03 September,2026 09:12 AM IST | Mumbai | A Correspondent
Thea Frodin, then 12, with actor Will Smith on the sets of King Richard in 2021; Thea Frodin. Pics/Frodin’s Instagram; Serena Williams. Pic/Williams’s Instagram
Five years after playing a crucial role in one of Hollywood's most iconic tennis movies, King Richard, 17-year-old Thea Frodin, a Los Angeles high school student, got the taste of big-time pro tennis, playing in Round One of the US Open on Tuesday.
Though Frodin lost 3-6, 2-6 to Australian Open champion and second seed Elena Rybakina, the fact that she played the body double of actor Demi Singleton, who was portraying Serena Williams in the film, was enough to garner attention at Flushing Meadows.
At the post-match presser, Frodin admitted it has been tough to deal with the attention. "It's hard to get away from all of that. It's just about accepting it and not letting it get to you," she said.
Interestingly, though she hasn't met Serena yet, and is understandably, looking forward to doing so. "Hopefully, I can get the opportunity to meet her [Serena] soon," said Frodin, who won the USTA Billie Jean King Girls' 18s National Championships to earn a wild card to the US Open.
