Was Zendaya’s character in ‘Challengers’ inspired by Roger Federer’s wife Mirka?

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In ChallengersLuca Guadagnino’s steamy new tennis drama starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, the story is fictional, but a few real tennis players served as inspiration for writer Justin Kuritzkes.

He first got the idea for the storyline while watching Naomi Osaka defeat Serena Williams in the 2018 US Open final, but the specific inspiration for Zendaya’s character, Tashi Duncan, came almost a year later, so that he was watching the 2019 Wimbledon final between Novak. Djokovic and Roger Federer. There he observed Roger’s wife, Mirka Federer, during the match.

“She looked so stressed, every moment,” Kuritzkes said. GQ. “I was looking at her and I was like, ‘Why are you so stressed? You have all the money in the world. You’ve won 20 Grand Slams. What’s so stressful for you? It must be something else.'” He dug deeper into Mirka’s story and learned that she was a tennis player before an injury cut short her career. “She kind of became (Federer’s) manager and kind of managed his life,” Kuritzkes says. “He credits her with a lot of (his success).”

This is similar to Zendaya’s Tashi, whose tennis career is derailed by a knee injury, and she devotes all of her energy to coaching her husband, Art (Faist), and managing his career.

Mirka “always plays a huge role and has a big contribution and a big impact,” said one of Federer’s coaches. New York Times in 2012. “She understands the big picture extremely well and does a great job keeping us working, but she also shares invaluable information. It’s a delicate balance. She’s been there since day one, so she knows very clear what is needed and how to get there.”

Meanwhile, Zendaya opened up about how Serena and Venus Williams inspired her performance. “They are iconic and I admire them both, not just for what they have accomplished in sport, but I think beyond that: their impact and their importance to so many people, especially black women,” he said. she declared.

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