Acclaimed actress Zendaya has a longstanding connection with tennis that transcends her upcoming movie Challengers. She has been in touch with the sport long before her tennis-based movie that will release in April.
Zendaya was in attendance for the women’s singles final at the Indian Wells 2024. Accompanied by boyfriend and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spiderman Tom Holland, she witnessed Iga Swiatek sweep past Maria Sakkari. The World No.1 won the summit clash 6-4, 6-0 to claim the title.
After the match, Zendaya and Swiatek had a long chat and fans were thrilled to see the clip posted by the tournament’s account. The Euphoria star also joined the Polish icon for a quick photo shoot with the trophy.
Two desert champions ☺️ @iga_swiatek x @Zendaya #TennisParadise | #IndianWells pic.twitter.com/cQ8goJyYpF
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 17, 2024
Iga Swiatek did not hide her excitement about meeting Zendaya, saying it made her happy to see the actress enjoy tennis. She also sounded eager for Challengers to release and invited Zendaya to practice (Town & Country).
Meeting Zendaya was crazy, but on the other hand, she’s a human like all of us. So I was just happy that she’s enjoying tennis and she’s having this movie with a tennis theme coming out. So that should be really exciting. She can practice with me any time if she wants to.”
A few months before meeting Swiatek, Zendaya interacted with another WTA top 5 star. Speaking to Tennis Channel during the WTA Finals (via Sportskeeda), American No.1 Coco Gauff revealed the Dune actress sent a massive bouquet to congratulate her for the US Open 2023 triumph.
“The coolest thing that happened to me was Zendaya sent me flowers to my house. It was like a huge bouquet of flowers. My brother & I struggled to lift it up on the table. I think it weighed at least 50 pounds. It was so heavy. I think that was the coolest thing.”
Zendaya’s interest in tennis was first noted when she attended Serena Williams’ last match at the US Open 2022. She was in the stand along with her mother as Williams lost to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round and hung up her boots.
Challengers starring Zendaya to release soon
Challengers has been in the pipeline for a considerable time now. It was originally slated to release on September 15, 2023, in the USA. However, the SAG-AFTRA strikes saw the date pushed back to April 26, 2024. The movie follows Zendaya as Tashi and her journey as a player-turned-coach working with her Grand Slam-winning husband.
But he is forced to play an ATP Challenger event after a string of poor results. What happens when he crosses paths with Tashi’s ex-boyfriend, a burnt-out journeyman, makes up the crux of the story.
While Zendaya clearly has a deep interest in tennis as a fan, it is not known whether she is on close terms with any players. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where many stars of the sport like Maria Sharapova, Naomi Osaka, Billie Jean King, and the Bryan brothers. However, neither of them are in Encino. Zendaya lives in the exclusive neighbourhood in a $4 million mansion from 1939 (Fancy Pants Homes).
