Jimmy Connors Highlights How Hollywood Made Tennis Uber Cool Back in the 80s

When Game, Set, Match met Lights, Camera, Action. Let’s have a look at tennis back in the 70s and 80s when it was really a popular sport among Hollywood stars. Tennis is not just a great sport and exercise for the body, but it also serves as a great activity for psychological well-being. So, often several actors and actresses used to get engaged in this beautiful racket sport in their leisure time.

Recently, Jimmy Connors and Brett Connors appeared in the special Valentine’s edition of the Advantage Connors podcast. They spoke about the crowd in Las Vegas and Jimmy Connors revealed how Hollywood supported the game back then.

Jimmy Connors reveals his favorite place in Las Vegas

During the podcast, Jimmy Connors reflected on how hard it was to get a ticket in the small stadium of Las Vegas, which had almost 4000 seating capacity. He said boxing matches were also held in that stadium and added, “The crowd and the personalities were there, Hollywood were there.“

“You know, tennis back in the 70s and the 80s was very popular with Hollywood and the stars and what they thought of tennis. They all had courts in their backyard. We were able to go there and play with them. And, you know kind of get to know them a little bit and in turn, they supported you know the game itself. So you know, I mean the excitement that was created and also in Las Vegas. How can you beat that? Caesars Palace, on the strip in Las Vegas, Sin City. You know I need to go back to those days when I was and still it’s one of my favorite places to go. So it was fun for me to be a part of that,” Jimmy Connors added.

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Tennis and Hollywood have come hand in hand several times. Some of the best tennis movies include- ‘Nobody’s Perfect'(1990), Players (1979), Match Point (2005), Break Point (2014), Batlle of Sexes (2017), Borg/McEnroe (2017) and King Richard (2021). How many of them have you watched?

The craze of tennis among celebrities, have you heard of it earlier?

First on the list comes Brad Pitt. He is one of the die-hard fans of this racket sport. Pitt was a popular tennis player during his school days in Springfield, Missouri. Although his destiny had other plans, he still loved playing the sport. Justin Bieber has also portrayed his love for tennis several times. He was even spotted once showcasing his amazing tennis skills during a charity match.

Matthew Perry, who starred in ‘Friends’, is also one of the avid lover of this sport. He used to have regular practice sessions when he was in Ottawa, Ontario. Scarlett Johansson has even played a role in Woody Allen’s tennis film, named ‘Match Point’. She often plays the sport in her leisure time. Charlie Chaplin too was a follower of the sport and was also a member of the Beverly Hills Club. He had even constructed a court in his Los Angeles residence for regular use.

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Adding more to the list, famous American rapper Redfoo had even expressed his desire to qualify as a Wildcard entry in the 2023 US Open. While the ‘American Pie’ star Shannon Elizabeth played tennis as a child, she even took the sport very seriously during her childhood. Dakota Fanning has tennis in her genes. Her mother was a professional tennis player and her love for tennis was immense. Did you know about these stories earlier?