'Challengers': An Insightful Deconstruction of Tennis Essence

Oddly, you can't name a single excellent tennis movie. Plenty of outstanding films about other sports, some even achieving the highest honors in cinematic history. Yet, there hasn't been a truly great tennis movie. Cue sports have "The Color of Money," basketball has "Hoop Dreams," and we don't need to mention baseball and football. Even track and field, a sport that barely requires any props, can snatch an Oscar for Best Picture. You don't need to argue with me; even the revered "Godfather of Tennis," Nicholas Bollettieri, once said, "If you want me to be honest, [Hollywood] hasn't made a good tennis movie."

It's a shame Bollettieri passed away two years ago without seeing the upcoming film "Challengers," which might be our best tennis movie.

Patrick Zweig (portrayed by Josh O'Connor) and Art Donaldson (played by Mike Faist) are childhood friends who attended a boarding tennis school together. They were inseparable, competing and playing together. But their lives change drastically when they meet the tennis prodigy Tashi (Zendaya). Patrick and Art become "challengers," both vying for Tashi's affection and determined to prove themselves. However, Tashi's tennis dreams are shattered by injury, altering the dynamics between the three. Thirteen years later, Art married Tashi, and he and Patrick met again at a local tournament. Who will emerge as the ultimate victor after years of rivalry?

What makes a good sports movie? And why do "Challengers" succeed?

Creating a compelling sports drama might not seem difficult; emphasize "passion," "unity," "perseverance," and other familiar sports terms. Following this logic, a sports movie formula could be applied to countless sports because each sport shares similar characteristics. However, that's not the case. A good volleyball movie is not the same as a good basketball movie because the essence of these two sports differs:

In volleyball, each player can touch the ball only once during offense and defense. In basketball, you can grab a rebound, dribble past half-court, and slam dunk on your own, a style not favored by many but not limited by basketball rules. This highlights the difference between volleyball and basketball, in essence. As "Haikyu!!" emphasizes, the essence of volleyball is unity. Your five other teammates on the court can compensate for your shortcomings. "Haikyu!!" even provides an extreme example: the protagonist, Shoyo Hinata, closes his eyes at the moment of the high jump shot because his good setter teammate will place the ball at the perfect height and position for him to spike.

"Haikyu!!" makes volleyball unique, showcasing the sport's distinctiveness. Therefore, if we still need a captivating tennis movie, perhaps a director must still capture the essence of tennis. But director Luca Guadagnino has succeeded this time. Unlike "Haikyu!!," "Challengers" is different from "Slam Dunk" or "Rocky"; it's unique, and it presents tennis as unlike any other sport.

What is the essence of tennis?

In "Challengers," tennis is portrayed as a highly solitary pursuit. Based on the experiences of Patrick and Art in the film, they had to attend boarding school from a young age, participate in junior tournaments, and decide whether to go to college or pursue a professional tennis career. It's a narrow path, with childhood training limiting tennis players' worldviews and values. They are familiar with other children in the circle, competing and dating each other, fostering solid emotional connections.

It may not sound solitary, but tennis players are lonely on the court. Tennis coaches cannot offer advice on the sidelines like baseball or boxing coaches; players stand alone on the court without teammates (excluding doubles matches); they are more familiar with their opponents across the net, having faced them countless times since childhood, even playing together privately. A tennis match must be played in at least three sets, with only 120 seconds of rest between sets. Matches last an average of two hours, during which no one can replace them on the court, requiring them to sustain peak performance alone for at least two hours.

What motivates players to endure this solitude? "Challengers" provides many answers. For the female protagonist, Tashi, tennis is a ticket to success, a crucial source of income for her family. For the male protagonist, Patrick, his love for tennis outweighs all other considerations, leading him to scoff at Tashi's decision to attend college instead of pursuing a professional career. These answers are easy to understand but not the ultimate answer. The final answer in "Challengers" is the madness of competitiveness.

Tashi is the character most obsessed with winning and losing. She yearns to excel in tennis, but when she becomes a tennis prodigy and earns lucrative endorsement deals or becomes Art's wife and coach, her face plastered on billboards, these achievements fail to satisfy her. Tashi wants more, resorting to any means necessary. She can deceive her bed partners, have affairs, and cross various lines, but what does she honestly wish to do? She seeks a pure sense of victory, something young and invincible, something she can no longer attain on the court after her knee injury.

The desire for victory becomes Tashi's demon, tormenting her yet driving her forward. She sees former underdogs become new champions and laughs them off, but her competitive spirit also mocks herself. Despite living a good life, her desire for victory still propels her forward, placing all her expectations on her husband, Art. Tashi pushes Art to become a superstar, and their love continues deteriorating within this unequal dynamic.

Tennis is an individual sport, but "Challengers" has three main characters, creating a dangerous and complex triangle. Who is the third party in this relationship? They all are. Tashi disrupts the innocent friendship between Patrick and Art, turning them against each other. As an adult, Patrick disrupts the marital relationship between Tashi and Art, causing tension in their marriage. Art disrupts the relationship between Patrick and Tashi during their college years, challenging the dynamics. Tennis cannot accommodate three people, and the competitive spirits of the three, imbued with the madness of tennis, spill over into real life, turning them into each other's challenges and expanding the competition from the court to their lives.

"Challengers" chronicles the life journey of these three characters, depicting their competition on the court and in love, ultimately concluding with a tennis match. The film extends the solitary essence of tennis, interpreting it at a broader level of life. Regardless of wealth, these characters are equally lonely in life, harboring desires and aspirations they cannot express to others, only able to release and fulfill them through competition.

Even if you don't understand the rules of tennis or its terminology, it doesn't matter because "Challengers" portrays tennis and deconstructs it. You know loneliness, and "Challengers" offers various forms of loneliness. Someone must be lonely, or someone feels unwilling and launches a challenge. Like the record-breaking Wimbledon match in 2010 that lasted over 11 hours, the story of "Challengers" spans over a decade—and the main characters seem to relish it.

Don't think that the tennis matches in "Challengers" are just an excuse to discuss life because the tennis matches in this film are still remarkable. To showcase Tashi's dominance, each of her shots is awe-inspiring, with the sound of her racket striking the ball even seeming to echo metallic impact. Zendaya admits she's not a tennis expert. Still, the film successfully portrays her as a tennis icon, repeatedly placing the ball in the center of the court and letting out triumphant roars after successful shots, something you won't see in "Dune" or "Euphoria."

During the climactic match, the camera seems glued to the tennis, rotating, zooming, and soaring, along with the heated battle between the opponents on either side of the net. Audiences are immersed in the action, like flying across the court with the players. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, renowned industrial rock musicians, provide a passionate and dynamic electronic soundtrack. "Challengers" is nothing like the director's previous chilling works like "Bones & All" or "Suspiria"; it's passionate and intense, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.

Everything in "Challengers" is based on the essence of tennis

"Challengers" is currently the best tennis movie, and finding a better example is problematic. Don't be fooled by the intimate scenes in the trailer; everything in this film is based on the essence of tennis. Tennis is the fate, faith, outlet, or means of wealth for the protagonists, who love and hate it. Watching a good sports drama can make you fall in love with or start to fear the sport, and "Challengers" can make you both love and hate tennis simultaneously.