5 tennis facts to honor Matthew Perry ft. Iga Swiatek's US Open final distraction
Matthew Perry has passed away at the age of 54. Yes, that's right, the beloved 'Chandler' from the famous sitcom, F.R.I.E.N.D.S, is no more.
The renowned actor was found dead at his home in Los Angeles on October 28, 2023. According to TMZ, Perry was found in a jacuzzi inside the house, and no drugs were discovered at the scene. The untimely passing of the star has left fans both shocked and deeply saddened.
The American was unquestionably a great actor, but what's often overlooked is his deep connection with tennis. On that note, let's explore five interesting tennis facts about Matthew Perry:
#5 Matthew Perry was a top-ranked junior tennis player before becoming an actor
Matthew Perry's love for tennis goes way back. He was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, but raised in Ottawa, Canada. It was in Ottawa where he first tried his hands at the sport and excelled, becoming a top-ranked junior player at the age of 13.
He then moved to Los Angeles, California, two years later and continued playing tennis. However, he soon realized that other players were better, so he turned to acting for a living.
Perry elaborated on his relationship with tennis in a 2012 interview with Men'sHealth:
"Giving up tennis wasn’t really a decision I had to make. I was a very good tennis player in Ottawa, Canada—nationally ranked when I was, like, 13. Then I moved to Los Angeles when I was 15, and everyone in L.A. just killed me. I was pretty great in Canada. Not so much in Los Angeles. It was insane. I realized I wouldn’t be playing tennis for a living, so I went for acting."
"Are tennis and acting alike? I don’t know. They’re both very mental games. They’re both very heavy things to be a part of. I’m hoping the competitiveness that I had as a tennis player is gone now as I get older. When I was in my 20s, I wanted to do better than everybody else. Now, I just sort of want everybody to be successful," he added.
#4 Perry shared a great bond with tennis star Jennifer Capriati
Matthew Perry was good friends with three-time Grand Slam champion Jennifer Capriati.
He frequently attended her matches to support her and even teamed up with her to play an exhibition mixed doubles match for a fundraiser for the 'Big Brothers & Big Sisters' at the JP Morgan Chase Open in 2002. The duo competed against Serena Williams and Rick Fox, a former basketball player.
When Capriati was preparing to play in the US Open in September 2003, the American actor showed up and waited for the rain to stop so that he could cheer on his friend. He later told the New York Post:
"Mostly, I just sit around the players’ lounge and pretend I’m a pro."
However, it does not stop there. They engaged in a playful exchange on X (formerly Twitter) in 2013, with the former World No. 1 asking why Matthew Perry often watched her matches while eating hot dogs but hadn't followed her on the platform.
"Can someone ask mr @MatthewPerry why he can eat hot dogs during my match but can't follow me on twitter!!:) lol #wheresthelove," Capriati wrote.
Perry responded:
"@JenCapriati problem solved....."
A 'happy' Jennifer Capriati replied:
"@MatthewPerry there u are!! Yay U just made me so happy:) miss u and so happy about your show #GoOn."
#3 Perry played tennis with Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras
Matthew Perry played tennis with 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras and eight-time Major winner Andre Agassi at the Mercedes-Benz Cup's 'Night at the Net' exhibition match in 2001.
They were joined by David Spade, Kelsey Grammer and Greg Kinnear. Perry again teamed up with Agassi at the same exhibition event a year later.
On a related note, it's interesting to mention that both Matthew Perry and Andre Agassi shared a passion for pickleball.
Reports even suggested that the 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S' star passed away shortly after returning home from a two-hour-long pickleball session.
#2 Matthew Perry was a fan of Andy Murray
Matthew Perry wrote on X in July 2012 that he had become a fan of three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray.
"And boy oh boy did I just become an Andy Murray fan.." he wrote.
Murray won his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open the same year, beating defending champion Novak Djokovic 7-6(10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2. Later, during his New York City trophy tour, the Brit spoke with the American actor on the NBC Today Show.
Perry shared on X how Murray was 'kind enough' to let him hold his New York Slam trophy:
"Andy Murray was kind enough to let me hold his Us Open trophy. What a nice guy!"
#1 Matthew Perry distracted Iga Swiatek during US Open 2022 final
Former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek won her first US Open and third Grand Slam title in 2022, beating Ons Jabeur 6-2, 7-6(5) in the final of the New York Slam.
The Pole had a special guest cheering her on the entire time. Yes, you guessed it right; it was none other than Perry.
Swiatek took to X after the big night and posted a video of Perry's character Chandler Bing's clip from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and described how she was distracted by the popular sitcom famed actor's presence.
"Me when I really wanted to be focused but I saw @MatthewPerry on the screen during the changeover. Could this BE any more exciting?" she wrote.
The 22-year-old also shared earlier this year that she had finished reading Perry's autobiography, 'Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir'.
"I just finished Matthew Perry's biography yesterday. Right now I want to try biographies, so I will read about Leonardo da Vinci next," Swiatek said in an interview with WTA Insider.