Game, Set, Act: Boris Kodjoe’s Journey from Tennis Ace to Hollywood Star

37-year-old sex symbol Boris Kodjoe was born in Vienna, Austria, and grew up in Germany with Ghanaian father Eric and German mother Ursula. His first approach to tennis happened through his father, who represented Ghana in the Davis Cup. Tennis player Eric Kodjoe passed the game onto Boris, who put in endless efforts during his teenage and early adulthood to become the best he could be.

The Beginnings as a Tennis Player

He used to travel three hours by train to reach the court for several hours of training. Boris’s complete dedication to learning tennis was unprecedented for a young boy. Of course, he received the praise of his trainers for becoming a standout junior tennis star. Boris’ efforts earned him a scholarship to the US, where he learned the English language directly on the tennis court. However, a severe injury came to crash his biggest life dreams just when he was starting a career as a tennis player.

It was a complicated decision, but he couldn’t postpone or avoid it. He had to decide what to do with his life. The injury led him to this crucial point of his life. As a result, Boris had to slow his tennis training and appearances to matches, although he still played college tennis for the Virginia Commonwealth University. His Swedish couch, Paul Kostin, helped Boris get acquainted with the US lifestyle and the English language.

The Stressful Life of a Hollywood Actor

Boris soon walked on the way to becoming an actor. It happened when he attended acting classes after a friend’s advice about taking acting to improve his language skills. From then, Boris landed on the big screen with roles highlighting his sports education.

Life as a Hollywood actor is stressful: free time seems rare during filming periods. That’s why most Hollywood actors look for an overnight getaway at local casinos. Sitting at a roulette or poker table is relaxing and allows players to release the tension they gained through the week. Las Vegas might not be just over the corner for everyone, so the best and most time-effective way to find an exciting online casino game is to visit this website for German players. After all, Boris remains a German in his heart and culture.

But stress comes also from playing a slam. As Boris said to a friend once, if he wins a slam, he can’t form a sentence for up to two weeks! This statement reveals the physical and emotional stress that pro tennis players often go through. Also, this emotional shock is something young players must learn to manage. Emotions are part of sports practice. It’s necessary to learn how to drive emotions in a positive way rather than showing to be struggling with emotions, which might lead to a disaster.

Boris’ Commitment to Tennis

Today, Boris’ commitment to tennis goes even far beyond the average professional player, as he wants to give young African American kids the opportunity to approach tennis and learn a sport for life.

“When you love a sport, you want the youth to be able to take advantage of some of the benefits that come with playing such a beautiful sport like tennis”, said Boris during an interview about his training aims at the Tennis Channel and Mouratoglou Tennis Academy.

Hollywood is Boris’ new career world, but tennis is what makes his heart beat faster.