Meet Alizé Lim, the French-Vietnamese tennis player, who competed against Serena Williams and compares tennis to acting

 

COVER Alizé Lim stars in Tatler Asia’s July fashion shoot in a Coperni dress (Photo: Noémi Ottilia Szabo)

 

 

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Alizé Lim, who is set to cover some parts of the Paris Olympics for French TV, shares what audiences worldwide can look forward to—from the opening ceremony on the Seine River to the breakdance competition at Place de la Concorde

 

Alizé Lim wears many hats: a tennis player, a TV commentator, an actress, an author … and most recently the guest model on Tatler Asia’s July issue’s fashion shoot in which we paid tribute to sports and fashion.

 

But as multi-talented as she is, her first passion was undoubtedly tennis. Lim’s love affair with tennis began at the tender age of two when she first picked up a racket and started hitting balls on the court alongside her parents. “My parents played tennis every single weekend, and of course when you’re there you want to try,” Lim recalls. “I was the baby, so everyone was playing except me. I would catch the racket when I was two years old, try to hit balls, and be crying, ‘Let me play, let me play!’” What started as a family hobby quickly blossomed into a lifelong passion, as the young Lim demonstrated an innate talent and determination that would propel her to the heights of professional tennis.

 

Read more: Emma Raducanu, former US Open Champion, on connecting with her Chinese heritage, being kind to herself, and why constantly pushing doesn’t work

 

Tatler Asia

Alizé Lim

ABOVE Alizé Lim in Brunello Cucinelli dress and Nike sneakers

Tatler Asia

Alizé Lim

ABOVE Alizé Lim in Miu Miu polo shirt

 

 

Her parents, seeing the spark in their daughter, soon signed her up for her first tournaments, where Lim promptly won her first three or four events. This early success was just the beginning of her remarkable tennis journey. She went on to become a national champion in Vietnam for two consecutive years, before turning professional at the age of 20. Lim’s big break came in 2014 when she faced off against the legendary Serena Williams at the French Open. Lim’s passion for tennis has endured through the ups and downs of her career, including a four-year break from the professional tours. Now, at the age of 33, her career has taken a new turn—at the upcoming Paris Olympics, she will host the coverage of various new sports for French television.

 

Ahead of it, Lim sits down with Tatler to reflect on her lifelong tennis journey, the lessons she has learnt, and the exciting new chapters that lie ahead.

 

Tatler Asia

Alizé Lim

ABOVE Alizé Lim in a Ferragamo dress and Prada sandals

 

 

You had a breakthrough moment playing against Serena Williams at the 2014 French Open. What was that experience like?

First of all, it was crazy because her coach was the director of my academy—so I knew her pretty well. We were training at the same place with the same people, we had the same fitness coach and we had a locker room next to each other. She was the defending champion who was doing the draw. I asked. ‘You did the draw, so who do you play?’ And she’s like, ‘Oh, I don’t know. I never look.’ And then maybe 15 minutes later, I took the draw and I saw that [I’m playing against] her.

 

I was super excited. It was one of my best experiences. The crowd was amazing, they carried you through. It was like they make you fly even if you’re nervous.

 

I remember when we started warming up, I had this strange feeling that Serena was standing very close to me. But no, when I looked over, she was standing behind the baseline like normal. But I felt that way because her presence was so strong.

 

But when the match started, I managed to focus on just the ball and forget that it was her. We had a great game and mostly the French crowd was unbelievable.

 

 

You’ve had the opportunity to compete at all four Grand Slam tournaments. Which one holds a special place for you and why?

The French Open holds a special place for me because this is where I live, five minutes away from the venue in fact. And when I play there, it’s my home, and all my friends and family are there. It can be really stressful, but it’s also really special.

 

Otherwise, I really love travelling to Australia for the Australian Open. Even after the tournament would wrap up, I wanted to stay on.

 

Read more: Roland-Garros 2024: All the celebrities spotted at the French Open

 

How excited are you for France to be hosting the Olympics this time?

It’s unbelievable. Even when the construction [work for the Olympics] was happening, we felt like, ‘Oh, it’s so far away’. We didn’t know what it was going to look like and it felt a little bit unreal. But obviously, I feel really proud we’re hosting it here. I think I will wake up early in the morning to go watch.

 

I’m also going to be hosting the coverage of various new sports for French television, including surfing, skateboarding and rock climbing, so it’s going to be really exciting.

 

Tell us more about what we can look forward to.

I think it’s going to be huge because some of the events will be held in iconic locations such as the Champ de Mars Arena right under the Eiffel Tower. I know the breakdance competitions will be held in the middle of Place de la Concorde; and the opening ceremony on La Seine. It’s going to be legendary. And I also can’t wait to see how the Roland-Garros gets completely transformed with new looks. I was training there last week, but this week they were painting with completely different colours.

 

Read more: Paris: Your quick guide to iconic landmarks, dining and shopping during the 2024 Summer Olympics

 

Tatler Asia

Alizé Lim

ABOVE Alizé Lim in Dior outfit

Tatler Asia

Alizé Lim

ABOVE Alizé Lim in Versace outfit

 

 

What motivated you to return to the sports arena—for sports coverage—after a four-year break?

Though I took a break from playing tennis professionally for almost four years, I was still practising and competing in some tournaments—though I didn’t go on tours. I wanted to explore other things, such as TV presenting, because I still have so much passion for the sport. I thought, ‘okay, I am 33 years old now, it’s now or never to do one last dance’.

 

I started practicing again this year in January thinking I wanted to take part in professional tournaments. I don’t think I’m going to be able to play forever, because I am older and I have injuries to deal with. But at the same time, I don’t want to miss any opportunity, for example, hosting this Olympics.

 

I’m practicing on the side trying to maintain my levels. So every time I have a break, I want to compete, because it’s also what makes me feel alive — and I’ve missed so much. It feels like it’s still my identity and I feel like I have a little bit more to give.

 

How have you maintained this resilience throughout the ups and downs of your career?

You don’t have a choice when you’re passionate about something. Your goal is really to be stronger than anything. I got addicted to tennis because there’s always one more tournament, there’s always next Monday, and if you go wrong, there’s always next week.

 

Injury for me is the toughest part, because you can’t control it. You can only focus on what you can control, this is everything that you can tell yourself because if you start wasting energy on something you cannot control, it’s going to be a waste of time.

 

Alizé Lim

Alizé Lim

Alizé Lim

Alizé Lim

Alizé Lim

Alizé Lim

PHOTO 1 OF 6 Mugler top; Loewe belt, trousers; Ferragamo shoes.

PHOTO 2 OF 6 Jacquemus outfit.

PHOTO 3 OF 6 Balenciaga neon top, skirt; Victoria Rost black top.

PHOTO 4 OF 6 Louis Vuitton outfit

PHOTO 5 OF 6 Loewe sweater, jacket; Prada bikini bottoms; Miu Miu shoes

PHOTO 6 OF 6 Giambattista Valli dress

 

 

What advice would you give to young aspiring tennis players?

I would say to trust the process, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Tennis is a sport in which you always build in the long term. Every time you start a new season, you start building during the off-season, training a lot—it’s every single week you build all together. So I think it’s a great lesson for life too. It teaches you to be patient, you don’t work to have the result right away. If you don’t enjoy the process, it’s going to be tough; but if you learn to enjoy the process—the difficulties and all—it is going to help you.

 

Off the court, you’ve explored other passions: what’s next for you?

I wrote a book—Éloge de l’inconditionnel—three years ago, and it was a really great experience. And hopefully, I will have more of that in my life. And acting is my new passion. I really enjoyed it so much. So I’m doing auditions and I am doing some short movies for now. I’m trying to act more in English too. What’s really funny is acting reminds me a little bit of when I started tennis because I feel like it’s a performance that should be focused. And you have to control your body and your mind to be able to repeat quite a lot and always stay in the zone.

 

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Credits

 

Photography

 

Noémi Ottilia Szabo

 

Fashion Direction

 

Cherry Mui

 

Styling

 

Lyla cheng

 

Hair

 

Beth Shanefelter

 

Make-Up

 

Asami Kawai at Artisits Unit

 

Production

 

Michael Ashford at Halfsmith

 

Photographer’s Assistant

 

Wilhelm Martin

 

Stylist’s Assistant

 

Jeanette Chung, Eva Rapti

 

Location

 

Tennis de la Cavalerie, Paris

 

Topics

 

Alizé Lim

Tennis player

Paris Olympics

Serena Williams

Tennis

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