Game, set and film!
The breathtaking tennis career of Steffi Graf (55, 22 Grand Slam tournaments won, 377 weeks number 1 in the world rankings) thrilled millions of fans in Germany and around the world from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. Her love story with Andre Agassi (54, 8 Grand Slam titles won, 101 weeks number 1 in the world rankings) makes more than just her own hearts beat faster.
Lena Klenke (28) looks amazingly similar to Steffi Graf in the film “Perfect Match” (now on Prime Video)
Photo: © Bravado Media – MarVista Entertainment / Umberto Poto
Now this love has been made into a film by Oscar winner Florian Gallenberger (52). “Perfect Match” is now available on Prime Video, just in time for this year’s opening of the legendary tennis tournament on Monday in Wimbledon.
In the leading roles as Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi: Lena Klenke (28, “Fack ju Göhte”, “How to sell drugs online fast”) and Toby Sebastian (32, “Game of Thrones”). Both look amazingly similar to the originals!
Toby Sebastian (32, known from “Game of Thrones”) plays Andre Agassi. The resemblance is also astonishing
Photo: © Bravado Media – MarVista Entertainment / Umberto Poto
Lena Klenke told BILD: “I don’t think I would have ever thought that there could be a connection between Steffi Graf and me. Of course I knew her name and who she was. I always had great pictures of her from the 1990s in my mind. Before the film, however, I had no connection to tennis at all. I had never held a tennis racket in my hand before. So I was surprised that they even asked me. But the producers said I looked so much like her…”
Michael Kessler (57), known from “Kessler is…” and “Switch reloaded” plays Peter Graf, Steffi’s father, who has closely followed her career
Photo: © Bravado Media – MarVista Entertainment / Umberto Poto
Toby Sebastian was also amazed at how much he resembled Agassi. He told BILD: “I used to play tennis a lot. I wasn’t very good and I’m still not very good. But I never even thought that I could be considered for it. But I was pretty impressed when I saw what my colleagues in the makeup department had made of me. And when I saw myself as Andre, I was even a little more excited.”
Rare appearance: Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi at a tennis event in Romania in mid-June
Photo: IMAGO/NurPhoto
The preparation for the film actually took place on the tennis court.
Klenke told BILD: “I had a great teacher who has been a coach for a long time and who even trained with Steffi Graf in Marbella in the 1990s. At the beginning we just watched her old games. Then we worked out what was special about her. I learned a kind of choreography that I could use as a guide, which was mainly about imitating her style.”
Wimbledon 1992: The then winner Steffi Graf with her parents Peter Graf (1938-2013) and Heidi Graf (80). The two divorced in 1999
Foto: picture-alliance / dpa
This was done quite well. The film focuses primarily on the love story between Steffi and Andre, which is partly fictional and partly verifiable. But sport definitely plays more than a supporting role.
also read
What can you learn from Steffi Graf? Lena Klenke to BILD “I think you can learn a lot from Steffi Graf. Above all, how to deal with defeats. She never let anything show. She never had any outbursts. The only time you noticed that something was bothering her was during the phase of her father’s tax scandal, when she lost several games in a row. That was not something you would expect from her. The fact that she never said a bad word about her father shows her greatness.”
Lena Klenke and director Florian Gallenberger during a break from filming
Photo: © Bravado Media – MarVista Entertainment / Umberto Poto
Only two people are missing from the film – the real protagonists. Klenke says: “Steffi Graf was asked in advance whether she wanted to be involved in our film. She politely declined and wished us good luck. That was the most important thing for me, because I wouldn’t have wanted to play her if she hadn’t wanted to be played.”
2024-06-30 13:52:10
#Series #stars #Graf #Agassi #similarity #great #tennis #Entertainment
