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Did you know the actors who play Alcaraz, Tsitsipas & more needed to audition?

Surprising details about the world of professional tennis are still coming to light. Audition tapes have just been discovered, revealing unknown background about some of your favourite characters and actors.

The world’s attention has been on the character Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated Jannik Sinner on Sunday in an unforgettable Roland Garros final. But did you know that long before the Spaniard put his acting to the test on the Parisian clay, he practised swatting bees in an audition studio?

You will have to wait until later this week for the grand reveal of Charley Fernandez’s original audition tape. But to whet your appetite, just know that last year’s Indian Wells bee invasion was rehearsed years ago and part of the audition process.

The script writing has gone a little off piste 😅

But c’mon Charley, no need to make such a buzz about it… 🐝#TheTour | #GameServeDrama | @carlosalcaraz pic.twitter.com/SgKZOCPfqL

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 7, 2025

In many cases, there was competition to become the ATP Tour players fans have grown to love. Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas have been two of the most consistent performers on Tour for almost a decade. Both men competed in the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF and surged to stardom shortly thereafter.

But the actors who play them seemed far from a perfect fit at first.

“I’m from Kansas,” said Barney Bill, who ultimately landed the Tsitsipas role.

The American spoke with a heavy Southern accent and in 2016 sounded more like the future Ted Lasso than the Greek star Tsitsipas. What was even more confusing was that Bill explained he was from Tulsa, which is not in Kansas.

CHOOSE YOUR TSITSIPAS...

Barney Bill or Thomas Johnson?!#GameServeDrama #TheTour pic.twitter.com/ecXOIZV3hW

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 5, 2025

Perhaps more fitting for the position was Thomas Johnson, who wore a wig of long, flowing hair to his audition, nearly identical to the haircut Tsitsipas sports today. That proved a misstep for the ambitious, rising professional, who had hopes of playing the role of the philosophical right-hander.

Instead, Johnson was chosen to be Ruud, the Norwegian who has since reached three major finals, became No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings and recently won his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Madrid.

If Johnson was Tsitsipas, would that have changed the trajectory of the character? Would the Greek have won the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals?

Around the same time as Bill and Johnson auditioned, Matthew McQueen put forth his best effort to become Taylor Fritz. Not yet familiar with tennis, it was difficult to try to wrap his head around a player in Fritz who was raised by two professional tennis players. You will need to stay tuned for the release of his audition tape to discover why.

Want to learn fun facts like which audition required a maple-syrup tasting and which actor showed an interest in racecar driving? Continue checking the ATP Tour’s social channels to find out!