With the athletic forms correct, there are a lot of ups and downs surrounding Zendaya’s movie, Challengers. Although a lot of tennis players and fans may have loved the movie, it wasn’t received well everywhere. Paula Badosa recently voiced her harsh critique, destroying the movie and all of the hype that it had generated within the tennis world, picking a Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal comment.

Zendaya plays Tashi Duncan, a teenage tennis prodigy who was about to enter the professional ranks before an injury derailed her career. Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor), who are best friends and tennis players, are both in love with Tashi. She goes on dates with one, then gets married to the other, leaving open the question of who she will eventually end up with.

Both on and off the tennis court, this love triangle is shown to the audience in a way that makes them feel as though they are being volleyed back and forth like a ball over a net. However, when the WTA tennis player, watched it, she was not very impressed. In a recent conversation with Elle, she shared her opinion on the movie, with another Spanish player’s example.

She stated, “I saw it and I didn’t understand anything. I even talked about it with other colleagues and they told me the same thing. I assure you that the circuit is not like that at all, it seemed more like an American teenage movie. I don’t see Nadal and Alcaraz fighting like that (laughs).”

It was in Stuttgart earlier this year that Coco Gauff urged viewers to enjoy the game without passing judgment on the tennis players on show. Prior to the film’s premiere, she restated this position while recognizing that some tennis enthusiasts could be unduly critical. Gauff’s message was very clear: rather than focusing on every little detail, enjoy the game for its entertainment value and competitive nature sometimes.

The 20-year-old American said, “I’m not going to be judgemental about the tennis because I know a lot of tennis community people were judgemental but I’m like, tennis is such a hard sport to replicate.” However, on the other hand, Serena Williams has a happy comment to put up.

Serena Williams believes Challengers is ‘good’

Williams sat down to watch Challengers a few months ago as Zendaya, a determined tennis player, was paired with Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor in this sensual tennis world love triangle. “I thought it was good!” Williams said in reference to the movie. “It felt like there was a lot of truth there about things that we as tennis players don’t even consider or discuss,” the 43-year-old tennis player said.

The American contacted Zendaya with inquiries after watching the movie and becoming intrigued. “I wanted there to be more of an ending,” Williams said. Further, she added, “I told Zendaya: ‘Listen, is there more? Like, I want more. Did they win?” Unfortunately, Zendaya’s response remains undisclosed.

To sum up, Paula Badosa’s harsh critique of Challengers demonstrates the varied reactions the movie has received from the tennis community. Despite the film’s attempt to present an accurate picture of the sport, Badosa’s comments might suggest that some players and fans may not have found it to be quite right. Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on her take? Do let us know in the comment section below.