"Challengers": A Love Triangle Between Tennis Pros

AP Photo

Zendaya and Mike Faist star in "Challengers", which features more than games, sets and matches.

The line “Tennis is a relationship” becomes startlingly literal after watching the stylish, unexpected, and emotionally loaded film Challengers.

Released on April 26, 2024, Challengers is a sports drama directed by Luca Guadagnino and stars Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor. With a runtime of 131 minutes and an R rating, the film follows a tangled love triangle between three former tennis prodigies and uses the world of professional tennis as a lens to explore themes of ambition, obsession, and control.

Guadagnino’s latest work depicts the story of how the love of a sport can both connect and destroy people.

It’s safe to say this isn’t your average sports movie.

"I couldn’t define what movie it was. It was funny, it was so funny, but I wouldn’t say it’s a comedy. There was drama, but I wouldn’t say it was just a drama. And it had tennis, but it wasn’t just a sports movie. That feeling that it was everything at once in a beautiful way was terrifying but equally exhilarating and exciting,” said Zendaya, who also produced the film. 

While Challengers is centered around tennis, it goes far deeper. The film portrays how athletic passion can infiltrate into personal relationships and blur the lines between competition and intimacy. 

Beyond mere athleticism, the film explores obsession as a theme. Guadagnino uses tennis as a metaphor for relationships and portrays how sport can be just as emotional and messy as love itself. While viewing the movie in theaters, the tension was so thick it felt like each moviegoer was holding his or her breath. 

Through a journalist's perspective, Challengers captures an authentic portrayal of high-level tennis without falling into typical sports clichés. It shows the unglamorous realities of the game, like Patrick (O’Connor) sleeping in his car before a match, and the mental pressure athletes face. Rather than relying on long monologues about struggle, we see it play out visually: we see Tashi (Zendaya) lying injured on an examination table, or passionately screaming “Come on!” from the sidelines, her voice raw with emotion. Even Art and Tashi appearing in an advertisement together illustrates how athletes are often viewed today as brands, not people.

Photo: MGM Pictures

Zendaya portrays tennis prodigy, Tashi Donaldson, in the film. 

Visually, the tennis scenes were some of the most captivating I’ve ever seen in a film. I particularly loved the shot where the camera appeared to be under the ball, letting the audience feel like we were right in the middle of the match. Every movement was sharp, intimate, and intense. The shots froze and flowed, adding to the picture’s allure. The soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross added to the mood perfectly — pulsing in sync with the action and emotion and amplifying every moment.

This film has a clear message: success, in both sport and love, comes at a cost. Tashi may no longer play tennis, but her obsession with winning didn’t stop, she simply redirected it onto her romantic endeavors. 

Ultimately, Challengers is less about championships and more about the games people play with each other. It’s seductive, unsettling, and impossible to ignore. With standout performances, especially from Zendaya and bold direction as always from Guadagnino, the film defies expectations and stays with you long after the credits roll. 

Rating: 4.5/5

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Watch the film's trailer, here. 

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