Miami Heat wing Jimmy Butler stole the show at the Stars of the Open Exhibition Match to Benefit Ukraine Relief.
Earlier this year, when he spoke to For The Win, the Heat star said that tennis was tied with basketball for his “second-favorite” sport. Butler clearly had an amazing night at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center as part of the 2023 US Open Fan Week.
After some light training, Butler originally began his evening as a crew member for Frances Tiafoe, a basketball fan who is ranked as the No. 10 tennis player in the world. Butler ran out with the other crew members and he looked noticeably taller than his peers.
THAT’S @JImmyButler‘s MUSIC!
AND AS A BALL CREW MEMBER! pic.twitter.com/SQKJmcNalg
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 23, 2023
Butler then competed in an exhibition doubles match with Tiafoe against Carlos Alcaraz (the No. 1 ranked tennis player in the world) and Colombian pop star Sebastián Yatra.
While wearing a microphone, Butler faced off against Alcaraz and gave him instructions for how it would go down: Butler didn’t want to serve, then they had a rally, then Butler won a point off the top-ranked tennis star.
Jimmy Butler just showed the world how to beat Carlos Alcaraz 👀 pic.twitter.com/k8WJYlY5Xh
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 23, 2023
It was impressive to see Butler get in some solid hits against someone as accomplished as Alcaraz, who has already won two major titles at 20 years old.
Later in the night, however, the four-time NBA All-Star did lose in a tough match to Yatra.
We may not see a better match point all tournament.
Game, set, match Yatra-Alcaraz! pic.twitter.com/BEPtXTR6cZ
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 23, 2023
Fortunately, though, the loss didn’t impact his confidence whatsoever.
Butler said the experience was a “dream come true” and that he feels he is one of the top tennis players in the world, too.
.@JimmyButler believes he’s one of the best players in the world (in tennis). pic.twitter.com/2dcBdtPTVa
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 24, 2023
His extremely high belief in himself when it comes to dominating other sports isn’t new for Butler, though.
Butler once told For The Win that he averages a perfect score whenever he goes bowling, so of course he also thinks he is one of the best tennis players in the world.
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