Challengers Was Inspired By One Of The Most Controversial Tennis Matches Of All Time

Luca Guadagnino's new film "Challengers" is set in 2019 during a pivotal tennis match between tennis pro Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and the struggling also-ran Patrick Zweig (Josh O'Connor). Watching from the stands is Donaldson's wife, the former teen tennis prodigy Tashi Duncan (Zendaya). Tashi looks incredibly concerned, and the two players seem to hate each other. The film then begins a series of flashbacks, stretching back 13 years to when the characters were all teenagers. It seems that Art, Patrick, and Tashi once had a three-way makeout session in a motel room that cemented their physical and emotional attraction for years. Tashi briefly dated Josh, while Art, retaining a crush, attempted to sabotage their relationship. Art and Tashi would begin a romance after she sustains an injury, with Tashi becoming Art's coach. Resentment bubbles apace.

It's all very soapy, of course, but Guadagnino tempers the melodrama with excellent attention to detail, and Zendaya, Faist, and O'Connor all give amazing performances, having to portray characters from ages 18 to 31. 

"Challengers" screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes is not a tennis fan but was inspired to write his movie after he watched a notable tennis match back in 2018. At that year's U.S. Open, superstar Serena Williams faced off against champion Naomi Osaka, and the match was historically significant for both players. Williams was returning from a hiatus after having her first child, and Osaka was the first Japanese tennis player in history to contest a Grand Slam women's final. There was a moment during the match, however, when Williams received some illegal off-court coaching, causing her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, to receive a code violation. 

That moment expanded in Kutritzkes' mind into a whole drama. He talked about that moment in an interview in the newest issue of Empire Magazine.

At the time, the controversial call was well-covered by sports media. ESPN described what happened in detail, explaining to laypeople that tennis doesn't allow for mid-match coaching. When Mouratoglou was issued the violation, Serena Williams became very defensive, even during the match, explaining that she doesn't cheat and always plays honorably (which she does). The signal from her coach wasn't meant to be off-court coaching. Regardless, the violation was upheld, Williams was rattled, and Osaka went on to win the match. After the match was over, Williams demanded an apology from the umpire. She was ultimately fined $17,000 for the violations. It was all very dramatic. 

Kuritzkes didn't know about the no-coaching rule in tennis prior to the 2018 Open, and could only put himself in Mouratoglou's shoes. In the screenwriter's mind, William's coach had something he desperately wanted to say to his player but wasn't able to. That tension, Kuritzkes figured, would make a great movie moment. He said: 

"It was this big, controversial call. [...] I'd never heard of this rule and it struck me as this very cinematic situation: you're alone on court in front of thousands of people and there's one other person in the stands who cares about this as much as you do, but you can't speak to them. I started to wonder, 'What if you needed to have an urgent, important conversation with this person? And what if it was about something really personal and dramatic beyond the game?'"

It took a lot of mulling over, but eventually, Kuritzkes found a way to synthesize that tennis court separation into a movie. What if there was a love triangle between the coach and the two players? Dramatic gold. 

Importantly, though, it was the characters' enforced inability to communicate where the drama lies. In "Challengers," the characters are given penalties for cussing out loud or smashing their tennis racquets, but no one is allowed to parlay anything personal. "I had to know on a real, molecular level how much was at stake for the players and the people watching," he said. 

The screenwriter further explained that winning the tennis match was meant to be a distant concern to all of the outside drama the tennis match invited. The characters, he noted, are subtly insulting each other, helping each other, healing and hurting. It's tennis as therapy. Without revealing what happens, the final shot is a culmination of all the tension between all three characters. 

Kuritzkes has also written plays and authored the novel "Famous People" in 2019. "Challengers" is his first produced screenplay. Later this year, audiences will also be able to see a second collaboration he had with Luca Guadagnino with the release of "Queer," a film based on the short novel by William S. Burroughs. "Challengers," meanwhile, will open in theaters on April 26, 2024. As of this writing, the film enjoys an enviable 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 23 reviews.

/Film's review — written by me — was quite positive, citing Guadagnino's gorgeously textured filmmaking and the strength of the lead performances. Kuritzkes achieved his goal of telling a whole story based on unspoken moments.