By Erik Gudris | @atntennis | Tuesday, November 21, 2023
Saturday Night Live (SNL) has often poked fun at the tennis world and its players. Last weekend’s show with guest host Jason Momoa served up yet another hilarious skit – this time paying tribute to one of the sport’s most iconic events.
The long-running comedy sketch show, now in its 49th season, presented its own take on the Battle of the Sexes match, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
In the skit called “The Untold Battle of the Sexes”, a fake Netflix documentary reveals a fictional high-stakes match that supposedly took place before the historic meeting between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs at the Houston Astrodome in 1973.
Netflix presents
UNTOLD: Battle of the Sexes pic.twitter.com/ym4q24iqia— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) November 19, 2023
The skit starring series regular Sarah Sherman as “Charna Lee Diamond”, an unheralded WTA player who takes on “Ronnie Dunster” played by Momoa. Dunster is described as “the largest man to ever play tennis.”
To not give too much away, the match between Diamond and Dunster quickly goes horribly wrong.
This isn’t the first time the historic match between King and Riggs has been referenced on film or television.
Back in 2017, a feature film about the match and the players called “Battle of the Sexes” was released, starring Oscar winner Emma Stone as King and Steve Carrell as Riggs.
The original Battle of the Sexes match, where King defeated Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, earned 90 million primetime television viewers, making it one of the most watched sports events of all time.
You can watch the complete sketch on SNL’s YouTube channel.
Photo Credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport
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