Game of Thrones, the television series that’s taken over the world, is set to premiere its fifth season on the evening of April 12. We’re not sure if any tennis pros are fans, but we certainly know they have the competitive will to survive in the bloody anarchy that is the show. To get you even more excited for the air date, we picked the tennis pros who could easily be the understudy for some of the major characters on Game of Thrones.
Andy Murray as Stannis Baratheon
Poor stern-faced Stannis Baratheon and Andy Murray. Only like, two people believe that they’re the one true king of their respective kingdoms, Westeros and Wimbledon. Despite some setbacks (back injuries and wildfire will get ya) they’re on a quest to take back what’s theirs, whether it be an iron throne or silver gilt cup.
Kim Sears as Melisandre
Okay, she’s not a tennis player, but where would Andy be without the Melisandre to his Stannis? Kim Sears, who bad-mouthed her fiance’s opponent from the stands of the Australian Open and made headlines worldwide, is now just as famous for whispering curses and igniting fires as the Lady Melisandre.
Novak Djokovic as Tyrion Lannister
Both fan favorites, the clever Novak Djokovic and Tyrion Lannister seem to get themselves out of any predicament — even when it’s down to a cut-throat fifth set or a trial by combat. Both men also know how to bribe their enemies to get what they want, whether it’s promising gold to a prison guard or offering boxed chocolates to a press room full of reporters.
Eugenie Bouchard as Sansa Stark
Both of these women are pretty … tough. One hails from a snowy land in the north, also known as Canada. The other is from Winterfell. The latter possesses an incredible amount of emotional strength for dealing with the diabolical Joffrey for so many years. And although Eugenie’s world doesn’t come close to being as awful, she’s put up with some pretty dumb people, too (who can forget Twirlgate). This past tennis/GOT season left us with the feeling that both ladies were on their way toward reaching the top of the ladder — a grand slam win for Genie and whatever the Westeros equivalent of that is for Sansa.
Stan Wawrinka as Sandor Clegane
Tall, scruffy and brooding Stan Wawrinka rips winners at his opponents in the same manner that Sandor Clegane rips through his enemies’ innards. But despite Stan’s menacing appearance, the Swiss has a four-year-old daughter named Alexia whom he very much adores. And while Sandor is certainly no father, The Hound did a pretty good job of protecting young Arya Stark.
Madison Keys as Arya Stark
Arya Stark has a long list of people she wants to kill, and Madison Keys has a long list of people she wants to defeat on the tennis court. Both women are young but fearless and we’ve already seen great potential in these two fighters. Madison knocked out some major players at the Australian Open this year, and last season, Arya cut down more than a few foes with her sword. We’re looking forward to more upsets from Madison at the upcoming French Open and more kills from Arya in Season 5.
Grigor Dimitrov as Jon Snow
If good looks could kill … it would be Grigor Dimitrov making a run to the semifinals of Wimbledon or Jon Snow coming away victorious at the Battle of Castle Black. Jon’s girl Ygritte had about a million opportunities to kill her betraying lover and yet every time she saw his face she was like, “Hey bae,” and put the arrow down. Grigor’s pretty decent at tennis, but we’re fairly sure he wins a lot of points because people are staring at him. Nevertheless, the resident pretty boys of The Wall and the ATP can do some damage, whether it’s with a sword or tennis racket.
Maria Sharapova as Cersei Lannister
These royal women of the court are ruthless when it comes to getting what they want. Maria Sharapova screams so loudly in her tennis matches that it practically scares away her opponents. And Cersei Lannister spends the majority of her time yelling and/or gritting her teeth at someone she dislikes (which is everyone). But whether we’re talking about the woman in the Nike dress or the one in the velvet gown, you gotta respect these queen bees.
Roger Federer as Eddard Stark
Ah, the beloved patriarchs of the northern lands. A family man, Eddard Stark makes the ultimate sacrifice to protect his flesh and blood, and as a result leaves the show much earlier than we would have liked. Thankfully for tennis fans, Roger Federer, the cool and collected father of four, has yet to retire, so we have many more episodes of tennis to watch.
Serena Williams as Daenerys Targaryen
Le duh. As if this comparison could be any more obvious. Serena is without a doubt the rightful ruler of the seven continents, whether she’s dominating the U.S. Open in Queens (Landing), or kicking ass and taking names across the Narrow Sea in Melbourne. Yeah, most everyone gets killed off Game of Thrones and most tennis players eventually quit, but we know that both of these leading ladies will be sticking around for a while.
