The 10 Best Films About Tennis. In this series of sports-themed articles, we’ll be reviewing the best sports films from auto racing and baseball to tennis and surfing. These Best Of lists will include both popular and lesser-known films from a specific sports film subgenre and our plan is to release each list monthly near a major sporting event.
For all the sports verticals we’ve been covering for this series of sport-themed articles, films about tennis have the least number of films. However, despite being a worldwide sport with so few films (compared to popular sports such as soccer and baseball), there are some quality films that no sports fans should miss.
While tennis is a sport with worldwide global stars from Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe to Serena and Venus Williams and world-famous events such as Wimbledon, it wasn’t until the 2000s that many of the quality films of the subgenre started to appear. Over the next two and a half decades, breakout hits would appear from Wimbledon (2004) to King Richard (2021) and Challengers (2024). And like all sports, there were some great stories to tell from the famous Borg and McEnroe rivalry of the 80s in Borg vs McEnroe (2017) to a PR stunt (highlighting the rise of feminism in the sport) that pitted Bobby Riggs against Billie Jean King in Battle of the Sexes (2017).
Once we’ve completed the list of best films by individual sport, we’ll have a cumulative article with the absolute 50 best sports films. For now, you can view our tentative schedule below and we’ll try to fit in some articles for some other sports such as Volleyball and Rowing that aren’t typically depicted in many films:
- Best Films About Football
- Best Films About Baseball
- Best Films About Surfing
- Best Films About Basketball
- Best Films About Summer Olympic Sports
- Best Films About Soccer
- Best Films About Running
- Best Films About Tennis
- Best Films About Auto Racing
- Best Films About Hockey
- Best Films About Wrestling
- Best Films About Boxing, MMA & Competitive Martial Arts
- Best Films About Winter Olympic Sports
- The 50 Best Sports Films
For our rankings we’re going to use some criteria to help define and refine our list. First, the film must primarily be about tennis. This means films such as Match Point (2005) won’t be considered for this list as the film is much more of a Romantic Thriller and Psychological Thriller. Despite Chris Wilton’s (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) background as a tennis instructor, there’s little to no tennis in the film.
Second, tennis is closely related to two other racket sports – ping pong (table tennis) and badminton. However, we want to keep this list focused solely on films about tennis, so we won’t be listing films in these related sports. But, if you’re looking for films about ping pong or table tennis, we would suggest checking out Balls of Fury (2007), Ping Pong Playa (2008), As One (2012) and Ping Pong Summer (2014). And for films about badminton, Lee Chone Wei: Rise of the Legend (2018) and Susi Susanti: Love All (2019) are some good sports biopics we would also recommend.
Third, like other sports subgenre films, there are a fair number of films about tennis that are also romantic dramas or romantic comedies. We will include these if the film has a significant amount of tennis action. Examples here include Wimbledon (2004) and Challengers (2024) which balance the sport of tennis with romance.
Fourth, like our other sports-themed articles, we’re going to give higher weight and ranking to the films that show as much exciting tennis action as possible. The more tennis action a film has, the higher it will rank.
And fifth, we had to follow our rule for all of KBZ’s film listings where we only list films that have a 4.0/10 or higher rating and were released after 1970.
Our complete list of Sports Dramas features over 587+ films from 1942 – 2024 and our complete list of Sports Comedies features over 254+ films from 1968 – 2024. Though we don’t yet break down films by sports discipline, we will list every individual sport-related film in their respective articles. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to get updated as we release future articles on each sport and add the latest and greatest subgenre films to our collection.
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The 10 Best Films About Tennis
Films that didn’t make our list (and only for completists): Racquet (1979), Nobody’s Perfect (1990), 16-Love (2012), Road to the Open (2014), Mr. Hurt (2017), Game, Set, Love (2022) and Never Give Up (2023).
Honorable Mentions: Second Serve (1986), The Break (1995), When Billie Beat Bobby (2001), 2nd Serve (2012), 40-Love (2021) and Julie Keeps Quiet (2024).
#10
7 Days in Hell
Plot: A fictional documentary-style expose on the rivalry between two tennis stars who battled it out in a 1999 match that lasted seven days.
KBZ’s Take: We normally wouldn’t include 7 Days in Hell on this list but given there aren’t many quality tennis films to select from, the film makes the back end of our list.
This is raunchy Mockumentary that people will either love or hate. There are a few laughs in the 50-minute film and Andy Samberg and Kit Harington do an admirable job of parodying the many legendary feuds of past tennis stars.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: An enthusiastic school janitor sees a chance to make something of himself by training a team of misfits to compete in the state tennis championships.
KBZ’s Take: Not only one the raunchiest film about tennis, but also one of the raunchiest sports comedies, Balls Out is a film you should be prepared for before watching. There’s quite a bit of crude and raunchy humor in this film that might turn off some fans (while others will find it hilarious).
Seann William Scott stars as Gary and he’s carved out quite the niche in the raunchy comedy subgenre from American Pie (1999) and Road Trip (2000) to Goon (2011). If you enjoy the humor in those films, there’s a good chance you’ll also enjoy Balls Out.
Additional Lists: The Funniest Raunchy Sports Comedies #17
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#8
Break Point
Plot: A rough around the edges tennis pro is making one final crack at a major doubles tournament. Due to his drinking and on court attitude, other pros shy away from being his partner. He’ll have to ask his younger brother for help if he wants to succeed.
KBZ’s Take: Break Point is another R-rated sports comedy on our list and though it does have a few raunchy humor moments, it’s much more of a sports comedy about two brothers. It’s a low budget film that’s elevated by the performances of Jeremy Sisto and David Walton as the estranged brothers with a great supporting cast including Adam DeVine, Amy Smart and J.K. Simmons.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: In 1984 Germany, a hot-headed teenage Boris Becker has but one goal: to play tennis in the big leagues, and to be the best at it. Despite his temper, he is scouted by coach Günther Bosch, who sees the future Wimbledon champion for what he is.
KBZ’s Take: In the mid to late 80s, there wasn’t a more popular tennis star worldwide than Boris Becker. The German teenager was the youngest Grand Slam champion and would go on to win three Wimbledon Championships, two Australian Opens, one U.S. Open and an Olympic gold medal in men’s doubles tennis in 1992.
Though this German-produced biography of Boris Becker isn’t one of the better sports biopics, it does have an unusual performance by Bruno Alexander (Boris Becker) as a sports figure who’s volatile, immature and ultimately hard to initially root for. But that’s where a great performance by Samuel Finzi as Becker’s coach, Günther Bosch, comes into play as the guiding force in Becker’s life that molded him into a champion.
Where to Stream / Buy: Tubi
#6
Wimbledon
Plot: A pro tennis player has lost his ambition and has fallen in rank to 119. Fortunately for him, he meets a young player on the women’s circuit who helps him recapture his focus for Wimbledon.
KBZ’s Take: Wimbledon is one of the films we noted above that is primarily a Romantic Comedy but makes our list due to the great third act involving Peter’s (Paul Bettany) match at Wimbledon. It’s one of the best sequences of tennis action in the subgenre and worth seeing (even if you’re averse to romantic-themed sports films).
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: The true story of the 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs.
KBZ’s Take: There’s two biopics that chronicle the infamous PR stunt that featured the 55-year-old Bobby Riggs against the much younger Billie Jean King. Though we preferred the performances by Ron Silver (as Riggs) and Holly Hunter (as King) in the TV Movie When Billie Beat Bobby (2001), The Battle of the Sexes is the better film and the one we recommend. However, we would also recommend watching both films for different looks at the event the ushered in feminism into the sport of tennis.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#4
Final Set
Plot: Thomas was once renowned as a young tennis prodigy, but never had the career he hoped for. At 37, despite his declining physical fitness and shattered knee he decides to compete in the intense qualifying rounds of the French Open at Roland-Garros for one last attempt at glory. Although his wife Eve and mother Judith advise him to give up, Thomas obsessively pushes forward. He will have to fight his own demons and will ultimately face a determined young player who reminds him of his younger self.
KBZ’s Take: Most films in any sports subgenre are about the underdog or prodigy that rises to unfathomable glory in pursuit of a championship. Final Set is not one of those films. This is a film about the majority of stories you don’t see and are more in tune with reality – the aging prodigy who never quite made it and can’t come to terms with his failure.
This isn’t a crowd-pleasing film but rather a must-see film from any sports subgenre about the realities of aging and sport.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#3
King Richard
Plot: The true story of how Richard Williams coached and raised his daughters, Venus and Serena, to be legendary tennis players.
KBZ’s Take: Love him or hate him for the ‘slapped seen round the world’ at the 94th Academy Awards, this is Will Smith’s defining role as Richard Williams. While the story’s focus is mostly on the elder Williams, it’s the scenes of Venus and Serena growing into their roles as tennis phenoms that steals the film. There are so many great performances in this film that it’s hard to select one.
The only reason we don’t have the film as #1 on this list is because the film’s focus is on Richard Williams vs. Serena and Venus. However, that shouldn’t stop you from seeing this film as it’s one of the best inspirational films about not only sports but also of family.
Additional Lists: Top Inspirational Sports Films You Haven’t Seen #1
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#2
Challengers
Plot: Tashi, a tennis player turned coach, has transformed her husband from a mediocre player into a world-famous grand slam champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she makes him play a challenger event – close to the lowest level of tournament on the pro tour. Tensions soon run high when he finds himself standing across the net from the once-promising, now burnt-out Patrick, his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend.
KBZ’s Take: With all lists, we have to watch films we haven’t seen yet so we can properly rank and/or recommend them for these lists. Challengers is one of the rare films we put off seeing that immediately shot up to the top of this list due to not only its story, but also of its amazing scenes of tennis play.
The story by itself is unique as it documents the relationship between tennis players Tashi (Zendaya), Patrick (Josh O’Connor) and Art (Mike Faist), This trio of actors are amazing in the film as the plot time shifts back and forth to show the growing relationship (and fractures) between the individuals.
But the real star of the film is the tennis action. This is some of the best of any sports film and director Luca Guadagnino infuses kinetic and chaotic energy into a sport (whose action) is often difficult to capture on film. This is a film we highly recommend for fans of any sports subgenre as its sports choreography is that amazing and unique.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: The Swedish Björn Borg and the American John McEnroe, the best tennis players in the world, maintain a legendary duel during the 1980 Wimbledon tournament.
KBZ’s Take: Sports films will often focus on rivalries from the real-life boxing rivalry between Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier as shown in Ali (2001) to the fictional tennis rivalry noted above between Art and Patrick in Challengers (2024). However, when personalities dominate these rivalries, there’s none better than the actual rivalry between the mercurial John McEnroe and reserved Björn Borg.
Borg and McEnroe were two of the most infamous rivals of the early 80s and Borg vs McEnroe captures all the public and personal moments between these two from their preparation before their match to the intense battle on the court. This a film that works due to the excellent performances by Shia LaBeouf (McEnroe) and Sverrir Guðnason (Borg) who capture all the individual intricacies within their respective roles.
If there’s one sports film about tennis that is entirely about the animosity and admiration between two rivals, this is it. And it’s also one of the best of all sports films that documents a real-life match that, even though you already know the outcome based on history, is still intense and nerve-wracking regardless of who you’re rooting for.
Additional Lists: Top Sports Drama Films You Haven’t Seen #7
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
