How a film about tennis could sweep the Oscars 

Over the last decade or so, tennis has become the most popular sport to make films about. Personally, as an avid tennis fan, I thoroughly enjoy this and hope it continues for a long long time.

Some of the most recent films to come out of tennis, as we spoke about in an article before the release of Challengers, have been receiving wide acclaim and plaudits, with the most recent one, King Richard, getting Will Smith an Oscar for actor in a leading role. Unfortunately, for the film and the team behind it, that night Will Smith decided to slap Chris Rock during a monologue. But looking past that nonsense, we can see that the Oscars are enjoying tennis films and Challengers could be the next film to get this treatment.

The synopsis

Challengers is a film that has taken the world by storm with a great story and an incredible cast of actors. The film follows a retired tennis player, Tashi, played by Zendaya, who has transformed her husband, played by Mike Faist, from a mediocre player to one of the world’s best and a grand slam champ. However, recently his career has taken a hit and fresh off a major losing streak, Tashi makes him play in a challenger tournament to try to get his confidence back, a grand slam champion playing at a challenger tournament would result in him having ridiculously low tennis odds and make a lot of people put tennis bets on him to win, most people would imagine him walking the tournament. Unfortunately, this backfires when he finds himself facing off with Patrick, played by Josh O’Connor, who was his once best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend.

Why It Works

On the surface level, this film may not sound that interesting, but the acting, the script and the music make this film one of the best things released this year. One of my favourite things about this film is the way they portray tennis. One of the criticisms of most films about sport is the lack of understanding of what the sport is about and how it makes you feel. 

The reason people, like me and you, play tennis is because of the way it makes us feel. The excitement, the rush and the togetherness a game of tennis can bring are unmatchable and I’m glad to say that the tennis was impeccably shown. You got the character’s excitement and you could tell that they cared about what they were doing and you could tell they actually wanted to play and weren’t just doing it because the film needed them to. 

Countless other films have tried and failed to capture tennis and as tennis fans, we are quite lucky because the films that involve tennis are usually quite entertaining. However, some cases like ‘Wimbledon’ are incredibly boring and the characters are unlikable and boring. Challengers excels because the film is great without tennis as the backdrop but it helps and makes it just even more interesting.

Will It Win at the Oscars?

Now, the Oscars are obviously very prestigious and important but I don’t think if they don’t win any Oscars then it’s a failure. I do think though, that Zendaya will be nominated for best actress in a leading role and it wouldn’t surprise me if she wins it. The way she shows Tashi Duncan and adds depth to her character is incredible and convincing. I really hope that the script and the way it is shot and looks also gets some recognition because it’s a stunning film. This is a tough year because of the films that are being released like Dune 2 and Furiosa but I am hopeful we get more tennis love at the Oscars.