Challengers: Tennis Is A Relationship

I know that "Challengers" hasn't received very high praise, at least not from the critics I follow, who are not very pleased with it. But I don't want to lie; "Challengers" is indeed the movie I've been most looking forward to and enjoyed the most in recent times. As a film that presents a complex love triangle through the lens of sports competition, it made my adrenaline and hormones surge simultaneously. Isn't that the most wonderful thing?

Viewing "Challengers" as a sports movie is quite satisfying; you'll get what you want—everything about the competition and adrenaline. Before this, I had watched soccer, basketball, and even table tennis games, but I hadn't seen many tennis matches. This movie provided some interesting tennis knowledge. For example, unlike many other ball sports leagues, tennis players sign up for various tournaments based on their rankings or needs. A Grand Slam player might play lower-level Challenger matches to adjust their rhythm, just like in the story. Tennis also emphasizes love and peace; players can be penalized for swearing on the court. Moreover, when the score is zero, it's referred to as "Love."

Aside from that, what attracted me most were the shots of the spectators watching the match from the sidelines. They look to the left, then to the right, then to the left and so on in unison... At first, I was amused by the scene, but soon I was struck by the fast speed of the ball travelling back and forth quickly on the wide court. It's said that the serve speed in men's professional tennis can reach 150-180 km/h. So, it might be hard to see such united and orderly spectators in other sports.

But "Challengers" is not just a sports movie; it could even be said that it merely uses tennis as a shell to tell a story. It's hard to ignore the emotional battles flowing through the matches, intertwined with every swing, breath, and shout of hormones and desire. As early as in "Call Me by Your Name," director Luca Guadagnino had demonstrated his talent for capturing emotions, desires, and the flow of power in relationships. "Challengers" takes it up a notch, turning desire into a sport and sport into power dynamics. All can be condensed into the brilliantly succinct phrase "Tennis is a relationship," spoken by our protagonist Tashi Duncan (played by Zendaya).

This is a story of a love triangle, set against a challenge match. The opponents are Art Donaldson (played by Mike Faist), Tashi's husband, who is one US Open win away from completing a Career Grand Slam, and Patrick Zweig (played by Josh O’Connor), a washed-up tennis player. During the match, we flash back to 13 years earlier when they were eighteen, discovering how close they once were and how they both fell in love with Tashi Duncan, then a tennis prodigy. At that time, compared to the shy and introverted Art, the more proactive and aggressive Patrick was the first to get Tashi's number and date her. But Tashi soon found Patrick too arrogant, both emotionally and competitively, as he refused to take her guidance. They had a fight, which indirectly affected Tashi's performance in a match, getting her knee severely injured and forcing her to switch to a coaching career. Art became the one to take care of and support Tashi, eventually marrying her and raising a daughter. But the bonds among the three continued...

It's said that the story's inspired by writer Justin Kuritzkes watching a US Open match, where a ball seemed to have been influenced by the coach's guidance. At that time, tennis rules required players to compete alone without receiving any instructions—essentially, the person most concerned about your win or loss couldn't communicate with you on the court. This relationship between coach and player sparked Justin's thoughts. In the movie, this relationship becomes even more complex and charming with the introduction of a love triangle. We not only see the player-coach dynamics (specifically Tashi's control and expectations of Art as well as Art's submission and rebellion) but also the tension between rivals (the attraction and competition between Art and Patrick), and even between players and spectators (including us, the film audience).

Interestingly, at first, we all think Tashi is the absolute protagonist of this love triangle. But you'll soon find that the director is better at capturing the dynamics between the two men than any interaction between each of them and Tashi. There's a scene where they're eating sausages (or churros?) together. One brings the food over, and the other smoothly hooks a chair into place for him to sit without any hesitation. The whole action is seamless, so tacit and just right. I love this display of intimacy, and it reminded me that this is from queer director Luca Guadagnino! Yes, perhaps due to the director's personal orientation, the real spotlight is on Art and Patrick, with Tashi more as a guide or intermediary. Her presence disrupts the balance between the two boys, and her career upheaval triggers changes in their paths on the court. In an intimate scene from their youth, she leads them to discover their desire for each other, then steps back. Later, she indirectly causes their estrangement. But in the end, she pushes them from extreme division towards reconciliation, even experiencing a climax of unity.

"Challengers" is a film about tennis, competition, and adrenaline, but it's also filled with hormones, queer elements, and non-binary emotions. Guadagnino makes the film vivid and engaging, bringing out a chemistry among the three actors that exceeds the sum of its parts.