World-class athletes sometimes have world-famous fans. Could we see the latter at this year’s Cincinnati Open?
The 2024 Cincinnati Open is taking place Aug. 11-19 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, where it has been held since 1979.
This year’s event features several superstar players. So could any big names be in attendance to cheer them on?
It’s hard telling. But here’s a list of celebrities who could maybe, possibly, conceivably attend the 2024 Cincinnati Open. Note: We may have pulled muscles making some of these stretches.
Celebrities who could (maybe) attend the 2024 Cincinnati Open
Drake
It’s believed Drake attended the Cincinnati Open, formerly the Western & Southern Open, in 2015. The Canadian-American rapper and singer was supposedly spotted in Center Court wearing a bright orange Bengals T-shirt. He was later seen at Sotto in downtown Cincinnati, TMZ reported, with tennis legend Serena Williams, who won the local tournament that year.
Even though Williams has since retired from the sport, maybe the former “Degrassi” star will make a cameo at the 2024 Cincinnati Open.
Serena Williams
Williams retired from tennis after 27 years, but the 2022 Western & Southern Open was one of the final tournaments of her career. Williams, a two-time W&S Open champion (2014, 2015) and a 23-time Grand Slam champ, also said she “watched every single tournament” in the first year of her retirement, Vanity Fair reported. Although she has found it difficult to watch tennis since giving birth to her two daughters, Olympia and Adira, she says she still misses the sport.
“It’s normal to miss something that you’ve done since the day you were born,” she said.
Williams skipped the 2024 Wimbledon tournament, opting not to watch it on television because “it was too hard.” But maybe she’ll make an exception for the Cincinnati tourney, where she spent some of her final days on the court.
Zendaya
Actor Zendaya recently starred in Luca Guadagnino’s romantic sports drama “Challengers,” as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis star turned coach who is attempting to turn her husband, Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), into the next tennis champion.
During the film, Duncan and Donaldson reunite midway through the movie during the Cincinnati Open. The two characters kiss for the first time in the parking lot of an Applebee’s in Mason, once a staple dining spot for individuals competing in the tournament.
Zendaya told Variety she knew nothing about tennis before the film and watched every match, compilation and interview online to study for the role.
“It became my thing. Anytime I wasn’t at work, I was watching something. My Instagram became full of tennis stuff,” she said.
Perhaps all of that preparation developed into a genuine appreciation for the sport. Since the film’s premiere, Zendaya attended Wimbledon on July 12, as well as the BNP Paribas Open final in Indian Wells, California, in March with her boyfriend and “Spiderman” co-star Tom Holland.
Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman
Country music star Keith Urban and actor Nicole Kidman are avid tennis fans, having been spotted at various matches, including the 2023 U.S. Open men’s final in New York.
Urban performed at the Voices of America Country Music Festival in West Chester on Aug. 10, the day before the Cincinnati Open kicked off. Therefore, it’s reasonable to speculate the couple could hang around and attend the tournament.
Gavin Rossdale
Like Urban, Gavin Rossdale, lead singer and guitarist of ’90s rock band “Bush,” is also a well-known tennis aficionado. Rossdale told CBS in 2014 he used to play junior tennis in England and wanted to be a professional tennis player when he grew up.
Although the rock star took a different path, he still appreciates the sport. In 2023, Rossdale appeared on the podcast “Tennis Anyone with Michael Kosta.” And in 2021, he competed in a tennis match with his celebrity coach, Patrick Oyone.
Bush brings its Loaded: The Greatest Hits Tour to Riverbend Music Center on Aug. 14, just in time for Rossdale to catch a match or two in Mason.
JD Vance
Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the Republican nominee for vice president, is on the campaign trail. Although he’s clearly pretty busy, perhaps Vance, who’s originally from Middletown, could return to the region to attend the Cincinnati Open in Warren County.
