Andy Roddick ‘crushes it’ with acting debut in Apple TV’s pickleball comedy The Dink
Andy Roddick ‘crushes it’ with acting debut in Apple TV’s pickleball comedy The Dink
Shahana YasminMon, July 27, 2026 at 9:16 AM UTC
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Former tennis world No 1 Andy Roddick has made his feature film acting debut, appearing in the Apple TV sports comedy The Dink.
Roddick plays a fictionalised version of himself in the film, which follows washed-up former tennis prodigy Dusty Boyd, played by Jake Johnson, as he reluctantly turns to pickleball after an injury while trying to win back the respect of his father.
Directed by Josh Greenbaum and produced by Ben Stiller, The Dink premiered on Apple TV on 24 July and also stars Ed Harris, Mary Steenburgen, Chloe Fineman, Patton Oswalt, Aaron Chen and John McEnroe, who also appears as himself.
At the film’s premiere on Monday, Johnson said casting Roddick had been a gamble that paid off. “He’s always funny, but he’s on another level in this movie,” Johnson told Variety’s Marc Malkin. “We almost cast like a comedic actor to pretend to be an athlete, and we gambled and cast Andy and he crushes it.”
Former tennis world No 1 Andy Roddick has made his feature film acting debut in the Apple TV sports comedy The Dink (YouTube/Apple TV)
“[Roddick’s] whole thing is he was very self-deprecating and he’s like, ‘I promise you I’m not the guy.’ We were like, ‘You’re the guy. You’re the guy,’” Johnson added.
Johnson said it was Stiller who came up with the plan to offer Roddick the role. Apple announced Roddick's casting in September 2024 and confirmed that fellow former world No 1 John McEnroe would also appear in the film as himself.
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Roddick was one of the most successful US tennis players of his generation, winning the US Open in 2003 and becoming the world's No 1 later that year. He reached four Wimbledon finals between 2004 and 2009, losing each time to Roger Federer, and retired from professional tennis in 2012 after winning 32 ATP singles titles.
Since leaving the tour, he has worked as a tennis commentator and analyst and hosts the Served with Andy Roddick podcast.
Apple announced Roddick's casting in September 2024 (Getty)
In a separate interview earlier this month, Johnson talked about the challenge of filming opposite Roddick. “We didn’t really play a real game, because it was all choreographed. But we actually had to play every point. So it was even weirder. Everything would be scripted where the ball was supposed to go, and we were expected to do that,” Johnson told Decider.
He continued: “If I was with another actor, we would have the pressure taken off – like, we’re both figuring it out. But Andy can place the ball exactly where he wants every time. I think our director, Josh, figured we both could. But that was not a natural skill I had! So that was a lot of anxiety.”
Johnson also joked that Roddick's off-screen attitude to pickleball was much the same as his on-screen persona. “I think Andy does not have a lot of respect for pickleball,” he joked. “I think Andy Roddick is similar to the character of Andy Roddick, and he thinks [pickleball] is just like tennis, but worse, and easier.”
The Dink is streaming now on Apple TV+.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
