Good things come to those who wait: The last part of our top 10 list of the best tennis films of all time was a little longer in coming. The reason for this was, of course, that we definitely wanted to wait for this year's Oscars, where the successful flick "King Richard" was nominated for a total of six Academy Awards. Of course, we didn't include Will Smith's embarrassing scandalous appearance in the rating, a work of art should be allowed to stand on its own, even if one of the actors throws the ball so far out. But enough of the introductory words - curtain up for places three to one and, as always, a good projection!

3. Borg/McEnroe (Denmark, Finland, Sweden 2017)

Directed by Janus Metz
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Sverrir Gudnason, Stellan Skarsgard

Admittedly - the Scandinavian co-production from 2017 really didn't deserve the award for the most imaginative film title. However, the name of the strip pragmatically sums up the plot. The focus is on the duel between two exceptional players in the Wimbledon final in 1980. The then 24-year-old Björn Borg has to deal with the up-and-coming 20-year-old American John McEnroe in the final in London - the two extroverted personalities are in a media-heated battle sent, the outcome of which will forever shape their career paths. Even if Borg/McEnroe falls into pretty much every cliché trap that a sports drama can fall into, the two leading actors Shia LeBeouf (Transformers, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) and Sverrir Gudnason (Conspiracy, Wallander) convince with excellent performances . Veteran Stellan Skarsgard (Thor, Dune) as the Swede's coach is also convincing, as is the excitingly staged tennis match at the end of the film. This alone makes Borg/McEnroe a piece of tennis art worth seeing. ( IMDb: 6.9/10 , Metacritic 63/100 , Rotten Tomatoes: 84/100 )

2. Battle of the Sexes (US, UK 2017)
Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Starring: Emma Stone, Steve Carell

In 1973, Billie Jean King, who had been striving for equality in tennis from the beginning of her career, and former professional and bon vivant Bobby Riggs met in a show fight dubbed the "Batte of the Sexes". The 29-year-old American prevailed in the Astrodome in Houston, which was filled with over 30,000 spectators, triggering a major media debate that led to a strengthening of the WTA players' association. In their work, the directing duo Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, who were previously responsible for the top comedy "Little Miss Sunshine", concentrate less on the tennis battle itself and more on the socio-political changes and the personal life situations of the two to steer the main protagonists. For the most part, this works extremely well, but the inclined tennis historian could miss out on the history of the development of the WTA. The two Golden Globe-nominated portrayals of Emma Stone (La La Land, Birdman) as a combative powerwoman and Steve Carrell (The Office, Space Force) as a chauvinistic break clown are great and absolutely entertaining. ( IMDb: 6.7/10 , Metacritic: 73/100 , Rotten Tomatoes: 84/100 )

1. King Richard (USA 2021)
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Starring: Will Smith, Saniya Sidney, Demi Singleton

The 2022 Academy Awards are over (a bit of a catchy word in this context) and the six-time nominee King Richard has scooped the Best Actor trophy - and rightly so. Will Smith plays the ambitious and self-confident father Richard Williams, who wants to lead his two daughters Venus and Serena to the top of the tennis world, in an engaging and convincing way. The high production costs can be felt everywhere, from the set to the tennis scenes to the locations, everything is at the highest Hollywood level. Of course, there are the occasional smooth-edged scenes typical of the mainstream, but the $35 million gross to date proves the production team right. The newcomers Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton also give a fabulous performance as the successful tennis sisters. A beautiful, romantic and modern fairy tale for all viewing habits and deserving of our new number one greatest tennis movie of all time. ( IMDb: 7.5/10 , Metacritic: 76/100 , Rotten Tomatoes: 90/100 )

Here are places 10 to 7.
Here are places 6 to 4.