Lifelong tennis fan Matthew Perry attended the French Open four months before his untimely death on Saturday at the age of 54.
Lifelong tennis fan Matthew Perry attended the French Open four months before his untimely death on Saturday.
The “Friends” star, who was found unresponsive at his Los Angeles home, made his final major public appearance on June 9 at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, where he watched the semifinals with a group of friends.
Photos from the star-studded tournament capture the “Fools Rush In” star, 54, laughing and clapping along as he watched the players.
In 2002, the “17 Again” star told The New York Times that he had loved the sport since the age of 4 and would dedicate almost 10 hours a day to improving his own game.
By 13, Perry had become the No. 2 junior player in his hometown of Ottawa, Canada.
“I needed to succeed at whatever I was doing so I could feel better about myself. I had this incredible drive on the tennis court, and that translated into acting,” Perry told the outlet.
Perry’s dreams of playing professional tennis came to a screeching halt in the early ’80s when “The Whole Nine Yards” star was utterly obliterated in a Los Angeles match.
