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The new trailer of 'Challengers,' an upcoming movie focusing on the journey of tennis players, has dropped, and fans are impressed by the performances of lead actors Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist.
The movie is directed by Luca Guadagnino and will be released on April 26, 2024. It was supposed to hit the theaters in September 2023. However, the release date got postponed due to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike that brought Hollywood to a standstill last year.
'Challengers' has an 'R' rating due to its mature content, explicit language, and graphic scenes. The movie follows the life of Tashi Donaldson, portrayed by Zendaya, whose tennis career ended due to a devastating knee injury. After her retirement, Donaldson becomes a coach to her husband, Art Donaldson, played by Mike Faist.
In a drastic turn of events, Tashi finds herself coaching both Art and Josh O'Connor's character, Patrick Zweig, who is her childhood best friend and ex-lover. A love triangle ensues, and the situation becomes even more complicated when Art and Patrick compete against each other in a Challenger tournament.
Fans were excited by the plot and impressed by Zendaya and co.'s antics on the screen. Some pegged Zendaya to win her maiden Academy Award for her portrayal of Tashi Donaldson. Others praised the "masterpiece" and even called it the movie of the year.
"Willing to bet everything I own that at some point in the film a character says "tennis is just like sex," a fan commented.
"ZENDAYA IS TAKING HOME A OSCAR," exclaimed another fan.
"From S&M to Maneater...this is the movie of the year," tweeted another fan.
"Me on April 26th: “10 tickets for Challengers please,” another fan wrote.
Here are more fan reactions to the new 'Challengers' trailer:
Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor took tennis lessons from Coco Gauff's coach Brad Gilbert
In preparation for their role as tennis players, Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor took basic training lessons from renowned coach Brad Gilbert, who currently works with top-ranked American player Coco Gauff. Challengers' director Luca Guadagnino revealed that the trio worked with Gilbert to perfect their skills.
Brad Gilbert was a very successful player himself, winning 20 tour-level titles and rising to the World No. 4 spot. After retiring, he ventured into coaching and formed fruitful partnerships with Andy Murray, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Kei Nishikori.
Guadagnino particularly praised Zendaya for her dedication and stated that she had perfected most of the shots, negating the need for a stunt double.
“They spent like three months working very hard. Everybody – technically, athletically," Guadagnino said.
"She’s wonderful, I mean, wow. We edited the movie and we almost actually don’t use any of her double. She’s so good,” Guadagnino said of Zendaya.
