The 100-degree desert heat at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells is no joke, even for the pros. But minutes after stepping off a purple tennis court, dressed head-to-toe in an adorable matching lululemon green set and fresh from hitting with tennis coach Madison Appel, Hannah Berner looks surprisingly unfazed. Well, mostly unfazed.
“It’s too hot out” the Giggly Squad co-host and stand-up comedian laughed, still buzzing from her friendly match with Madison. Hannah may be best known to Cosmopolitan readers for her wildly popular podcast Giggly Squad (which she co-hosts alongside Paige DeSorbo) and her nationwide None of My Business comedy tour, but tennis is actually where her career began. Long before honing her craft in stand-up or starring in Summer House, Hannah spent years competing seriously as a junior tennis player, even playing for the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
These days, she's invested in the sport in a new way as a lululemon tennis ambassador, soaking in the oft-described "tennis paradise" in Indian Wells, one of the most stunning stops on the professional tennis calendar.
“When I was growing up, tennis was kind of nerdy and weird,” Hannah joked with Cosmo. “We were like horse girls. Now, every cool girl is associated with tennis, so I’m excited we’re getting a time to shine.”
For Hannah, picking up the racket in 2026 feels a little like revisiting a former life. “I feel like tennis was my first career,” she said. “It was my longest relationship.”
That relationship shaped more than she realized at the time. The discipline, mental toughness, and sheer emotional chaos of competing at such a high level ended up becoming the unexpected training ground for her second act: stand-up comedy.
“People say stand-up comedy is so hard,” Hannah said. “But I'm like, tennis is harder.”
Below, Hannah chats with Cosmopolitan about growing up as a competitive athlete, how the experience prepared her for comedy (and her tour, which runs through March 29), the ways tennis style and lululemon merge fashion and function, and why she’s learning to be kinder to herself the second time around.
I give you so much credit for being down to talk to me right after playing. It could never be me. I took a tennis lesson yesterday and I just about melted into the clay afterwards.
It’s too hot out! But it was so much fun. Did you get the tennis bug a little bit?
I feel like I still don’t quite know how to hold the racket, but it was fun.
There’s no perfectly right way to do it. Everyone should do what feels right.
I’m a new enthusiast, but you're a pro, so I have to ask: What’s the energy like in Indian Wells compared to other tournaments you’ve been to?
Because I’m from Brooklyn, I grew up going to the US Open. And the US Open, I’ve realized, is insanity. The energy is crazy. Indian Wells is so calm and beautiful. The scenery! As a New Yorker, seeing the mountains and palm trees? It’s so chic.
Tennis is such a chic sport now. When I was growing up, tennis was kind of nerdy and weird. We were like horse girls. Now every cool girl is associated with tennis, so I’m excited we’re getting a time to shine. This tournament is amazing too. Lululemon being a sponsor and working with them has been so fun. Everyone’s wearing it and they have this cool booth and suite. I’m getting, like, royalty treatment here.
After competing yourself growing up, what does it feel like to watch the sport as an adult now?
Tennis was my first career. It was my longest relationship. When I left tennis, it felt like a breakup, like, 'I don't want to think about it or talk about it.' It took me a few years, and now I’m kind of re-falling in love with it. I watch the Tennis Channel all day. I always dreamed of playing in a Grand Slam and being sponsored by a big athletic company, so it’s funny that I kind of achieved that dream, just through a weirder journey.
But playing sports, especially as a woman, really helped my self-esteem. It's really helped me deal with adversity. Sports have been great preparation for me being a stand-up comic. People say stand-up is so hard, but I'm like, tennis is harder.
What skills do you feel transferred between the two?
I ascended in comedy pretty quickly, and it's because it was my second career. I think using the discipline I had from being an athlete has helped me become a better comedian at a faster rate, because I treat it like a sport. I'm not partying; I'm hydrating, I'm practicing, and I'm reviewing my material like I'm an athlete. A lot of athletes are artists, and finding my creative side has helped my mental health. But I love that disciplined athletic side too. I'm a little bit of a Virgo. Also, with tennis and stand-up, you’re alone out there battling your demons and dealing with variables. The mental toughness translated.
When you watch matches now, do you ever get nostalgic?
Because I know so much about the life, I’m so impressed by these players, especially the women. I want to shout out Taylor Townsend, Amanda Anisimova, Coco Gauff, and obviously Naomi Osaka. They are so inspirational to me. Some of them have even reached out and said they listen to my podcast—shoutout Emma Navarro—which is so cool. They’re living this intense, high-pressure life, so knowing my comedy might help them laugh a little on the road means a lot. I appreciate what they put into this. To be that good at anything, you have to sacrifice so much.
You’re killing it career-wise as well, being mid–stand-up tour right now. How do you handle the pressure and sacrifice of performing in your second career?
I put a lot of pressure on myself with tennis. I felt like I had a lot of pressure on me financially. I had a lot of pressure from people around me, and I didn't know who I was playing for sometimes. But with stand-up, I’m re-coaching myself the way I wish I had been coached. I'm nicer to myself. I'm almost healing my inner tennis child who went through a lot of really tough coaching on the court—it was the '90s and it was a different time—so now with stand-up, I'm trying to make it fun, and being kind to myself has actually helped me improve.
That’s hard to do, especially if you grew up in competitive atmosphere.
Tennis players are perfectionists. In tennis, when you mess up, you literally lose the point. But comedy feels different to me, it’s more of an art form. You’re not really winning or losing, and you learn something every time you get off stage, which has been really therapeutic. When I was playing tennis, I was always getting in trouble for making my teammates laugh, and I thought something was wrong with me. I would have trouble paying attention and focusing as much as the other girls. But stuff that hindered my tennis game is the same stuff that makes me a great comedian.
In rediscovering your love for tennis, has that included fashion side of the sport too? What makes a great tennis look to you now?
I love tennis fashion. It’s so chic, but it has to be functional. What I love about lululemon is the quality lasts. I’m a huge sweater—I’m getting sunscreen on everything, makeup, Gatorade, you name it—so my clothes go through a lot. When I went to lululemon's headquarters in Vancouver, they actually asked what I wanted as a tennis player, and I said I wanted to move my arms easily and have spandex under the skirt and they came through. They really care about the little details and listen. As someone with muscles too, I feel like I look my best in sportswear. I love feeling strong.
Watching tennis in person really makes you appreciate how athletic everyone truly is.
Totally. It’s like ballet, and the crazy thing is everyone looks like they have similar skills, but it’s also very mental. Tennis is like chess. That’s why stand-up feels easy to me sometimes. People will ask me, “How do you talk in front of hundreds of people?” and I’m like, “I double-faulted in front of 2,000 people,” if I can do that, I can talk on stage. Tennis can be chaotic.
Before I let you go: What’s the most chaotic thing that’s ever happened to you on a tennis court?
I used to cry when I was losing. I’d just be crying and playing, and sometimes even when I’d win, I'd be crying. I’ve also forgotten my rackets, forgotten my shoes... once my grip was so sweaty that my racket flew out of the court mid-match and I had to go get it. But that’s tennis! You make mistakes, you learn, and you keep going.
