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At first glance, tennis and K-pop might seem like they exist in entirely different universes. But in recent years, these two cultural powerhouses have intersected in unexpected ways.
Whether it’s Roger Federer meeting Blackpink or Naomi Osaka proudly declaring her love for BTS, these moments have left a lasting impression on fans across both fandoms. To top it all off, there was even a time when a K-pop singer dated a tennis player.
On that note, here’s a quick roundup of six memorable moments where tennis and K-pop came together:
#6 Former Wonder Girls member Yubin and tennis player Kwon Soon-woo were involved in a romantic relationship
Kim Yu-bin, popularly known as Yubin, is a well-known K-pop star who was once in a relationship with South Korean tennis player Kwon Soon-woo. Yubin rose to fame as the main rapper of the second-generation girl group Wonder Girls, which stayed together for a decade before disbanding in 2017.
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Their relationship became public in May 2023, marking Yubin’s first time confirming a relationship. She was even seen cheering for Kwon at the Davis Cup Finals in Seoul, and the two were once spotted having a cozy dinner date.
However, things took a turn when Kwon Soon-woo found himself in hot water during the 2023 Asian Games. After losing to Thailand’s Kasidit Samrej, he smashed his racket several times and didn’t shake hands with his opponent. He later apologized for his behavior.
Soon after, breakup rumors began to circulate. Fans noticed that the two had removed photos together and unfollowed each other on Instagram. In October, Yubin’s agency, rrr Entertainment, confirmed that the couple had ended their relationship and decided to remain friends.
"It is true that Yubin [and Kwon Soon-woo] recently broke up. They decided to remain as friends who cheer each other on," they said in a statement.
Since then, neither Yubin nor Kwon Soon-woo has publicly spoken about the breakup. As of July 2025, there have been no reports linking either of them to new relationships.
#5 BTS' Jin attends Casper Ruud's match in Korea Open 2022
Kim Seok-jin, better known as Jin from BTS, is one of the most recognizable faces in K-pop. But what many might not know is that he also has a quiet admiration for tennis.
Back in 2022, Jin was seen in the stands during Casper Ruud’s second-round match against Nicolas Jarry at the Korea Open. Videos of him watching the match intently quickly made the rounds online.
Ruud later reacted to Jin’s appearance, saying he wasn’t aware the BTS member was in the crowd at the time but added that he knew of the group and was thrilled to hear that the idol enjoyed tennis.
"Didn't know.I don't actively listen to thier music but I know they're world-famous. I'm very happy as a tennis athlete to hear Jin likes tennis," he said.
Interestingly, Casper Ruud is a melophile himself. He's openly expressed his love for The Weeknd and has even attended his concerts multiple times.
#4 Novak Djokovic & Venus Williams click with K-pop icons Jeon Somi & Wang Yibo
Novak Djokovic and Venus Williams have had some memorable moments with K-pop idols over the last couple of years, and their connection to Lacoste had a lot to do with it.
Williams first met Jeon Somi, a Korean-Canadian singer and former I.O.I member, at Lacoste’s 90th Anniversary 'Impossible Encounters' event in New York in September 2023. Somi was Lacoste’s global brand ambassador in South Korea back then. The two hit it off on the tennis court in the Bronx, with the tennis legend teaching Somi a few racket tricks. They even shared a fun little dance moment.
Fast forward to 2024, both Williams and Somi joined Djokovic in Lacoste’s 'Play Big' campaign. The three posed together inside Lacoste’s iconic crocodile jaws for the global ad.
Djokovic later had a special meet-up with Chinese actor-singer Wang Yibo, best known for being in the South Korean-Chinese boy group UNIQ, just before the 2024 Shanghai Masters during a Lacoste event titled 'The Shadow of a Champion.' The Serb showed Wang his Olympic gold medal, let him hold it, and they exchanged gifts. They even played a friendly tennis match on the Great Wall of China.
#3 Zheng Qinwen channels inner 'Blink' in adorable Blackpink shoutout
Zheng Qinwen’s love for music is no secret. After winning the WTA 500 title in Zhengzhou in 2023, she grabbed headlines for her fun karaoke celebration that went viral.
She’s also a big K-pop fan, especially of Blackpink, the biggest girl group in the world right now. The group features four members: Jisoo (Kim Ji-soo), Jennie (Kim Jennie), Lisa (Lalisa Manoban), and Rosé (Roseanne Park).
Zheng has called herself a proud Blink (Blackpink’s fandom name) and shared in early 2023 that she dreams of attending one of their concerts someday.
“There's one Korean group that I'm really interested in, Blackpink,” the Chinese told Tennis Channel. “They are very, very famous. I would love to see their concerts in real life and see how they are.”
Zheng's love for all things Blackpink even extends to her growing collection of Labubus. The plush toys that have taken off globally, thanks in large part to Lisa, who’s helped turn them into a pop culture phenomenon.
#2 Self-proclaimed 'ARMY' Naomi Osaka gushes over meeting BTS' Suga
Naomi Osaka's journey into K-pop started with second-gen legends BIGBANG and 2NE1, especially CL, the leader of 2NE1. Her love for K-pop deepened when she discovered BTS during their 'I Need U' era back in 2015, and over time, she proudly became an ARMY (BTS’s fanbase).
In 2020, Osaka gave BTS a public shoutout, revealing that 'Make It Right,' their Ed Sheeran collaboration, was her favorite track from the 'Map of the Soul: Persona' album.
She even admitted to running a fan Instagram account dedicated to J-Hope’s forehead, hilariously titled 'free hobi’s forehead,' which she mentioned in a tweet that same year.
"Fun fact: I once had a IG page called “free hobi’s forehead”. And that’s on bangtan sonyeondan," she wrote.
Naomi Osaka’s ultimate BTS fangirl moment came in September 2022, when she met Suga at the NBA Japan Games in Saitama between the Golden State Warriors vs the Washington Wizards. She got the chance to have a conversation with the rapper and later shared a photo of their meetup on X (formerly Twitter), and even gave fans a little peek into how their chat went.
"Lol so I told Suga that Autumn Leaves is a great song. I don’t know why but that was the one thing I made up my mind to tell him if we ever bumped into each other," she wrote.
Before that, the four-time Grand Slam champion had also attended BTS’ concert at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in 2021. The show was part of the group’s four-day concert series titled 'BTS: PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE.'
# 1 Roger Federer meets Blackpink in Paris in the most iconic tennis-K-pop crossover
Arguably, the biggest tennis-K-pop crossover happened in January 2023 when Roger Federer met Blackpink. While attending Paris Fashion Week and the Le Gala des Pièces Jaunes charity gala, Federer crossed paths with Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa during their performance.
Federer later posted a photo with the quartet on Instagram, mentioning that his kids insisted he share it. The post sparked fun reactions, with Coco Gauff jokingly asking if he was a Blink now. The Swiss also shared a video of their performance on his Stories.
"🖤💗 My kids said this was a definite IG post 😊, " Federer wrote in the caption.
Interestingly, Rosé was starstruck when she met Federer and later shared on Instagram that he was her "childhood hero."
Rosé was born in New Zealand to South Korean parents and grew up in Australia before moving to South Korea to train under YG Entertainment. As a child, she developed a love for tennis and often went to watch the Australian Open at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena.
"I used to come here at Rod Laver to watch tennis for the Australian Open. So, it's really really surreal performing for you guys here," she said during their Born Pink World Tour concert at Rod Laver Arena.
The APT.-famed singer even picked up tennis lessons after meeting Federer and gave fans a glimpse of her new hobby on Instagram. She’s currently back on another world tour with Blackpink, called the Deadline World Tour, marking their comeback as a group in nearly two years.
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