Best tennis player among celebrities?

tandayu · Apr 5, 2005

Is Mathew Perry (Friends) would be the best tennis player among the celebrities? I heard he was top rank junior in Canada.

Vince Van Patten was actually a pro, who was also previously an actor?

I read somewhere hat Robert Duvall and Cathy Lee Crosby are good players.

Or maybe Kournikova was the best female player among celebrities?

Camilio Pascual · Apr 6, 2005

Vince Van Patten!!! Wow!!!
He beat Mac 2 years in a row at the Japan Open. I saw one of them on TeeVee. Mac was talking and mumbling to himself in disbelief throughout the match. I remember him saying, "How can he be doing this.....He's a kid!"

I'm not sure, but I believe he was ranked #1 in some sport such as paddleball, racquetball, platform tennis, something like that.

bookem · Apr 6, 2005

Whew... Vince Van Patten... Apple's Way anyone

? If I remember correctly, he ranked as high as the low 40s back in the 1980s, then switched to platform tennis or something...

Dean-Paul Martin was a struggling satellite player when he did Players...

There's some actress (Star Trek: Yet Another Spinoff or some other such ensemble-oriented show) who was a former WTA player recently but her name escapes me...

35ft6 · Apr 6, 2005

Elizabeth Shannon said she played, and the girl who played John Ritter's daughter on 8 Rules for Dating My Daughter.

Yeah, I think I saw one of the Van Patten brothers on TTC playing paddle ball and they said he was the best in the world. It was pretty cool. They were playing in Venice, not too far from where I get drunk every weekend. Blah.

johnmcc516 · Apr 6, 2005

I have never heard of Van Patten, but I did know that Mathew Perry was a good tennis player.

Bart · Apr 6, 2005

For shame, kids! How can you forget Lars Ulrich from Metallica! He's a former national top junior player (in Denmark

). And his father reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open, the third round of Wimbledon and played more than 100 Davis Cup ties for Denmark.
http://www.ileechcowsdry.com/ileechcowsdry/2004/07/torben_ulrich_m.html

ohplease · Apr 6, 2005

tandayu said:
Is Mathew Perry (Friends) would be the best tennis player among the celebrities? I heard he was top rank junior in Canada.

Vince Van Patten was actually a pro, who was also previously an actor?

I read somewhere hat Robert Duvall and Cathy Lee Crosby are good players.

Or maybe Kournikova was the best female player among celebrities?

I used to see Matt Perry on the courts all the time when I lived in LA, and played with people who've played with him. He's a pretty good club player, tends to overhit, probably not good enough to play at the open level. Used a pure drive last time I saw him, which was years ago.

35ft6 · Apr 6, 2005

I play with a guy who's played doubles with him a few times. Said I would beat him like 1 and 1, or 2 and 2. He said Perry's more effective in doubles because although his serve is awkward looking it's decent.

Anybody remember Dustin Hoffman talking smack about being good enough to give Connors a workout... playing for Berkeley if not for X... and something about Wimbledon?

tennissavy · Apr 6, 2005

I saw matthew perry in a couple of celebrity pro am events and he is not good. I mean 3.0 would be a stretch. Sorry to any fans of his but it's true.

fastdunn · Apr 6, 2005

Who is Vince ? Motley Crew or something?

lacoster · Apr 6, 2005

At the Evert Charity Event, Matthew Perry was not really that good, maybe 3.5. Gavin Rossdale (lead singer of Bush and husband of Gwen Stefani) is a pretty smooth player with a solid two-handed backhand.
________
I-Active Valve Lift System

Fee · Apr 6, 2005

Wendy Malik is apparently a pretty decent player. She was on Just Shoot Me, playing the former supermodel. Brunette, attractive.

Matt Perry was a pretty good player, but I guess he's lost it a little. He did some hitting at the LA tournament in 2002 with some of the players (heard a little bit of gossip while I was driving). Perhaps the health problems he's had in the past few years have affected his game?

West Coast Ace · Apr 6, 2005

Matthew Perry is not that good. Maybe when he was a teen he was. I have played with someone who has hit with him - as has been stated he tries to kill the ball - of course when you're out of shape like him there's no way you're going to be able to rally too long.

And the Dustin Hoffman story is a joke. I think Tennis Magazine retracted the story a month later after claiming he was a 5.5 and was beating college players - they got suckered by his agent or someone - he's more like a 3.5. I met him - he might be 5'4" tall, if that - I can't see him having much of a serve. Unless he played a Santoro-like game and drove you nuts I can't see him hanging with any advanced intermediates or better.

Can't count Van Patten since he was a pro.

gmlasam · Apr 6, 2005

tennissavy said:
I saw matthew perry in a couple of celebrity pro am events and he is not good. I mean 3.0 would be a stretch. Sorry to any fans of his but it's true.

I agree Mathew Perry sucks. The singer for Bush is actually pretty good 3.0 player. He did one of those celeb tournaments and he played doubles with Chris Everet against Mathew Perry and Davenport.

bcaz · Apr 6, 2005

Robert Plant - Led Zeppelin - supposedly a 4.5? Anyone in the UK know?

penang · Apr 7, 2005

I think the kid from The 70's Show on TV Eric , a good tennis player too. Anyone know at what level Dustin Hoffman play. I bet he is good too.

fantom · Apr 7, 2005

I saw Dr. Phil and Clyde "the Glide" Drexler play in an exhibition w/ Agassi and Roddick....They were both pretty bad.

Drexler may have been a world class basketball player, but he looked pretty un-athletic on the tennis court.

35ft6 · Apr 8, 2005

penang said:
I think the kid from The 70's Show on TV Eric , a good tennis player too. Anyone know at what level Dustin Hoffman play. I bet he is good too.

Dustin Hoffman talks a lot of smack according to most first hand accounts. He claims to be 5.0, 5.5, but I've heard he's like 3.5. I remember reading Paul Sorvino claiming to have a 130 mph serve or something.

sportsfan10 · Apr 8, 2005

At one point years ago, Kenny Rogers (the singer) was an avid tennis player and fan. He and some members of his back-up band would search out courts at every location where he was giving a concert. Saw him hitting and he wasn't bad. Saw a Tennis Magazine report that he actually played in a minor league pro tourney and won a round (may have been in doubles) -- so he earned ATP ranking points.

gmlasam · Apr 8, 2005

sportsfan10 said:
At one point years ago, Kenny Rogers (the singer) was an avid tennis player and fan. He and some members of his back-up band would search out courts at every location where he was giving a concert. Saw him hitting and he wasn't bad. Saw a Tennis Magazine report that he actually played in a minor league pro tourney and won a round (may have been in doubles) -- so he earned ATP ranking points.

Kenny Rogers is indeed listed with ATP, but there was no record of him earning any points or even playing any tournaments.

Look here:
http://www.atptennis.com/en/players/playerprofiles/default2.asp?playersearch=kenny+rogers

matchpoint · Apr 8, 2005

How can you guys forget about Sir Elton John who even does a tennis charity match with Pete, Andre and other celebrities.

johnmcc516 · Apr 8, 2005

I guess you could consider Ana Kournakova a celebrity who plays tennis

@wright · Apr 8, 2005

I saw Matthew Perry playing doubles with Lindsey Davenport, and Gavin Rossdale (singer from the band BUSH), can't remember who he was playing with. Perry and Rossdale seemed to be trying pretty hard, but they weren't very good at all. Ugly strokes, and not much pace at all, they couldn't have been better than 3.5-4.0.

penang · Apr 8, 2005

35ft6 said:
Dustin Hoffman talks a lot of smack according to most first hand accounts. He claims to be 5.0, 5.5, but I've heard he's like 3.5. I remember reading Paul Sorvino claiming to have a 130 mph serve or something.

That what I heard Dustin Hoffman play at 5.0 But Paul Sorvino, the big man whose daughter won an oscar serve at 130 mph. I don't buy it.

Kirko · Apr 8, 2005

I watched my brother in law play Robert Conrad you know the Wild Wild West guy when I lived in Reno { lake tahoe} . He was a very good player bad temper though.

nw tennis · Apr 8, 2005

Matthew Perry is not that good. If he played in high school, that probably says something about his high school's tennis program - all high school programs are not alike. And he might have even been the 12th best player on his high school team.

Among other famous people, George Bush Sr. was a pretty good player. Bill Gates also isn't half bad, especially for someone who spends so much time making kajillions. I saw Gates play in an exhibition in Seattle a couple years ago - I'd probably rate him a 3.5. Not great, but he knew what he was doing. Much more than I can say for Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, who made a fool of himself with a tennis racquet in his hand.

Morpheus · Apr 8, 2005

Well, according to the USTA site, there is a Matthew L. Perry from Beverly Hills who has been computer rated as a 4.5.

http://national.usta.com/Reports/NT...y&FirstName=matthew&SearchType=X&submit2=+Go+

couch · Apr 8, 2005

What's his record?

Ronaldo · Apr 8, 2005

Read the actor Boris Kodjoe was a good junior in Germany, played college tennis, and saw him seated next to Boris Becker at an indoor tournament this year. http://www.mostbeautifulman.com/misc/boriskodjoe/bio.shtml

BreakPoint · Apr 8, 2005

35ft6 said:
Elizabeth Shannon said she played, and the girl who played John Ritter's daughter on 8 Rules for Dating My Daughter.

Do you mean Shannon Elizabeth (the hot babe from the movie "American Pie")? If so, I'd like to play her but not in tennis.

BTW, I remember seeing Vince Van Patten playing Ivan Lendl at the U.S. Open in either '79 or '80 on an outside court. I think it was either the 1st or 2nd round. I didn't know much about Lendl then, but of course, knew Van Patten from his acting career. Lendl seemed terrible and it seemed like Van Patten was kicking his butt. After Lendl hit a lob that went 30 feet over the back fence, I said to my brother that this nobody named Lendl is never going to make it in the pros. :lol: LOL.

I believe Van Patten and McEnroe actually both grew up in the N.Y.C. area and played each other quite often in the juniors. I saw Van Patten on McEnroe's CNBC talk show last year and it turns out they've been good friends since they were kids. Could it have been Van Patten that introduced McEnroe to the Hollywood scene and his fisrt wife, Tatum O'Neil?

AndrewD · Apr 8, 2005

gmlasam said:
Kenny Rogers is indeed listed with ATP, but there was no record of him earning any points or even playing any tournaments.

Look here:
http://www.atptennis.com/en/players/playerprofiles/default2.asp?playersearch=kenny+rogers

I had a look in the 'activity' section and it says that in 1979 Kenny Rogers played two ATP doubles tournaments in partnership with Kelly Junkerman who, incidentally, is his songwriting partner.

The two tournaments were:

Green Bay, WI, U.S.A.
CH, 6/18/1979, O, Hard , Draw: 32, Partner: Kelly Junkerman (USA )
R32
Lewis, John Chris (USA )/ Nichols, Bruce (USA )
5-7 4-6

Huntington Beach, CA, U.S.A.
CH, 10/2/1979, O, Hard , Draw: 32, Partner: Kelly Junkerman (USA )
R32
Austin, John (USA )/Winitsky, Van (USA )
1-6 3-6

Two tournaments and two losses, still it was at the pro level and I bet there aren't many of us who can say we've got that in our resumes.

david aames · Apr 9, 2005

Not exactly big name celebrities...

It'd be safe to assume that past USO fixures are avid players as well. Chevy Chase should be able to handle himself. Sally Field is playing so are Tom Hanks, Schwarzenegger and his wife... I hear Hilary Swank and hubbie Chad Lowe are good players. Julia Roberts is putting on the market her Malibu house and I hear it has a tennis court...

Music? Gavin Rossdale was introduced to tennis by his soccer buddy Xavier Malisse... He is crazy about the game now. I remember reading an interview with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant in Tennis Mag a couple years ago... He is playing at Tennisport whenever he is in New York. Elton John's love for the sport is well known but embarassing -- spends more time holding on to his hair than he does to his racquet...

SB · Apr 9, 2005

Dave Matthews.

WW Volley · Apr 9, 2005

SB said:
Dave Matthews.

I'm a very large Dave Matthews fan (along with the whole band) and I have read several times he has shown an interest in tennis.

Most recently, he went to a tournament and hung out with Roddick. Before that, he actually called Pete Sarmpas after his record-breaking 13th slam at Wimbledon.

As far as playing, I haven't heard anything about that. It makes sense he would hit around some, but I've basically not heard a peep about his interest in playing. However, during recording sessions the band is famous for playing intense matches of ping pong.

For the owners of the album Crash, you can hear ping pong playing in the background during the song "Lie In Our Graves." Mainly during the musical interlude where you hear voices. In order to hear it, you really got pump up the volume. None of that is really related to this discussion, but hey, table tennis is just like mini-tennis.

Also...

Has anybody seen the episode of Curb Your Enthusiams where Larry David plays his wife in tennis? Absolutely hilarious. He complains that his wife's grunting is too loud and causes him to miss his shots.

tykrum · Apr 9, 2005

Shannon Elizabeth might be it, this is from an espn page2 interview:

You were a pretty serious tennis player as a kid, and you even thought about going pro at some point, is that right?

Elizabeth: Yeah, I played a lot growing up.

How good were you?

Elizabeth: Umm, you know, I feel like that I could fake it really well. Like, I didn't always have a great forehand, but if I was playing somebody with a great forehand, I knew how to mess them up. I had a great backhand. I still had a lot of work to do, but that's what I wanted to do for a while.

Here's another site that looks like a type of autobiography: I became number one on my high school tennis team and competed in state tournaments regularly. At one point I wanted to go pro and make tennis my life.

MARK ANDERS · Apr 10, 2005

William King of the Commodores is definately the best celeb player (not counting Van Patten). I've played with him many times and in his younger days he played satellites. He's a very nice, cool guy as well. He would SMOKE all the poser, wannabe celebs like Perry, Hoffman, John, Ford on and on...

federer_nadal · Apr 10, 2005

The prince of denmark, u know the one married to the aussie girl played for fun at the AO, dont know about how good he is but he must have been alright he had a wilson super six pack full of 6.1 with pro overgrips. he would have to be alright to use this unless he is using a paintjob with a hammer 2.6 underneath(jkn)

david aames · Apr 10, 2005

Forgot the last USTA campaign -- Mike Wallace, Daisy Fuentes, Donald Trump and some boxer...

35ft6 · Apr 10, 2005

tykrum said:
Here's another site that looks like a type of autobiography: I became number one on my high school tennis team and competed in state tournaments regularly. At one point I wanted to go pro and make tennis my life.

Sounds like she sucks. "Competed in state tournaments regularly?" What exactly does that mean?

Kaley Cuoco is the name of the girl from 8 Rules For Dating My Daughter. She was ranked 90 nationally in girls 14's in 2001.

When she's not acting, Cuoco is an avid tennis player, who consistently ranks well in Southern California Tennis Association standings as a member of a regional amateur division team. In addition, she enjoys spending time with friends, going to the mall and hip-hop dancing. Cuoco is home-schooled and lives in Ventura County, California with her family.

gmlasam · Apr 10, 2005

35ft6 said:
Kaley Cuoco is the name of the girl from 8 Rules For Dating My Daughter. She was ranked 90 nationally in girls 14's in 2001.

Kaley Cuoco is a very good player. She actually played in one of the Burbank, CA clay courts.

She is also mentioned in Bob and Mike Bryon's website with the late John Ritter.

Look here, http://www.bobandmike.com/Media.html

SB · Apr 10, 2005

WW Volley said:
I'm a very large Dave Matthews fan (along with the whole band) and I have read several times he has shown an interest in tennis.

Most recently, he went to a tournament and hung out with Roddick. Before that, he actually called Pete Sarmpas after his record-breaking 13th slam at Wimbledon.

As far as playing, I haven't heard anything about that. It makes sense he would hit around some, but I've basically not heard a peep about his interest in playing. ....

I read some article about him and other band members playing tennis in different cities on tour. They played at my club when they were in town a year or two ago. I didn't see them, so I can't say if they are any good.

It looks like Boyd Tinsley is the big player: He received a sectional award a couple of years back!:

President's Award: Boyd Tinsley - Charlottesville, VA
Charlottesville native and Dave Matthews Band violinist Body Tinsley is the 2003 recipient of USTA/MAS's President's Award. An avid player, Mr. Tinsley is the name sponsor of the $25,000 USTA Women's Pro Circuit tournament held in at the Boar's Head Inn Sports Club in Charlottesville each Spring. In addition to this premier tournament, Mr. Tinsley has created the Boyd Calvin Tinsley Advised Fund in conjunction with a local foundation and the Charlottesville public school system. The Fund established 3 programs in the area of music, academics, and tennis, each area receiving a $25,000 donation. http://www.midatlantic.usta.com/awards/custom.sps?iType=1533&icustompageid=3093

mxmx · Jan 29, 2019

gmlasam said:
Kaley Cuoco is a very good player. She actually played in one of the Burbank, CA clay courts.

She is also mentioned in Bob and Mike Bryon's website with the late John Ritter.

Look here, http://www.bobandmike.com/Media.html

Does she still play?

Tshooter · Jan 29, 2019

WW Volley said:
...Has anybody seen the episode of Curb Your Enthusiams where Larry David plays his wife in tennis? Absolutely hilarious. He complains that his wife's grunting is too loud and causes him to miss his shots.

“It sounds like pigs fuc$ing.”

Im(moral) Winner · Jan 29, 2019

Bill Gates these days

Tshooter · Jan 29, 2019

johnmcc516 said:
I have never heard of Van Patten, but I did know that Mathew Perry was a good tennis player.

I saw V.V.P. play Lendl.

StringGuruMRT · Jan 29, 2019

mxmx said:
Does she still play?

Judging by her Instagram she has shifted interest to horseback riding. Probably divorcing Ryan Sweeting had something to do with that! But the cast of Big Bang Theory are all friends with Genie Bouchard, so there is still some interest in tennis at least!

TennisLBC · Jan 29, 2019

Boris Kodjoe is an actor that play tennis in college and professionally.

Fabresque · Jan 29, 2019

Is Patrik Antonius a celebrity? He's a very famous poker player who was a tennis player. He's quite good too.

Antonius is the bald one.

toby55555 · Jan 29, 2019

Before he got asthma John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, was number 1 ranked British junior.

Mugu · Jan 29, 2019

Bill Cosby, way back when, was supposedly by far the best celebrity tennis player in Hollywood. i vaguely remember some challenge match
with an editor of Tennis magazine that he won.

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