Surprise Tennis Court Enthusiasts! Famous Celebrities Who Play Tennis

Your Guide

Gavin Davison

Tennis is enjoyed by the young and old, the talented or not-so-talented and as it would seem – by the rich and famous too.

The latter is precisely what I’d like to talk about in this quick piece, for many people are curious whether their celebrity heroes actually play the same sport they love.

After doing my research, I can confirm that a rather impressive number of celebrities do play tennis, and some are reportedly quite good at it!

Of course, I cannot confirm this with my own eyes, but I can share with you the information that I’ve found.

So, let’s have some fun, shall we?

Surprise Tennis Court Enthusiasts!

Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres may have shot to fame thanks to her amazingly popular talk show, but rumor has it she enjoys whacking a tennis ball around too.

While there aren’t really any reports on when DeGenrer first started playing the game, she has made her love the sport well-known in recent years.

This just goes to show that tennis is a sport that can be learned and enjoyed at any age, especially when you consider that Ellen DeGeneres is currently in her mid 60’s.

This is impressive in itself, although I would like to know whether she brings her typical comedy to the courts or whether she gets extremely competitive out there!

I wouldn’t like to say, but either way, it’s pretty cool that she enjoys a good game of tennis away from the TV set!

Brad Pitt

In terms of famous Hollywood actors, it’s hard to think of many that are more popular or famous than Brad Pitt.

This man has evolved to become a bit of an icon over the years, and he has been in some ridiculously popular films during his long acting career.

But as you’ll have guessed, given the topic of this article, Brad Pitt is reported to enjoy playing tennis while he’s not putting together blockbuster films.

Things have been this way for quite a while for Brad too, as he first picked up a racket back in high school and actually represented them against other schools in Missouri.

While I obviously didn’t see him playing all the way back in 1981, one would assume that he was rather decent at the game to get onto the school team. And as you can see in the photo, he even played with a wooden racket all those years ago!

Kate Middleton and Prince William

If you enjoy a bit of the Royal Family, I have a feeling you will be quite familiar with these two celebrities.

Of course, Kate Middleton and Prince William are very much in the spotlight when it comes to the Royals, mainly because Prince William is set to be the next King of England.

Call me old-fashioned, but I think it’s somewhat fitting that William enjoys a ‘gentleman’s game’ as it was once known. It’s also rather cool that his wife, Kate Middleton, also enjoys a game of tennis.

I’ve actually seen these two on a number of occasions sitting in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, and I must say, they get rather into it!

I wonder if this passion and competitiveness flow over when they go and play against each other.

Bill Gates

I was debating whether to include Bill Gates as a celebrity or not, but when you consider that the guy’s net worth is over $120 billion – how could he not be classed as rich and famous?

Now, Gates enjoys the game of tennis a little differently from others on this list since he’s not afraid to get into the spotlight and put his skills on show.

In fact, he has participated in a number of charity tennis matches over the years.

Perhaps most famously, he played in the ‘Match for Africa’ while teaming up with Roger Federer against Rafael Nadal and Trevor Noah.

Ben Stiller

Now we have another famous actor who enjoys a good bit of tennis, this time in the form of Ben Stiller.

The only thing about Stiller is that he has confessed that he isn’t awfully good at the game, as confirmed when he attempted to rally a few balls with Rafael Nadal in the past – something which Stiller claims to have been ‘very embarrassing.

The cool thing is that while he didn’t perform too well with Nadal, he claims that this prompted him to start taking lessons and he has since grown to love the sport.

Not only is he an avid player, but he is also an avid fan, regularly showing up to events like the US Open to watch the top players in action.

As it happens, one of my all-time favorite moments was when Andy Roddick went to ask Ben Stiller for an autograph after his match at the Open one year.

Usually, it’s the other way around, but when you’ve got an actor with the caliber of Ben Stiller in the crowd, I guess you have to ask.

Matthew McConaughey

Last but not least, we may as well wrap things up with one of the biggest celebrities of our time – Matthew McConaughey.

Much like Brad Pitt and Ben Stiller before him, McConaughey has been in all kinds of blockbuster films, although I’ve yet to see him playing tennis in any of them!

However, he reports that he developed a love for tennis while back in high school until he, unfortunately, broke his foot, which pretty much ended his high school tennis days.

Now he is a famous actor; he apparently loves taking to court when he gets some spare time away from the movie/TV sets.

I’m sure that this is a great way for him to stay in shape for roles that require him to be lean and fit, although I would like to know if he is any good!

I can imagine that for a guy who also played football and basketball in his youth, he might be fairly decent, but who’s to say?

Notable mention:

Marco Tardelli is famous for the goal he scored in Italy’s World Cup Final in 1982. However, after his professional soccer career also likes to keep fit by playing tennis.