Thea Frodin goes from Serena Williams body double to US Open main-draw debut
Thea Frodin, who five years ago doubled as a young Serena Williams in the film King Richard, will make her main-draw singles debut at this year’s US Open. The 17-year-old will enter the tournament’s main draw after winning the USTA Girls' 18s National Championships.
Frodin was chosen as the tennis-playing body double for the actress cast as Serena when she was 12 and worked on set with Will Smith, who portrayed Richard Williams. "Being able to play the role of somebody that I looked up to for my whole life was super special," Frodin told the WTA website. "I was honoured. She was one of the players that I looked up to most, just when I was starting to play. "She's such an inspiration to me."
She worked on the film a few days a week over a period of six months and has recalled how Smith would bring hot water to shoots to keep her warm during rainy court sessions. The extended period on set left a technical imprint; Frodin said her coaches had to help her return to her own game after she adopted strokes modelled on Serena. "After I was done shooting, I got used to her strokes," she told the US Open website. "My coaches were a bit frustrated because I naturally started to hit like her. "I picked up Serena's backhand, but I tried as much as possible to go back to my strokes."
Frodin reached the Wimbledon girls' doubles final in 2025 alongside fellow American Julieta Pareja and this year made the semi-finals of the Australian Open girls' singles, her best junior major result. She earned the wildcard into the US Open women's singles by winning the USTA Girls' 18s National Championships and is ranked 580th in the world. Earlier this season she made her WTA qualifying debut in Miami as a wildcard and pushed former world number 35 Viktorija Golubic in a three-set loss in her first meeting with a player ranked inside the top-100.
Her first-round opponent in the main draw is Elena Rybakina, the world number two, a two-time major winner and the reigning Australian Open champion. "I'm trying to stay in the moment as much as possible," Frodin told the WTA website. "This is a huge opportunity for me to enjoy the moment, have fun and see what I can do. "The atmosphere, how loud the crowd will be, I feel like I fit well in that environment." She also acknowledged the challenge ahead: "[Rybakina] is number two for a reason, so I'm expecting a battle. Hopefully, I can bring out my best level against her," she told the US Open website.
Frodin said qualifying for the main draw means a great deal to her. "To be standing here right now and actually getting a chance to play in the main draw, it means everything," she told the US Open website.
On Tuesday she will step onto court for her first US Open main-draw match against Elena Rybakina, and Frodin has expressed a hope to meet or hit with the Williams sisters while at the tournament. "Hopefully, if I get a chance to hit with them or just meet them, anything, I'll take it," she told the US Open website. "That would be incredible. That would be a dream."
