Rest in Peace, Matthew Perry – One of His Final Tweets Is Proof Enough of His Massive Love for Tennis

The world has lost a special soul too soon. Matthew Perry, who gained recognition for his role as Chandler Bing, has passed away at the age of 54. He was found dead in a hot tub. As the heart of the sitcom ‘F.R.I.E.N.D.S.,’ the American-Canadian actor brought laughter and joy to millions of people throughout the world with his humor and sarcasm. But did you know he was a nationally-ranked junior tennis player for Canada?

He was top 20 in singles and top 10 in doubles before moving into acting. Perry continued to follow the sport as a fan. In fact, he would show up to support Jennifer Capriati in the 2000s and sit alongside her family.

Matthew Perry’s fanboy moments for tennis

In an old interview with The New York Times in 2002, the American-Canadian actor and former junior tennis player previously opened up about his love for the racket sport. He said, ”I had this incredible drive on the tennis court, and that translated into acting.”

Apart from this, Matthew Perry’s passion for tennis was fairly evident during his appearances at various tournaments, including the 2022 US Open. In the previous season, the Hollywood star was there in the stands in New York when he witnessed Iga Świątek‘s triumphant moment at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Perry’s subsequent tweet about Swiatek united the worlds of tennis and acting.

The Polish tennis star, who lifted her third Grand Slam in front of the American-Canadian actor and comedian, later took to social media to disclose that she has long been a part of the ‘F.R.I.E.N.D.S.’ fandom. In doing so, the young WTA sensation also opened up about her love for Perry’s iconic character, Chandler Bing.

In her tweet, the former world No. 1 player revealed that she was over the moon when she witnessed Perry during the changeover in the championship match. It received a heartfelt response from the ‘F.R.I.E.N.D.S.’ star himself as he lauded Swiatek for her incredible victory. He commented, “Congratulations on your wonderful win yesterday, Champ!”

Apart from gracing the Grand Slam event in the previous season, Perry has also met the ATP legends, Andy Murray and Andre Agassi.

Why did Matthew Perry choose acting over tennis?

Perry grew up in Canada and was quite good at tennis. But was he good enough? As per his own confession, “Giving up tennis wasn’t really a decision I had to make… I was a very good tennis player in Ottawa, Canada- nationally ranked when I was, like, 13.”

“Then I moved to Los Angeles when I was 15, and everyone in L.A. just killed me.”

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When Perry realized he wouldn’t be able to sustain himself in the sport, he moved to acting. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t passionate about tennis. He played exhibition tennis events with some big names in the sport.

Born in 1969, he began pursuing acting at the age of 15. When he graduated from high school in 1988, he landed the role of Chazz Russell in the TV series ‘Second Chance’. However, his claim to fame was during ‘F.R.I.E.N.D.S.’ which won him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (2002).

Whether it is Hollywood or in the sporting community, everyone is in deep sorrow over the ‘Friends’ star’s sudden passing. Rest in peace, Matthew Perry, who will undoubtedly be remembered as a true ‘Friend’ to millions of people across the globe.

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