There are likely few American athletes who follow tennis as passionately as Jimmy Butler. Over the past few years, Butler has grown closer to the sport, forming ties with some of the best players and cheering them on. Throughout the 2023 tennis season, the Miami Heat star has expressed his love for the sport by supporting his favorite players. From watching the French Open during his NBA Finals series to attending Wimbledon and US Open matches live, Butler has become obsessed with the sport. Recently, ‘Jimmy G Buckets’ hilariously claimed to be ready to begin his career as a professional tennis player and demanded the ATP Tour to award him with the World No.1 ranking.
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Carlos Alcaraz is one of Jimmy Butler’s favorite athletes. The 6ft 7’ forward has revealed being in awe of the Spanish sensation on several occasions. A few months ago, the 2023 NBA Finalist traveled 4,426 miles to catch Alcaraz’s quarterfinal clash at Wimbledon. More recently, Butler managed to attend Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Coco Gauff’s US Open contests.
Jimmy Butler reveals his desire to be the World No.1 tennis player
Jimmy Butler recently posted a series of photos on Instagram. As seen in the embed below, the two-way star played some tennis with Jermaine Thomas. In the caption, the Marquette alum sent out a message to the ATP Tour – the governing body of the men’s professional tennis. While stating he was ready to start his career as a professional in the sport, Butler also expressed his wish to be ranked No.1 in the world. Though admittedly, among many, Novak Djokovic likely wouldn’t be amused if the ATP did oblige Jimmy.
The six-time All-Star has been public about his status as a tennis geek of sorts. But unfortunately, he doesn’t have the required skills to make it as a pro. Still, winning a point against Carlos Alcaraz is beyond impressive.
Butler has become extremely close to the likes of Carlos and Coco. Despite being significantly older than the tennis phenoms, Jimmy loves attending their matches. So much so, that Gauff even credited Butler for her success at the 2023 US Open.
Butler is also a huge fan of soccer
Jimmy Butler is also a huge soccer fanatic. Ever since his friendship with Neymar Jr. blossomed, Butler has been following the ongoing from the football world as well. Other than watching several games live, the 34-year-old even celebrates the Brazilian superstar’s feats on his Instagram Story.
Over the years Butler has grown exceptionally close to the new Al-Hilal player. Despite being completely opposite personalities, Jimmy spent a significant time of his summer in Brazil. While he was a guest at ‘Ney’s child’s gender-reveal party, the two were seen playing football, cards, and even bowling.
