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Challengers: Luca Guadagnino dives into his sexy sports film with Zendaya
In Challengers, a sultry tennis drama, the stunning and talented actress Zendaya is caught in a troubled love story with Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist. An energetic film streaming on Prime Video from September 2025. Its director, Luca Guadagnino, has recently revealed all its secrets.
By Violaine Schütz.
Published on 23 September 2025. Updated on 25 September 2025.
It was one of the most anticipated films of 2024. And it finally landed on Prime Video in September 2025. After Bones & All (2022) with Timothée Chalamet, the prolific Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name, Suspiria) made headlines in April 2024 with his feature film Challengers.
Zendaya, a fiery tennis coach in Challengers
Before embarking on a film with Daniel Craig (Queer), Luca Guadagnino once again demonstrated his gift for narratives celebrating a burning desire. His bold aesthetics is on full display in this sexy, arty, and high-energy tennis drama.
Coproduced by Zendaya, Challengers tells the story of a rising tennis star, Tashi (Zendaya), who decides to dedicate herself to the career of her husband Art (Mike Faist, seen in West Side Story) and becomes his coach after suffering an injury. She pushes him relentlessly to transform the mediocre player into a Grand Slam champion.
“The game was the most important element of the film, whether it was the game of life, competition, challenge, seduction or friendship.” — Luca Guadagnino
In a match of little sporting significance, yet decisive on a human level, Art must face Tashi’s ex-boyfriend, who also happens to be his former best friend and doubles partner Patrick (Josh O’Connor, known from God’s Own Country, The Crown, and La Chimera). An ambitious plot that unfolds into a complex romantic and friendship triangle, blending platonic queer romance with romantic rivalry.
During a press conference in Paris, Luca Guadagnino said about his film: “When I received Justin Kuritzkes’s screenplay, I realized how remarkable it was, because it creates a parallel between the tension on the court between the characters and the tension off the court. He uses tennis as a metaphor for human relationships. I thought it was essential to fully engage in the depiction of the matches on screen. The game was the most important element of the film, whether it was the game of life, competition, challenge, seduction or friendship. When you watch tennis, in person or on television, it’s a very objective experience. But I wanted to make it very subjective. The idea was really to step onto the court and bring the sport to life in a way that reflected what was happening between the characters off the court.”
The filmmaker also intended to maintain an erotic tension between the three central characters throughout the film. “To me, it was important not to make a story about two men competing for the same woman. This is about three people, who collided chemically and can no longer be separated. And whenever they are, the resulting frictions and actions must always lead back to their reunion,” the director shared.
A love triangle with Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist
Challengers has been rated R in the United States due to explicit sex scenes and language not suitable for children. Indeed, the film is full of sensual sequences in which the trio of actors gets closer. Zendaya, who was reportedly paid around €11 million for this feature, is more sensual than ever in this film. That project was a way for her to leave behind her previous teenage roles on the big screen and in the series Euphoria. Her bold performance, like those of her partners Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, unveils many layers.
Director Luca Guadagnino still seems in awe of the work done by his cast: “There is something truly exhilarating about making this film with this trio of actors, seeing them bring these characters to life, digging deeply to find answers about their behaviour and psychologically owning their journey. That’s what I look for in all the films I make. I hope to be a witness to the transformation of a script and dialogue into genuine moments of life.”
Another major asset of the film? The wardrobe for Challengers was designed by the hyperactive Irish creator Jonathan Anderson, founder of the label JW Anderson and creative director at Dior. An extra push to the growing Tenniscore trend.
“I asked myself, ‘how can we give the audience the feeling of being at a rave without the pills?’” — Luca Guadagnino
As for the soundtrack, Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor take the lead. The result makes you feel like you’re at a rave party when you’re simply watching a tense tennis match.
Luca Guadagnino recalls: “There was something about the film that felt very gripping and suffocating. It felt like a sweltering summer day when you need a very cold drink, like a Coca-Cola, to feel better. I liked that pop imagery. The experience of watching the film had to be as energizing and refreshing as a glass of Coca-Cola on a very hot day. From there came the idea that when you go to a rave, you don’t drink alcohol if you’re taking pills. So I asked myself, ‘how can we give the audience the impression of being at a rave without the pills?’ So I called the musicians Trent (Reznor) and Atticus (Ross) and told them we should make a very upbeat house soundtrack.” The result is spot on – you end up sweating when watching Challengers…
Challengers (2024) by Luca Guadagnino, available on Prime Video.
