Cinema cannot resist the call of sport and has recently succumbed once again to the charm of tennis: here are four films to absolutely catch up on.
Serena Williams, Matteo Berrettini, Jannik Sinner: what will they ever have in common? Who is passionate about tennis you will know well that these are just some of the best-known tennis champions at an international level. And it is not surprising that their success is a source of inspiration, also for cinema which over the years has undergone sporting fascination, as recently demonstrated by Challengers Of Luca Guadagnino. Below we will suggest you four tennis films to catch up onalso suitable for those who are not exactly experts on the subject.
4 films about tennis to absolutely watch
Challengers
We’ve already mentioned it, but it definitely deserves its own paragraph precisely because it’s thanks to Challengers that attention has been rekindled on cinematic tennis. Luca Guadagnino has chosen a protagonist trio that is difficult to ignore, after all. Zendaya is divided between Mike Faist And Josh O’Connor on the screen, he carefully follows the match on the pitch and the one played in private, where there are no tennis balls at stake but conflicting feelings. Released in theaters during 2024, Challengers generated strong curiosity among the public and was premiered out of competition at Venice Film Festival 2023.
A Winning Family – King Richard
Who doesn’t know the story of Serena Williams and his family will be able to fill the gap through A Winning Family – King Richarda 2021 biopic starring Will Smith. His performance allowed him to win the Oscar winner in 2022 as best actor. The story told is that of the Williams family: Richard trains his girls from an early age to turn them into tennis champions. Spoiler alert: he will succeed. Today, in fact, everyone knows Serena and Venus Williams as a tennis deity. The film, however, shows how they reached the top.
Wimbledon
In the same period in which Kirsten Dunst conquered the big screen alongside Spider-Mansuccumbed to the lure of tennis by starring in Wimbledon. Directed by Richard Loncraine in 2005, gave the actress the opportunity to play a promising tennis star, Lizzie, who finds himself in the Wimbledon quarter-finals against the professional Peter Colt. Little curiosity: the scenes were actually filmed during the 2003 Wimbledon tournament.
The battle of the sexes
The idea that all three actresses involved in Spider-Man (Zendaya, Kirsten Dunst and Emma Stone) starred in a film about tennis brought a smile to Zendaya too and naturally animated the web due to the strong coincidence. Neither The battle of the sexes it’s up to Emma Stone play a tennis champion and is inspired by a true story, that of Billie Jean King And Bobby Riggs. Set in the 70s, the film tells of the challenge between the two champions. Billie Jean King intends to beat Bobby Riggs and challenge sexism in sport but, even before clashing on the field, they will also fuel the battle through the press.
