Five years after portraying a young Serena Williams on screen, 17-year-old Thea Frodin has earned a place in the US Open — and a chance to show she may be one of American tennis’ rising young talents.
At 12 years old, Thea Frodin was helping Hollywood tell the story of Serena Williams.
Five years later, the talented young tennis player is beginning to write a story of her own.
Frodin, now 17, will make her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the US Open against world No. 2 Elena Rybakina. While her unusual connection to Serena is attracting attention, Frodin earned her way onto one of tennis’ biggest stages.
Earlier this month, she won the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 18s National Championships in San Diego, defeating five seeded players along the way. The championship comes with a valuable prize: a wild card directly into the women’s main draw of the US Open.
That means Frodin won’t be competing in the junior tournament in New York. She’ll be playing with the pros. And the opportunity comes with a big payday.
Frodin, a high school senior who has committed to play tennis at Columbia University, is guaranteed $140,000 for reaching the US Open main draw. Under new NCAA rules adopted this year, athletes can accept prize money before enrolling in college without sacrificing their Division I eligibility.
From ‘King Richard’ to Her Own Career
Frodin was just 12 when she was selected as the junior stunt and body double for Serena
in the 2021 movie “King Richard.”
The film tells the story of Richard Williams, played by Will Smith, and his determination to develop daughters Venus and Serena into tennis champions, beginning on public courts in Compton, California.
Frodin spent about six months working on the film, learning to imitate Serena’s strokes for tennis scenes. She became so accustomed to Serena’s technique that she later said her coaches had to help her get back to playing like herself.
Now that’s exactly what she’s doing.
Frodin has built an impressive junior résumé. She reached the girls’ singles semifinals at the Australian Open this year, was runner-up in girls’ doubles at Wimbledon in 2025 and has been ranked as high as No. 11 among the world’s junior players.
From Junior Standout to the Pros
Junior tennis is essentially a developmental circuit for the world’s best young amateur players, and its top competitors are often viewed as potential future professional stars.
Coco Gauff is a good example. At 13, she became the youngest US Open girls’ singles finalist. At 14, she won the French Open girls’ championship and rose to No. 1 in the junior rankings.
Then, at 15, Gauff qualified for Wimbledon’s women’s draw and stunned five-time champion Venus Williams in the first round — the victory that introduced her to millions of tennis fans.
Frodin isn’t at that level yet, but she is making the transition from successful junior competition into the much tougher professional game.
She has climbed to about No. 580 in the women’s world rankings and earlier this year reached her first professional tournament final and made her WTA qualifying debut in Miami.
Now comes by far her biggest test.
Frodin’s first US Open opponent, Elena Rybakina, is ranked No. 2 in the world and is a multiple Grand Slam champion. Frodin will be a decided underdog, but earning a place across the net from one of the world’s best players represents a major step in her development.
There’s one more interesting connection at this year’s tournament. Serena Williams is also at the US Open, competing alongside sister Venus in women’s doubles. Frodin says that despite portraying Serena on screen, she has never actually met her.
At 12, Frodin was asked to play tennis like Serena Williams.
At 17, the tennis world is beginning to find out how well Thea Frodin can play as herself.
The Rybankina versus Frodin match is Tuesday, at 10 a.m. CT. The tournament airs on ESPN, ABC and the Tennis Channel.
