The Best Tennis Movies

Ranker Film
Updated May 1, 2024 25.1K views 33 items
Ranked By
1.1K votes
375 voters
Latest additions: Challengers
Most divisive: Players
Over 300 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Tennis Movies Ever Made

The competitive world of tennis has inspired film directors and screenwriters to create some of the most memorable movies ever made. From heartfelt stories to gripping dramas and thrilling showdowns, these films showcase the richness and diversity of tennis movies, expertly portraying the sport's themes and ideologies. 

The finest tennis movies illuminate the intensity and determination that drives the sport, blending great storytelling with unforgettable depictions of tennis legends and their remarkable journeys. These movies have impacted the film industry, earning critical acclaim and leaving an indelible mark on the history of cinema. 

We'll explore a few outstanding examples that beautifully capture the essence of tennis in movies, igniting the audience's fascination for both the sport and filmmaking. An example of such enthralling films includes the King Richard, a compelling biopic exploring the story of Richard Williams and his unyielding dedication to raising two of the greatest tennis players in history, Serena and Venus Williams. Another remarkable tennis movie, Borg Vs. McEnroe, considers the famous rivalry between tennis legends Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe during the 1980 Wimbledon Championship. Battle of the Sexes examines the powerful story of the 1973 exhibition match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs that served as a defining moment in history for women's rights and gender equality. These captivating examples represent only a fraction of the exceptional tennis movies available to audiences seeking inspiration, entertainment, and the sheer thrill of competition. 

The lasting appeal of these outstanding tennis movies speaks to their timeless narratives and unforgettable characters that continue to inspire fans of cinema and sports alike. They are captivating works of art.  

  • Challengers
    1
    Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist
    15 votes
    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.
  • Wimbledon
    2
    Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, Sam Neill
    102 votes
    Frustrated at his own failures and disillusioned with professional sports, tennis player Peter Colt (Paul Bettany) resolves to retire from competition and become an instructor at an exclusive private club. But when Colt receives a surprise wild-card berth in Wimbledon, he can't help but enter the tournament. Soon, Colt meets Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst), a beautiful American tennis player with an upcoming match of her own, and finds the inspiration he hopes will turn his luck around.
  • Borg Vs. McEnroe
    3
    Sverrir Gudnason, Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsgård
    87 votes
    Borg McEnroe is a 2017 internationally co-produced multi-language biographical sports drama film directed by Janus Metz Pedersen. The story of the 1980s tennis rivalry between the placid Björn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason) and the volatile John McEnroe (Shia LaBeouf).
  • King Richard
    4
    Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal
    55 votes
    Armed with a clear vision and a brazen, 78-page plan, Richard Williams is determined to write his two daughters, Venus and Serena, into history. Training on tennis courts in Compton, Calif., Richard shapes the girls' unyielding commitment and keen intuition. Together, the Williams family defies seemingly insurmountable odds and the prevailing expectations laid before them.
  • Battle Of The Sexes
    5
    Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough
    69 votes
    The 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs became the most watched televised sports event of all time. Trapped in the media glare, King and Riggs were on opposites sides of a binary argument, but off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. With her husband urging her to fight for equal pay, the private King was also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, while Riggs gambled his legacy and reputation in a bid to relive the glories of his past.
  • Legends Of Wimbledon: Pete Sampras
    6

    Legends Of Wimbledon: Pete Sampras

    Boris Becker
    23 votes
  • 7 Days In Hell
    7

    7 Days In Hell

    Andy Samberg, Kit Harington, Mary Steenburgen
    54 votes
    7 Days in Hell is a 2015 mockumentary directed by Jake Szymanski. Tennis champions Aaron Williams (Andy Samberg) and Charles Poole (Kit Harington) are locked in an epic tennis match that stretches on for seven days.
  • When Billie Beat Bobby
    8
    Holly Hunter, Ron Silver, Matt Letscher
    31 votes
    Bobby Riggs (Ron Silver), a middle-aged former tennis champion, challenges female players to exhibition matches as a way to make money and generate publicity for himself. The chauvinistic Riggs is riding high after he defeats Margaret Court (Matt Letscher), a top-ranked player. Then he publicly challenges another woman, Billie Jean King (Holly Hunter). King accepts, but takes the match more seriously than Riggs, and uses the ensuing media circus to promote women's equality in sports.
  • Match Point
    9
    Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Emily Mortimer
    48 votes
    In the suspenseful drama Match Point, Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a former tennis pro turned coach, navigates the upper echelons of London society. He's drawn into a dangerous love triangle with his wealthy friend Tom Hewett's (Matthew Goode) sister Chloe (Emily Mortimer) and his fiancé Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson). As events spiral out of control, Chris is forced to make some life-altering decisions. Directed by Woody Allen, this film expertly weaves themes of luck, ambition, and morality into its narrative. Garnering an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, Match Point offers viewers a gripping tale of desire and deceit.
  • The Journeymen
    10

    The Journeymen

    Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter
    30 votes
  • Balls Out: Gary The Tennis Coach
    11
    Randy Quaid, Leonor Varela, Seann William Scott
    30 votes
    Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach is an American sports comedy film directed by Danny Leiner and features actor Randy Quaid in a supporting role. It was filmed mostly in Austin and Taylor, Texas, and was released direct-to-video on January 13, 2009.
  • Arthur Ashe: Citizen Of The World
    12

    Arthur Ashe: Citizen Of The World

    Maya Angelou, John McEnroe, Billie Jean King
    32 votes
    Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World is a 1994 sports documentary film written by Frank Deford and directed by Julie Anderson.
  • The Prince Of Tennis
    13
    Yu Shirota, Kanata Hongō, Takumi Saito
    21 votes
    The Prince of Tennis is a 2006 Japanese sports film based on the manga series of the same name by Takeshi Konomi. The film was directed by Yuichi Abe, written by Abe and Daisuke Habara and stars Kanata Hongo as Ryoma Echizen. It condenses the storyline from when Ryoma arrives in Japan to the match against Hyotei Academy. The film was released in Japan on May 13, 2006.
  • Legends Of Wimbledon: Bjorn Borg
    14

    Legends Of Wimbledon: Bjorn Borg

    22 votes
  • Venus And Serena
    15

    Venus And Serena

    Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Anna Wintour
    27 votes
    Filmmakers Maiken Baird and Michelle Major follow sisters and tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams on and off the courts as both battle health problems and media controversy.
  • Unmatched
    16

    Unmatched

    20 votes
    Unmatched is a documentary film directed by Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern that aired as part of ESPN's film series 30 for 30.
  • Break Point
    17

    Break Point

    Chris Parnell, Jeremy Sisto, Jenny Wade
    22 votes
    Break Point is a 2014 American comedy film directed by Jay Karas. With nobody else to turn to, brash man-child Jimmy Price (Jeremy Sisto) partners up with his estranged brother (David Walton) for an upcoming tennis doubles tournament.
  • Final Set
    18
    Alex Lutz, Ana Girardot, Kristin Scott Thomas
    7 votes
    Final Set is a 2020 French drama film that delves into the tenacious world of professional tennis, marking the relentless push towards athletic excellence. The film tells the story of Thomas (Alex Lutz), a once-promising tennis player, who is determined to make a comeback at the major tournament. However, he must confront the reality of his aging body and the arrival of younger and fitter players. As he battles through rounds and personal trials, the movie emphasizes themes of perseverance and the complexities of personal and professional redemption. The film portrays the protagonist's grueling fight against physical limits and the weight of expectation.
  • Hard, Fast, And Beautiful
    19
    Claire Trevor, Sally Forrest, Carleton G. Young
    11 votes
    Average California teenager Florence Farley (Sally Forrest) accepts an invitation to an exclusive country club from handsome Gordon McKay (Robert Clarke). When Florence's skill as a tennis player begins to attract attention, her manipulative mother, Milly (Claire Trevor), pressures her to join the competitive tennis circuit for women despite the misgivings of her more unassuming husband, Will (Kenneth Patterson). As Florence's fame grows, so does her mother's ambition and chicanery.
  • Legends Of Wimbledon: John McEnroe
    20

    Legends Of Wimbledon: John McEnroe

    John McEnroe
    14 votes
  • Players
    21
    Ali MacGraw, Dean Paul Martin, Maximilian Schell
    26 votes
    Players is a 1979 American film directed by Anthony Harvey. A rising tennis star (Dean Paul Martin) falls in love with an older woman (Ali MacGraw), a jet-setter who's involved with a millionaire, while playing in the Wimbledon championships.
  • Untold: Breaking Point
    22
    6 votes
    Tennis player Mardy Fish tries to push through the mental strain at the 2012 US Open quarterfinals but bows out and is later diagnosed with an anxiety disorder; he goes public with his struggles to help athletes deal with mental health issues.
  • Citizen Ashe
    23
    Arthur Ashe, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, Johnnie Ashe
    5 votes
    Filmmakers Rex Miller and Sam Pollard chronicle Arthur Ashe's many contributions to the sport of tennis and his human rights activism.
  • Love Means Zero
    24
    Nick Bollettieri, Andre Agassi, Boris Becker
    5 votes
    Love Means Zero is a 2017 American documentary film directed by Jason Kohn. An in-depth look at famed tennis coach Nick Bollettieri and his troubled relationship with Andre Agassi. No other coach has matched his success, his dominance or his fame. His greatness, though, came at a terrible price.
  • The Break
    25
    Martin Sheen, Betsy Russell, Rae Dawn Chong
    17 votes
    The Break is a 1995 film directed by Lee H. Katzin. It stars Vincent Van Patten as Nick, a former tennis player turned coach to a new up and coming player, and Rae Dawn Chong as a former girlfriend. The film appeared during the 1990s, mostly on cable TV.
  • Unstrung
    26
    20 votes
    Unstrung exposes the dramas of the juniors tennis world, hitting the road with a handful of teenage competitors as they head for the national championship.
  • Jelenin svet
    27
    Jelenin svet is a 2008 independent documentary film written and directed by Tanja Brzaković, about former World No. 1 female tennis player, Jelena Janković.
  • The Christian Licorice Store
    28

    The Christian Licorice Store

    Beau Bridges, Maud Adams, Jean Renoir
    9 votes
    The Christian Licorice Store is a 1971 drama comedy film written by Floyd Mutrux and directed by James Frawley.
  • Spring Fever
    29

    Spring Fever

    Jessica Walter, Susan Anton, Barbara Cook
    18 votes
    Spring Fever is a 1982 film set in the world of competitive tennis. It was produced with the participation at the Canadian Film Development Corporation and Famous Players Limited.
  • Jocks
    30
    Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Lee, Richard Roundtree
    12 votes
    Jocks is a 1987 teen comedy. The film was directed by Steve Carver and written by Michael Lanahan and David Oas. Jocks was shot in Las Vegas, Nevada and in Los Angeles, California.