Are you just as obsessed as we are over Challengers? The tennis film, starring Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor is serving us major romance and we can’t get enough.
Which is why we’ve scoured the Internet to find books that battle it out on and off the court — if you know what we mean. Keep reading to get a full breakdown on which novels you should run to Barnes and Noble for.
Did Challengers inspire us to start reading more books about tennis players that fall in love with each other? Yes, yes it did, and there’s no shame about it!
In case you have no idea what we’re talking about, the Euphoria actress played Tashi, a former tennis prodigy who suffers an injury and in turn becomes her husband’s coach.
Things take a turn in his career after Art, the hubby, ends up on a losing streak and has to play against his childhood best friend that just so happens to be Tashi’s ex-boyfriend, Patrick — intense, we know! A love triangle naturally ensues, but we promise not to spoil anything.
Besides the whole love triangle aspect, a big part of the film actually has to do with the sport! When it came to preparing for her role, Zendaya detailed some of the intense training she endured.
“It felt like summer camp. We’d wake up — Mike, Josh and myself on these three courts side-by-side — and we’d just practice for however many hours, and then we’d go and work out, and then we’d have a break, and we’d come back and the second half of the day was rehearsal,” she told Variety in April 2024.
Not only was Zendaya the lead actress, but she also produced the film! With the new title came a different level of respect she explained saying, “There’s no lip service … Not that I think I’ve been treated that way before, but it’s good to know that people have to listen to you. People have to have to hear you out and hear what you bring to the table, which I learned the power of when I was really young.”
While the film has just come out, some fans are already wanting a sequel! While there’s been no confirmation, we do have some books that can keep you occupied until that were to potentially happen.
Keep scrolling to see which novels give us all the Challengers vibes.
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