Tennis is one of the most popular sports on the planet. The Grand Slam events such as the US Open and Wimbledon draw in millions of viewers worldwide, and when people aren’t watching tennis or playing it themselves, they often look for other ways to consume the sports, with tennis-inspired movies high on the agenda.
Break Point
We mentioned the iconic US Open in the intro to this piece, which plays a crucial role in the 2014 movie Break Point. In the film, tennis pro Jimmy, who Jeremy Sisto plays, ends up linking up with his estranged brother Darren, played by David Walton, who he used to play doubles with but ditched for someone ranked higher. Jimmy and Darren are opposites in terms of their personalities, but on the court, they work well together and decide to compete at the US Open for one last shot. It’d be interesting to see how they’d fare in tennis match betting markets if the story was real, that’d for sure.
First One In
First One In has one of the more exciting plots of any tennis movie. Everything stems from Madi Cooke, played by Kat Foster in this 2020 film, becoming hated by everyone after taking part in a reality TV show where she kills a rodent. After losing her job due to her actions, she’s on the lookout for a new one, and after applying at a real estate company, she’s disappointed to learn the boss will only employ those skilled at tennis due to an annual event. So, Cooke gets to work learning how to play to a good standard and ends up competing against the boss and those who work for her.
Final Set
Final Set is a 2021 film that documents the highs and lows of a tennis player named Thomas J. Edison. At this point in the movie, Edison is thirty-seven and has seen his career decline, largely due to a knee injury that has plagued him for a long time. However, Edison remains determined to mount a comeback at the French Open, and with a seventeen-year-old opponent in his way, it begins to remind the former teen prodigy of himself at that age and the journey he’s embarking on. Edison has support from those around him as he is set to take on one final set, but they’re also happy for him to give up the ghost.
Borg vs McEnroe
Everyone knows that Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe were rivals in the sport. They faced off against each other fourteen times between the years 1978 and 1981, with the rivalry between the pair fierce at times. So, in many respects, it makes for the perfect movie. This film, which hit screens in 2017, does well to bring to the fore the massive differences between Borg and McEnroe in terms of their personalities and playing styles on the court but also shows why they’re long-term friends away from tennis.
