Meet Thea Frodin: from young Serena Williams body double in King Richard to US Open debut

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Meet Thea Frodin: from young Serena Williams body double in King Richard to US Open debut

STORYSumnima Kandangwa

Sep 4, 2026

The 17-year-old, who lost to No 2 seed Elena Rybakina in the first round, wants to graduate from high school before deciding on whether to turn pro

Thea Frodin was only 12 when she was the body double of actress Demi Singleton, who played young Serena Williams in the 2021 film King Richard, which chronicles Serena and Venus Williams’ rise to tennis stardom with the help of their father Richard Williams. Earlier this week, the rising tennis star made her US Open debut.

The 17-year-old was up against reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina on September 1. She was eliminated, but this is just the start of Frodin’s tennis career.

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Here’s everything you need to know about the up-and-coming tennis star, Thea Frodin.

She grew up playing tennis

Thea Frodin was born in December 2008 in Southern California. She started playing tennis when she was six and by 12, she was already proving her talent on the court, so much so that she was cast as the body double of actress Demi Singleton who played young Serena Williams in the Oscar-winning film King Richard starring Will Smith.

Frodin spent months mastering the movements and strokes required to mimic a young Serena for the film.

“Being able to play the role of somebody that I looked up to for my whole life was super special. I was honoured. She was one of the players that I looked up to most, just when I was starting to play, and she’s such an inspiration to me,” she said at the time, according to The Sun.

She is unsure about a professional tennis career

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