Fans are hyped about the upcoming Zendaya tennis film titled Challengers. The movie will premiere in April 2024 and stars the popular Hollywood actress as a famous player-turned-coach.
Challengers follows Zendaya’s Tashi, a renowned tennis star who now coaches her husband, Art. Under her tutelage, her husband evolves from an ordinary player to a Grand Slam champion. However, he hits a rough patch, losing multiple matches on the trot.
To get him out of his rut, Tashi signs him up for an ATP Challenger competition. The main premise of the romantic comedy-drama is based on what happens when Art runs into his wife’s ex-boyfriend Patrick, a formerly gifted player who is now burnt out, in the tournament.
The movie is presumably named after the ATP Challenger Tour and the fact that the two male leads will challenge each other. In addition to Zendaya, the production stars Mike Faist as Art and Josh O’Connor as Patrick. Like the Euphoria actress, O’Connor is also an Emmy and Golden Globe awards winner. Luca Guadagnino, who most famously made Call Me By Your Name, has directed this movie.
Challengers was initially scheduled to be released in the USA on September 15, 2023. However, it faced delays because of the prolonged 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. It will now hit the theatres on 26 April 2024. The trailer for the Zendaya tennis film took the internet by storm.
The movie is rated R due to explicit language, mature content, and graphic scenes. Zendaya trained with famed coach Brad Gilbert, who currently coaches Coco Gauff and has worked with Andy Murray and Andre Agassi, to get her tennis basics right. The main cast spent three months with Gilbert to ensure viewers receive an authentic tennis experience in theatres.
Challengers, the Zendaya tennis film, could be the next big tennis-based movie
Challengers joins a brief but illustrious list of tennis movies in Hollywood. Before the Zendaya tennis film, Will Smith starred in arguably the most famous production on the sport. He played Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams, in King Richard, released in 2021. The biopic depicted how the sisters were developed into world-famous tennis champions by their father. Smith won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Richard Williams.
In 2017, acclaimed actors Steve Carrell and Emma Stone starred in Battle of the Sexes. It is a dramatized account of the iconic male vs. female exhibition match between Billie Jean King, played by Stone, and 55-year-old Bobby Riggs, played by Carrell. Many such battles of the sexes have happened since then, including one just a few months ago featuring Mirra Andreeva, but King vs. Riggs in 1973 arguably remains the most legendary.
Other lesser-known movies revolving around tennis include 16-love, Balls Out, and Nobody’s Perfect. Superstars like Serena Williams and Andre Agassi also have feature-length documentaries made on them.
