Fifteen years ago, Michael Kosta was returning backhands and volleys while piling up Big Ten championships on the tennis court at the University of Illinois before embarking on a short-lived professional tennis career.

Then came a detour into comedy. And now, Mr. Kosta will be appearing on “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” as a full-time correspondent, Comedy Central announced Tuesday, a role on a team that has a number of rising stars, including Jordan Klepper and Hasan Minhaj.

Mr. Kosta is an accomplished stand-up comedian, with appearances on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” and his own Comedy Central special under his belt. He is also no stranger to television, as a co-host on Fox Sports 1’s “Crowd Goes Wild” and as a guest host of “Attack of the Show,” a pop culture show that aired on G4.