When considering sports, certain disciplines appear to naturally lend themselves to the big screen. Boxing has produced timeless classics such as Raging Bull, Rocky, and Creed, while baseball has given us beloved films like Bull Durham, A League of Their Own, and The Natural. Even basketball has inspired memorable movies like Hoosiers, He Got Game, and White Men Can’t Jump.
However, one sport that has seemingly struggled to make its mark in cinema is tennis. Despite the back-and-forth, give-and-take nature of tennis being frequently used as a metaphor for acting, there has been a notable absence of great films about the sport.
Why is this the case? According to Brad Gilbert, former Olympic bronze medallist and current coach of US Open champion Coco Gauff, tennis does not always translate well to the screen. “It’s kind of been an afterthought. Tennis is a little harder to choreograph and script than some other sports,” Gilbert explains. Capturing the fluid and unpredictable nature of tennis poses a unique challenge for filmmakers.
Unlike certain other sports, tennis demands a level of hand-eye coordination and swift lateral movement that takes years, if not decades, to master. The unpredictability of a live match makes it difficult to script and choreograph convincingly for the big screen. As Gilbert describes it, “In a real, live match, you don’t know what’s going to happen. Nothing is scripted… You know exactly how the point is going to start and how it’s going to finish.”
The intricate details of tennis make it challenging to portray authentically. Actors must strike a balance between automating their movements and believably reacting to their opponents. As Saniyya Sidney, who played young Venus Williams in King Richard, puts it, “If you think about it too much, it doesn’t look authentic.”
Additionally, the individual nature of tennis presents another obstacle for filmmakers. With only two players on the court during singles matches, finding diverse ways to capture the game’s action becomes a creative challenge for directors like Valerie Faris (“Battle of the Sexes”). Tennis also has a set of rules and scoring systems that can be alienating for newcomers to the sport, further complicating the task of engaging a wider audience.
Despite these challenges, some recent films like Challengers have successfully captured the essence of tennis on screen. Through rigorous training and attention to detail, the film authentically portrays the struggles and triumphs of professional players while staying true to the sport’s nuances. The success of Challengers at the box office could pave the way for future tennis projects, opening the door for more compelling stories about the sport.
While tennis may pose unique obstacles for filmmakers, the potential for captivating storytelling remains. By finding the right balance between authenticity and creative interpretation, future tennis movies can serve an ace and capture the essence of the sport, bringing it to a new audience.