During the 2018 US Open final between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, a controversy broke out towards the end of the match that took the tennis world by storm. Carlos Ramos, the chair umpire in the match, penalized Williams for allegedly taking advice from her coach, Patrick Mourataglou from the sidelines. This was in violation of a tennis code.
Following this, Williams was livid. She lost it over the umpire and this controversy partly inspired the new tennis film starring Zendaya, ‘Challengers’.
What had happened was that Ramos penalized Serena Williams, and she took it as an offense for being insinuated as a ‘cheater’. Williams was angry and emotional and got into a verbal war with Carlos Ramos. She even brought up her then-one-year-old daughter Olympia Ohanian and promised to do everything right by her; further stressing that she never cheated.
However, the penalization remained, and Williams had to deal with it. This affected the 23-time Grand Slam champion as she eventually lost the match 2-6, 4-6 to Naomi Osaka.
When Justin Kuritzkes learned about this incident, it fascinated him. Kurtizkes, a playwright and novelist, is the screenwriter for the film ‘Challengers’ by Luca Guadagnino. The 2018 US Open controversial moment stayed with Kuritzkes for a long time, and this culminated in him writing the ‘Challengers’. He shared this bit of trivia in an interview with Radio Times recently.
“I was watching the US Open in 2018 and it was the final between Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams, and And there was this really controversial call towards the end of the match where Serena Williams was penalised for receiving coaching from the sidelines. And she got very upset and said that didn’t happen. But the ref still penalised her. And I had never heard of that rule – that you’re not allowed to speak with your coach during the match. And immediately it struck me as really cinematic,” Kuritzkes told Radio Times.
What particularly struck Kuritzkes was the ruling that coaches are not allowed to guide players from the sidelines. He realized how sensitive coaching can be, and this facet was included in the movie. Therefore, learning that new facet about coaching in tennis came in handy for Justin Kuritzkes after all.
In the film, Zendaya plays Tashi Duncan, whose tennis career ended abruptly after a leg injury. Post that, she starts coaching her husband Art Donaldson, played by Mike Faist to win against Tashi’s former flame Patrick, played by Josh O’Connor. Zendaya, along with Faist and O’Connor, trained hard for the film and realized how difficult it is to act.
What Does Serena Williams Feel About the Movie ‘Challengers’?
Serena Williams has not only inspired countless young girls to pick up tennis but also people from other professions. Zendaya, the lead actor of Challengers, is the best example. Therefore, it was intimidating for her to even imagine what Serena Williams must’ve felt about her movie. However, Williams had an overall positive reaction to the film. According to Vulture, Williams said the film had its moments of genuine representation and also compared it to Roger Federer.
Williams said to Vulture, “A lot of male tennis players really rely on their wives and girlfriends. Just look at someone like Roger Federer: He used to actually hit with his wife, Mirka, and they were like glue.”
Serena Williams was talking about one of the two male characters in the film – Art Donaldson, and how they were reliant on Tashi. In doing so, she made a real-life comparison between Roger Federer and his wife, Mirka. She also had a few comments to make about Zendaya’s character.
Williams said, “Tashi was just mean, for lack of a better word. But it’s true that when you’re really competitive, you have to make tough decisions, including in your dating life. You have to find someone who really understands your mind.”
As for Mike, Williams simply expressed pity. She said, “I’ve seen guys like that before. There are players who really struggle, and sometimes end up living in their car.”
Overall, Serena Williams gave a big thumbs-up to this movie.
