6 Iconic Tennis Movies Every Fan Must Watch

Compared with basketball and football movies that are popular within the filmmaking industry, tennis movies are rare. But when these flicks are available, they are sure to delight the viewers.

Here are some of the iconic film that every tennis fan must watch

1) Battle of the Sexes (2017)

This one’s the most recent tennis film starring Emma Stone and Steve Carrell. It’s a biographical sports story depicting the legendary match between Billie Jean King and Robert “Bobby” Rigg. The movie goes with the tagline ‘He made a bet. She made history.’ King accepted the challenge to play against Rigg on a televised match. The prize money was $100,000. For Riggs, his relevance was on the line. However, for King, her goal was to help in closing the gender pay gap in tennis. It was a social issue in the 1970s that no one seemed to take seriously until later.

2) Love Means Zero (2017)

This movie is an underrated tennis film about Nick Bollettieri, a tennis coach. He was the man behind several tennis champions including Monica Seles, Jim Courier, Boris Becker, Andre Agassi, and the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena. Nonetheless, the film focuses on the relationship of Bollettieri and Agassi as coach and player within the bounds of his tennis academy.

3) Borg vs McEnroe (2017)

Featuring one of the most enduring rivalries in tennis, the biographical sports film chronicled what went through during their 1980 Wimbledon championship match. Shia LaBeouf played John McEnroe while Sverrir Gudnason played Bjorn Borg. It is an epic face-off of the two players who have larger-than-life personalities that sure to make a clash to remember.

4) 7 Days in Hell (2015)

The film was inspired by the legendary Wimbledon match between Nicolas Mahut and John Isner. It happened during the 2010 Wimbledon first-round match. The game went on for a staggering 11 hours and 5 minutes in three days. The movie is a mockumentary of what was considered as the longest match in the history of tennis. The 50-minute comedy film is sure to give the audience some good laughs. And yes, Serena has a cameo. 

5) Break Point (2014)

The film is a feel-good, family tennis movie. The two estranged brothers, who used to play doubles, had to play tennis once more – their last shot to win a Grand Slam. It has an underdog narrative that is undermined by its dry humour. The characters are believable, although the tennis skills are lacking and render the film inauthentic. Other than that, the off-court scenes are great.

6) Wimbledon (2004)

Wimbledon is a guilty pleasure chick-flick, starring Paul Bettany who played Peter Colt and Kirsten Dunst. It follows the romance of a pro tennis player and a tennis starlet. It has some of the great tennis scenes that made the viewers feel like they are part of the match. At some point, one would want to root for Colt to win both the championship and the woman. Tennis legends, McEnroe and Chris Evert, appeared in the movie.

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Which tennis movie do you love the most? Let us know!