Luca Guadagnino’s 2024 summer hit, ‘Challengers’, centres around the tennis rivalry of Art Donaldson (played by Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (played by Josh O’Connor) – who, before their biggest tournament to date, were childhood best friends and game partners. Tensions arise when the two male leads start crushing on the same girl, Tashi, played by Zendaya, who is a star of single-player tennis, having won many championships herself, and later turns to coaching after a career-crushing injury.
The Challengers event is the biggest tournament in the games, where the mentally struggling Art has to play against Patrick, his lifelong rival and previous partner. The audience is left with questions such as who will win the big game, who will end up with Tashi, and who will continue to play.
With the movie majorly set at Stanford University, and most of the tennis games taking place in the spring and summer terms, the movie perfectly executes the warmer seasons through the cinematography (for the shots in this movie are truly amazing, not just for tennis players), the tension-building soundtrack, and a fun storyline exploring the themes of sexuality, mental block, relationships and family – all in relation to tennis.
The movie has made me vicariously love watching tennis, though I have never been a tennis player myself. There is something so satisfying about watching the games in Challengers, and Guadagnino’s 2024 movie has easily been one of my top 3 all-time favourites since its release. I am even more excited to rewatch it now that the summer months are upon us.
I would highly recommend ‘Challengers’ for those who have an eye for detail, for the references made throughout this movie are easily missed. ‘Challengers’ is perfect for those who love some light romance on screen (and the tensions that come with it), and of course, the persuasion of such intense love for sport, in this case, tennis.
