From over-romanticization to poorly-played tennis, Stanford women’s tennis players tell The Daily how they felt about the steamy 2024 drama “Challengers,” which features Zendaya as a Stanford tennis player.
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Long before millions tuned into athletic drama at the Paris 2024 Olympics, the movie “Challengers” stoked a sexy view of the college and professional tennis world, all set against the sun-drenched backdrop of Stanford.
Since its cinematic debut in April, “Challengers” has grossed $80 million worldwide. The film, which portrays the drama of competitive sports through a complex love triangle between Stanford tennis players, faces criticisms for its romanticized portrayal of collegiate tennis.
“If it was going to be a truly tennis-focused movie, there could have been more struggles or more depicted struggles of transitioning from college to the pro circuit and real life,” Stanford women’s tennis player Connie Ma ’25 said in an interview with The Daily.
The main characters in “Challengers,” including Zendaya’s Tashi Duncan and Mike Faist’s Art Donaldson, aim to embody the perseverance and sacrifices inherent in pursuing high-level excellence in tennis. Alongside their athletic pursuits, the intertwined love triangle between the two and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor), Tashi’s ex-boyfriend and Art’s ex-best friend, adds a layer of drama on and off the court. As the entangled narrative unfolds, viewers encounter scenes that reveal shocking truths about the characters’ past and present.
Women’s tennis player Valencia Xu ’25 felt that the character of Tashi succeeded in capturing the dedication and passion of tennis players like Xu’s teammates. To be a really good tennis player, one needs to “having a deep love for the game and having a really big, like almost all-encompassing commitment” to the sport, Xu said.
Ma said that she felt Tashi “definitely…knows what she wants and goes after what she wants. Even if it was taken to a bit of an extreme, I think that’s good for a tennis player to have.”
Other players felt that the storyline, filled with affairs and plot twists, overshadowed the nuanced realities of an athlete’s life. “I feel like it was a lot of drama for the plot, which is more enjoyable for the viewers, but probably does not accurately represent the life of a tennis player,” Katherine Hui ’27 said.
The film deliberately portrays Art and Tashi in Stanford-branded attire, emphasizing their prominent role as student-athletes. In the two-hour run time, Tashi’s retired yet yearning tennis career was deeply intertwined with her complex romantic interests in the two other characters. While an engaging and sensual film plot might be key to box office success, Stanford players said that the movie failed to authentically portray the many on- and off-court challenges of a career in tennis.
“We obviously have classes and academics, as well as other commitments in our lives,” Ma said.
Ma also said that the movie did not accurately portray the tennis matches.
Director Luca Guadagnino adopted a fresh approach to filming tennis matches by presenting them from the perspective of the tennis ball. With this creative choice, Guadagnino hoped to make the tennis scenes exceptionally engaging and dynamic for the audience, mirroring the characters’ relationships.
Xu said she enjoyed the final scene of the movie, where Art and Patrick face off in a gripping match. Through the lens of the tennis ball, the final truth of Tashi’s relationship with Patrick is revealed.
“I thought that was definitely unique and different from how tennis matches are usually shown,” Xu said. “But it was interesting and fun to watch.”
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