 years,” McConaughey said on the Lex Fridman Podcast<\/a>. “I went to play tennis and I started to love it. For the first month, I started feeling guilty. I was like, ‘Is it okay to have this much fun? I’m having so much fun and I’m getting a great workout.'”<\/p>\n

06 of 11<\/p>\n

Will Ferrell\"Will<\/p>\n

Will Ferrell attends the K-Swiss Global Tennis Showdown on May 2, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.
Credit: Noel Vasquez\/Getty<\/p>\n

Will Ferrell<\/a> is a longtime host of Desert Smash<\/a>, a tennis tournament that brings together celebrities and professional tennis players to raise money for various charitable causes. He’s also been spotted numerous times at Grand Slam championships like the US Open and Wimbledon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In January 2026, the official US Open TikTok account even shared an old video of Ferrell playing doubles<\/a> in 2009 with tennis stars Andy Murray<\/a> and Andy Roddick<\/a> and fellow actor Will Arnett<\/a>.<\/p>\n

07 of 11<\/p>\n

Kate Middleton\"Catherine,<\/p>\n

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, plays tennis during a visit the Coach Core Essex apprenticeship on October 30, 2018 in Basildon, England.
Credit: ADRIAN DENNIS\/POOL\/AFP via Getty<\/p>\n

Kate Middleton<\/a> is a regular attendee at Wimbledon<\/a>. The Princess of Wales has been patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which hosts the annual tournament, since 2016.<\/p>\n

In an interview with the Daily Mail<\/a> in January 2020, Australian tennis star Rod Laver revealed that Princess Kate and her husband, Prince William<\/a>, often play tennis together.<\/p>\n

“I’d met William and Kate a few times, and in the Royal Box you get a chance to chat with them a little bit. They play tennis against each other. William told me he couldn’t beat her,” the athlete said.<\/p>\n

08 of 11<\/p>\n

Christine Taylor\"Ben<\/p>\n

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor attend the 2024 US Open Tennis Championships on August 27, 2024 in Flushing, New York.
Credit: Gotham\/GC Images<\/p>\n

Christine Taylor<\/a> grew up playing tennis and later influenced her husband, Ben Stiller<\/a>, to embrace the sport.<\/p>\n

“It started out for him loving tennis by default because it was always on our television,” the actress told ESPN<\/a> in 2012. “I begged him to take me to Wimbledon for my birthday a few years ago and we did. And this past US Open, he was screaming at the finals harder than me!”<\/p>\n

09 of 11<\/p>\n

Dakota Fanning\"Dakota<\/p>\n

Dakota Fanning on Day 15 of the 2025 US Open Tennis Championships on September 07, 2025 in New York City.
Credit: XNY\/Star Max\/GC Images<\/p>\n

Dakota Fanning<\/a>‘s parents<\/a> were both professional athletes. Her father, Steve Fanning, played professional baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals and her mother, Heather Joy Arrington<\/a>, played professional tennis. Although the actress didn’t follow in her parents’ footsteps in terms of her career, she did dabble in the sport growing up.<\/p>\n

“My mom started me on tennis when I was 3,” Dakota once told NJ.com<\/a>. “That’s what I was going to be, a tennis player. And I guess I could have been. But I don’t like getting sweaty. I don’t like getting hot. And my mom sort of realized, ‘Oh my God, she’s not going to be an athlete.’ That really came out of the blue for them.”<\/p>\n

10 of 11<\/p>\n

Anna Wintour\"Anna<\/p>\n

Anna Wintour attends the 2013 US Open on September 8, 2013 in New York City.
Credit: Uri Schanker\/WireImage<\/p>\n

Anna Wintour<\/a> doesn’t just watch tennis. According to her private instructor Byron Spence, the former <\/a>Vogue<\/a> editor-in-chief<\/a> is pretty good at the sport herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“She’s like a retriever,” Spence told The New York Times<\/a> in August 2012. “She’s so fast. She’ll chase down everything. She doesn’t hit with a lot of spin, but she has an amazing cross-court forehand.”<\/p>\n

11 of 11<\/p>\n

Lars Ulrich\"Lars<\/p>\n

Lars Ulrich on November 5, 2017 in New York City.
Credit: Paul Zimmerman\/WireImage<\/p>\n

Metallica<\/a> drummer Lars Ulrich was born into an athletic family. His late father, Torben Ulrich<\/a>, was a professional tennis player.<\/p>\n

In a 2011 interview with The Howard Stern Show<\/a>, Ulrich spoke of growing up on the international tennis circuit and why he had wanted to go pro as a kid.<\/p>\n

“In my mind, I was almost a professional tennis player\u2026 I don’t know if it was to bond with my father, but it was what I knew so it was sort of what I wanted to do,” he said.<\/p>\n

Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n