Thea Frodin, a teenager who once portrayed a young Serena Williams on the big screen, is set to follow in the footsteps of the tennis icon at the US Open. Frodin will make her main-draw singles debut at her home Grand Slam.
Five years ago, Frodin, then 12 years old, was selected as a tennis-playing body double for the actress portraying the childhood version of Williams in the Oscar-nominated film 'King Richard.' During filming, she worked alongside actor Will Smith, who played Richard Williams, the father of Serena and Venus 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 honored. 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."
Frodin's US Open debut comes in the same year that Serena and Venus Williams are expected to team up for the doubles event. Frodin is scheduled to face world number two Elena Rybakina in her opening singles match, a two-time major champion and the reigning Australian Open winner.
"I'm trying to stay in the moment as much as possible," Frodin said. "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."