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In March of last year, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) dropped some diversity facts about the boom in tennis participation in the U.S. since 2019. The study revealed that this boom included a 90% increase in the number of tennis players of Hispanic/Latino descent, a 46% increase in Black tennis players, and a 37% increase in tennis players of Asian and Pacific Islander descent. In 2021, amidst the boom, we got a brilliant film about Richard Williams and his determination for his two daughters, Venus and Serena, to make a name for themselves in the tennis world: King Richard.
Three years later, we are given the fantastic film that is Challengers. The new movie is a blast with excellent tennis matches and a torrid love triangle for the ages. As a film lover, I find this film sexy. As an athlete, I find this film sexy! If “for the love of the game” were a person, Zendaya’s rendition of Tashi Duncan would be it. Her first love is and always will be tennis. I’m here for it.
From Academy Award and BAFTA nominated filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, whose films are characterized by their emotional complexity, sensuality, and magnificent visuals, comes his latest film, Challengers. The film stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach after a devastating injury sidelines her. But Tashi has game on and off the court and transforms her husband Art Donaldson (Mike Faist, West Side Story) from a mediocre player into a world-famous grand slam champion. She makes him play a challenger event to jolt him out of his recent losing streak. Tashi wants her husband to be the best. To do that, he must face off against the washed-up Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor, The Crown) — his former best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend. Tensions soon run high as their pasts and presents collide, and they wrestle with the cost of winning and what each is willing to give up.
There is a magnetic and beautiful intensity that flows through Challengers. We see that intensity through the tennis matches and relationships. We see it in how these characters focus on their passion and goals. It draws us in and keeps our attention. We also see it in the way these characters approach love and desire. The way Zendaya, Faist, and O’Connor can say so much through their facial expressions is a gift from the highest power. Just as the volley between tennis players can be mesmerizing, watching these characters go through the battles of life and competition is somewhat enticing. They are all so unhinged, and it’s fascinating to see how their choices unfold.
Tashi can no longer do the one thing she loves. She has to find a way to redefine herself. She’s doing her best to control everything, control her emotions, and get what she wants and needs out of life. There are a lot of women that will see themselves in Tashi. I know I do. Tashi Duncan is a mighty, fierce, uncompromising, competitive, ambitious woman, and Zendaya did her thing and brought her to life. Not only does she give an incredible performance, but Zendaya is also credited as a producer on the film.
The theme of competition (friendly or not) runs through Challengers. Tashi has the physicality, self-confidence, and power that brings the competitive side out of everyone she meets. Patrick and Art have known each other since they were pre-teen roommates at a tennis academy, but still, competition kicks in. The two best friends are entranced. As any athlete knows, healthy competition is good for us. It encourages us to work harder, push ourselves, and strive to be the best version of ourselves. It motivates us by giving us a target or goal. Losing is also part of that learning. This theme is so powerful because we don’t just see it play out on the court but in the bedroom, the locker room, and everywhere in between.
Challengers is just as fun to hear as it is to watch. The dialogue is slick and modern. It hosts some of the best comebacks and jabs from a character in a film I’ve heard in a while. Zendaya nails the delivery every time. The cinematography is just as exciting, with a clean, stylized look courtesy of cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (Call Me By Your Name, Suspiria). In addition to exciting performances, the capture of the tennis matches is incredible. The choices Mukdeeprom and Guadagnino made to capture everything from the racket in the hand to the tennis ball on the court and the longing glances to the windstorm that echoes the scene’s emotions were spot on. The triangle love story is complete with a charged score by two-time Oscar winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network, Pixar’s Soul). It energizes and electrifies the scenes even more.
Another thing that makes Challengers so good is its interweaving storyline that travels back and forth in these characters’ lives — framed around the revelatory tennis match between Art and Patrick that takes place 13 years after they meet Tashi. Through a narrative that tracks past to present, we see the paths they took, the games they played, and the passions they followed. Tashi’s emotional and romantic power both pivots and anchors their connection. The chemistry between all three is fantastic. Using nonlinear storytelling helps build the intensity of everything, from the relationships to the final tennis match. That connection between the characters is clear and compelling.
As kids, we all have ideas about what we want to be when we grow up. I was sure I wanted to be a doctor and play soccer in college. But life happens, and I adjusted. That’s what makes Challengers so fantastic and relatable, with themes of uncertainty and branching possibility that people can gravitate to. From one volley to the next, Challengers will keep you entertained. The question is: are you team Art or team Patrick?
Challengers slides into theaters on April 26, 2024.
The latest collaboration between Adidas and CLICK founder Eric “Shake” James is an exclusive Rivalry Low sneaker release in commemoration of Milwaukee’s 414 Day.
Shake, a philanthropist and proud Milwaukee native, has infused the 414 Rivalry Low with the essence of the city. “414 Day is a special time dedicated to celebrating the essence of Milwaukee,” Shake said in a press release. “The upcoming sneaker launch holds particular significance as it marks the first of its kind for this occasion.”
The 414 Rivalry Low foundation features a cream upper as the base and a textured “Cream City Brick” tongue design. The sneaker’s signature Three Stripes arrive in green with red accents, evoking the iconic color scheme of the Milwaukee Bucks.
CELEBRATE 414 DAY: Clicks Kicks and adidas are teaming up to celebrate Miluakee's 414 Day.
— Sole Retriever (@SoleRetriever) April 8, 2024
A love letter to the city and statepic.twitter.com/wFudnkK6ir
As a nod to Wisconsin’s beloved culinary tradition, cheese blocks grace the heels and right tongue, while the left tongue features a pint glass decal, a symbol of the city’s rich brewing heritage. Carrying on his signature touch from the release of the DAY ONE Forum Low, Shake has adorned the sneakers with microphone keychains, a homage to his hip-hop roots and the sneaker culture that has inspired his journey.
Shake has partnered with the adidas Cornerstone Community to uplift underserved communities in Milwaukee. Since 2020, in partnership with Shake’s J.A.Y. Academy nonprofit, they have hosted over 15 events. Initiatives like wellness workshops, professional development programming, a dedicated community space, and youth scholarships are in the works for 2024 and 2025. “I’m deeply appreciative of adidas Cornerstone Community for their continued support, and I eagerly anticipate the opening of the physical home for J.A.Y. Academy in August, which promises exciting opportunities ahead,” Shake said.
Shake and Adidas are celebrating the new collaboration with several events ahead of 414 Day. On April 12, they will host an electrifying release party featuring performances by Lil Kim, Brooklyn Queen and a live DJ set by Mr. New York. A collaboration event with Wood U on April 11, welcomed local students at Siefert Middle School to customize gifted sneakers during the day of free footwear design workshops.
“It was truly heartwarming to share this memorable experience with the students of Siefert Middle School, and it was really special to see all the sneaker designs they created,” the CLICK owner said.
The 414 Rivalry Low, priced at $130, will be available on April 13 at CLICK stores and online, with the first 414 pairs numbered to honor the day that inspired this unique creation.
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As March was winding down, I was in a discord call with some friends and the conversation drifted towards our writing habits. How often we did, in what capacity, and when it came time to talk about my addiction, the only words I could really manage were “I just write. I don’t think about whether it’s good or bad, I just put something on the page and figure out the rest later.” I spent the next two weeks thinking about that in excruciating detail, and here we are in the throes of April.
During seventh grade, I had transferred to a new school midway through the semester and hadn’t gone through a lot of their county specific testing for class placements in their Gifted and Talented program. (At some point, we will find time to unpack the history and current state of the American education system as it relates to nerd media, but one topic at a time.) I had a handful of weeks of classes before said assessment occurred, and during that intervening time, I had this distinct memory of my English teacher pulling me aside after class and telling me, “Hey, have you thought about doing more creative writing?” I was then promptly handing a middle school appropriate version of Antigone saying, “You’re gonna be reading this next week when you switch classes, so you might as well get a jump on it.”
And with that simple nudge, I did end up doing more creative writing. I wrote short stories and treatments. I made a portfolio that I have somehow kept over the better part of a decade and a half, and I look back at it and go, “Wow, I really thought I was cooking huh.” But those hastily printed, poorly proofed docs are evidence of an honest love of writing that was fostered because someone said, “You seem to be having fun.”
In high school, sophomore year, my English teacher then noticed that I had free energy and introduced me to NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month for the handful of you on this site that might not be familiar). Every November, aspiring writers aim to write 50,000 words in the span of 30 days. It ends up being an average of 1667 words a day, and the length is probably more akin to the novella; however, the point stands that it is a game that we play to get us to write. The goal is not to make anything good; the goal is to make, the goal is to push past any mental barriers and just get something on the page.
Given the narrative structure, you can now predictably predict that in undergrad I was introduced to other mass production exercise that last for thirty days. This time it was in the form of April’s 30/30 (thirty poems) for National Poetry Month and Script Frenzy (100 pages). At one point, I fashioned my own MicroFiction version where I attempted to write 1,000 words of fiction each day. This ended up being a different vector of difficulty than any of the other challenges up to the point.
The point was never “winning” or finishing. The point was just trying.
And as it turns out, you become a thing by doing a thing. You become a thing by becoming obsessed, absorbed with a thing. And sometimes, we get lucky and find that thing early on before we have a proper understanding of what it means to be *good* at something. And sometimes we don’t, and we put up mental walls and inhibitions, saying that we could never do the thing.
At the tail end of 2023, Netflix released Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, a reimagination of the original story. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it highly. One of the best scenes is when Knives and Kim are just chilling, and Kim invites Knives to play.
That line: “That’s why they call it play.” It’s been stuck in my head, a motto, a reminder, a vibe for months. And as I see the occasional 30/30 on my social media this April, I keep thinking about it. I would argue it should be the default gif for getting people into a hobby instead of the Jake the Dog one from Adventure Time (which is still a good message, but my personal pedagogy doesn’t start a conversation by highlighting difficulty).
And ultimately, that actually comes around to one of my favorite quotes from Haikyu!! (out of context spoilers for the anime-onlys. Eventually, the movies will be released stateside).
It doesn’t matter the genre or the medium. Whether it is fiction, poetry, nonfiction. Whether it’s crossword construction, game design, or streaming. Whether it is drawing, painting, photography, or comics. Whether it’s sports, swordplay, or art and crafts. The fundamentals do not change. The foundation is shockingly similar.
If you want to do something, you gotta do it. You gotta try and experiment. You gotta be unafraid to be at it for a while and be willing to unlearn bad habits. But it all starts with trying.
It starts with play.
I think there’s an unspoken notion that childlike wonder fades with age, but I don’t think that’s actually true. I feel like humanity is a naturally curious species and societal conventions stymie that. But I encourage this National Poetry Month, that if you want to write poetry, just start writing poems. Don’t worry about being good. That will come with practice. Imitation will teach you convention, which you will fashion into something you could do, and that’s the dream. That’s the goal we’re always chasing.
And if you’re an aspiring person in any other field of your choice, the advice applies to you. Go make things. Go listen to Neil Gaiman talk about this a little more eloquently than I do. Prepare for NaNoWriMo. Take out your phone and take all the pictures. Go outside and play.
And maybe fun will not be enough to sustain it. And maybe there will be hurdles later down the line, but I think you owe it to yourself to at least start.
I don’t do NaNos or 30/30s these days, because I got what I needed from the genre and exercising, but I have continued a tradition of arbitrary rules in experimentation as I’m currently working on making one-page RPGs at a pace of once per month. I don’t do these any particular reason other than I think it’s interesting. I have no aspiration of becoming a game designer, but there’s something fun about toying with something new. About realizing how different skills manifest in different spaces. About writing for the sake of writing.
In seventh grade, an English teacher told me, “You seem to be having fun when you write,” and (a number of years later that I refuse to calculate because that would be directly acknowledging the passage of time and require some arithmetic I don’t want to do right now) to write every day. Sometimes tech manuals, sometimes non-fiction, sometimes poems. It’s still fun. And sometimes it’s even good. But even when it’s not, I write, and that’s something I continue to be thankful for.
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