Tennis player turned coach Tashi has taken her husband, Art, and transformed him into a world-famous Major champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she signs him up for a "Challenger" event — close to the lowest level of pro tournament — where he finds himself standing across the net from his former best friend and Tashi's former boyfriend.
Direction
Guadagnino turns a tennis match into foreplay.
Score
Trent Reznor's industrial beats throb underneath everything.
Cinematography
Close-ups so intimate you can smell the sunscreen.
Director
Luca Guadagnino
Zendaya
Tashi Donaldson
Mike Faist
Art Donaldson
Josh O'Connor
Patrick Zweig
Darnell Appling
Umpire (New Rochelle Final)
Bryan Doo
Art's Physiotherapist
Shane T Harris
Art's Security Guard
Nada Despotovich
Tashi's Mother
Chris Fowler
TV Sports Commentator (Atlanta 2019)
Mary Joe Fernández
TV Sports Commentator (Atlanta 2019)
A.J. Lister
Lily
Doria Bramante
Woman With Headset (Atlanta 2019)
Christine Dye
Motel Front Desk Clerk
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Zendaya trained for months with pro coach Brad Gilbert, who called her "a legitimate 4.5 player" by the end.
The film's structure—non-linear, match-to-match—mirrors how tennis players mentally replay points, constantly revising their own narratives.
US
