The game that introduced Waluigi to the world, and fittingly, his entrance theme is right there in track two. Mario Tennis 64's soundtrack by Motoi Sakuraba is a surprisingly layered sports score that goes well beyond what a tennis game needs.
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The "Opening Entrance" builds with cinematic flair, "Opening Wario, Waluigi Entry" gives the villain duo their first-ever musical identity, and "Opening Koopa Entry" brings the menace before "Opening let's all play!" drops into pure party energy.
The tournament progression is brilliantly scored. "Tournament Round 1" starts with manageable tension, "Tournament Round 2" raises the stakes, and "Decisive Match" brings the intensity of a Grand Slam final. The recurring "Game Point-Break Point" themes create these micro-moments of drama that mirror real tennis perfectly.
"Tie Break" and "Set Point - Match Point" ratchet up the pressure even further. Every court gets its own personality too: "Mario Brothers Court" has that classic Mushroom Kingdom warmth, "Donkey Kong Court" goes jungle funk, and "Koopa Stage" turns sinister.
The side modes have their own musical identity. "Ring Shot" in both single and doubles flavors brings a playful, puzzle-like quality, and "Pakkun Challenge" turns a Piranha Plant minigame into its own musical moment. Sakuraba's work here is often overlooked in favor of his Tales and Star Ocean scores, but this soundtrack proves he could make a tennis match feel as dramatic as any RPG boss fight.