Was Zendaya's Character in 'Challengers' Inspired by Roger Federer's Wife Mirka?
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In Challengers, Luca Guadagnino's steamy new tennis drama starring Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist, the story is fictional—but a few real-life tennis players served as inspiration for writer Justin Kuritzkes.
He first got the idea for the screenplay when he watched Naomi Osaka defeat Serena Williams in the finals of the 2018 U.S. Open, but the specific inspiration for Zendaya's character Tashi Duncan came almost a year later, when he was watching the 2019 Wimbledon finals between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. There, he observed Roger's wife, Mirka Federer, at the match.
"She looked so stressed out, every point," Kuritzkes told GQ. "I was watching her and just thinking, 'Why are you so stressed out? You guys have all the money in the world. You've won 20 grand slams. What's so stressful to you? It has to be something else.'" He dug more into Mirka's story, and learned she was a tennis player before injury cut her career short. "She kind of became [Federer's] manager, and sort of managed his life," Kuritzkes explains "He credits her a lot for [his success]."
This is similar to Zendaya's Tashi, whose tennis career is derailed by a knee injury, and she puts all her energy into coaching her husband, Art (Faist), and managing his career.
Mirka "still plays a huge role and has great input and impact," one of Federer's coaches told the New York Times in 2012. "She understands the big picture extremely well and does a great job in terms of letting us work but also shares invaluable information. This is a tricky balance. She’s been there since day one, so she knows very well what it takes and how to get there."
Meanwhile, Zendaya has spoken about how Serena and Venus Williams inspired her performance. "They are iconic, and I admire both of them so much, not just for what they've accomplished in the sport, but I think beyond: their impact and their significance for so many people, specifically Black women," she said.
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