LIFE IMITATES ART

Serena Williams’ Movie Body Double Set to Make U.S. Open Debut

Thea Frodin, 17, will make her Grand Slam debut.

A teenager who once portrayed Serena Williams on screen is about to share the spotlight with her at the U.S. Open. Thea Frodin, 17, will make her Grand Slam main-draw debut Tuesday after receiving a wildcard. The California native earned the spot by winning the USTA Girls’ 18s National Championships and will face Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina in the first round. Frodin first gained attention at 12, when she was Serena’s on-court body double in the 2021 film King Richard, starring Will Smith as the Williams sisters’ father, Richard Williams. Demi Singleton played Serena for the rest of the movie. “I’ve only dreamed of moments like this. The fact that I’m here right now, and able to experience it in real life, is still a little bit shocking to me,” Frodin told the U.S. Open. Serena, 44, and Venus Williams, 46, are also set to compete at the tournament after receiving a doubles wildcard. Frodin has never met the sisters but hopes their paths finally cross. “That would be incredible. That would be a dream,” she said.