Jimmy Butler is a man of many interests. And one of them so happens to be tennis. The Miami Heat star has often been seen hand-in-hand with athletes from other sports, notably Neymar Jr. and Carlos Alcaraz, to name just a few. Right now, though, he is tuned into the Roland Garros or the French Open. His player of choice for the marathon match was the Danish prodigy Holger Rune. However, German phenom Alexander Zeverev sealed the deal, 6-2, in the fifth set to advance to the QFs. Just like that, Butler’s hopes were dashed.

Tuned into the game from the comforts of his home, Jimmy looked anything but pleased with Rune. As the match took a decisive turn in favor of Zverev, the Heat veteran was shaking his head, prior to which he was calling out coaching instructions. “Get back, man! Get back! Too close,” he was saying. The 34-year-old forward posted the clip on his Instagram story, tagging Alexander Zverev.

While it was tough luck for Rune, it was certainly a relief for the 27-year-old Olympic gold medalist. Under the spotlight for allegations of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, he is currently facing an ongoing trial in Berlin. Despite the backlash that is inevitable with an incident of this nature, Alexander Zeverev has managed to stay locked in.

Going back to Jimmy Butler, it seems like there is a specific reason he fell in love with tennis.

Jimmy Butler’s deep love for tennis

“Thanks to Alcaraz, I fell in love with the game.” According to Tennis World USA, the 6x All-Star’s heavy interest in the sport was the courtesy of Carlos Alcaraz. Butler met the young Spaniard during the 2023 Argentina Open. Alcaraz won that tournament by defeating Cameron Norrie in the final. While the 2015 MIP admitted he was a superfan of Carlos, he did leave a way open.

“It’s fantastic to see Carlos, even if it’s always difficult to root for someone rather than someone else because I really respect everyone in this world of tennis,” Butler had said before giving Alcaraz his due flowers. Clearly, his zest for the sport isn’t isolated to a single player, nor does he plan on keeping it to himself. Jimmy and Li-Ning closely collaborate to brainstorm new colorways for tennis-inspired kicks.

He had also gotten together with tennis ace and US Open Champion Emma Raducanu during the 2022 Miami Open. The 21-year-old was Butler’s “daughter’s favorite tennis player,” as per PEOPLE. Big Face Coffee was the official coffee for the Miami Open, so it was easy to bond over a cup of coffee. In the process, he also taught her the art of making oat milk latte!

There is no doubt that Jimmy Butler never misses an opportunity when it comes to his passions. Be it over a coffee or if he has to go head-to-head!

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow in what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.