There is a misconception among F1 fans that Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll is a phenomenal tennis player. In fact, many believe that this was his main sporting goal — only halted by his becoming a professional racing driver.
But on the Fast and the Curious podcast, the #18 driver finally rubbished that myth. Instead, the Canadian racing ace pointed the finger at Sky Sports F1 presenter David Croft for starting the ‘rumor’.
“Don’t believe everything you read,” he began when asked if he was actually a good tennis player.
“They were saying I was going on the ATP World Tennis Tour. Am I good enough to do that? No, I’m not. Someone came up with this — yeah, it was Crofty [Croft],” he explained.
Lance Stroll talking about the rumor that he was leaving f1 to play tennis on the ATP tour
(he was asked what he’d do if he wasn’t an f1 driver to which he said golf and then Christian, the interviewer said I’ve heard you’re quite good at tennis )
– the fast and curious pod pic.twitter.com/O3g1TS0cDz
— devyani (@formula_dev) February 19, 2025
Stroll made this admission when the hosts quizzed him about his alternative sporting career. In fact, Stroll named golf as a sport that he would have tried his hand at if it weren’t for motorsport.
However, the #18 driver did confess that his skills on the golf course are no longer that good either. “It was in the single digits, now it’s not,” is what Stroll said about his handicap.
Did Croft really start the rumor about Stroll wanting to pursue tennis?
One doesn’t have to go too far to realize that it was indeed the British commentator who began connections between Stroll and tennis. In fact, Croft had claimed that the Canadian racing ace may hang up his racing helmet to pursue a career on the greens instead.
“I don’t think Formula 1 was the sport he [Stroll] wanted to go into when he was younger. I mean, he was a massive tennis talent when he was younger, one of the best youngsters in Canada at the time,” the British presenter had said back in 2023.
Even back then, Stroll had laughed at the idea. He suggested that Croft might have had “a few beers on the couch” before coming up with such a claim but commended the Briton for his creativity.
As things stand, the #18 driver’s future is firmly at Aston Martin. His father Lawrence Stroll (the team’s owner) has invested heavily in the Silverstone-based team, with the hope of transforming them into a championship-winning outfit. And he would want his son to reap the benefits of his vision.
