‘Challengers’ is a Sexy, Ripping Love Match (Review)
metroweekly.comTennis isn’t a contact sport but it can be brutal on the body, mind, emotions, and ego, especially at the elite pro level depicted so sharply in the ripping sports drama Challengers.A tennis movie with much more on its menu, the film, directed by Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name), credibly captures the fiercely combative pro tour, where, for those at the top, the payoff in riches and fame can be massive.For rising or journeyman players toiling on the sport’s minor league Challengers circuit, however, the struggle to train, travel, stay healthy and fit, and just pay bills bears few rewards greater than simply winning.
And if you’re not winning, then what are you doing here?That’s the ice-cold attitude espoused by tennis diva Tashi Duncan, portrayed with impervious brashness by Zendaya.
The Euphoria star has earned two Emmys for her achingly raw, occasionally ferocious turn as teen addict Rue on that Max series, but her performance there is tinged with the pitiful sadness of the character’s drug problems.Tashi, a tennis phenom sidelined by an injury, also carries an air of sadness, but there’s nothing pitiful about her.
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