Wimbledon has come to a close with a thrilling final in which Carlos Alcaraz triumphed over Novak Djokovic to land one of the most sought after trophies in tennis. Now we’re really going to miss the strawberries, cucumber sandwiches, Pimms – and, of course, the endless days of watching quality sport.
The competition has reminded us just how much we love the sport (has anyone else signed up to their local club this week?) which has, in turn, reminded us how much we love movies about tennis.
So if you are now looking for ways to fill the Wimbledon-sized hole in your week, here’s our pick of the best racket-related films to watch next.
Challengers (2023)
This film isn’t out yet, but it’s one to mark in your diaries. Directed by Luca Guadagnino – responsible for Call Me By Your Name – and starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor (Prince Charles in The Crown) and Mike Faist (currently in Brokeback Mountain on stage running at @sohoplace) Challengers is the story of what happens when Faist and O’Connor’s characters go head to head in a challengers match.
King Richard (2021)
Will Smith won an Oscar for playing Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena, in Reinaldo Marcus Green’s biographical sports drama. But Smith’s success, and the success of the film (it was nominated for five other Oscars, including Best Picture) was swallowed up by all of the drama surrounding Will Smith’s slap. In fact, who remembers anything else about that night?
It’s a shame: King Richard pulled in rave reviews, as Green presents a more sympathetic view of the tennis stars’ father, who was often portrayed as a bully in the press. “Williams’s personality is angular and uncomfortable, shaped by poverty, violence and discrimination,” said The Guardian. “Of course he was never going to be an easy fit within the rarefied circles of the tennis elite.”
Borg vs McEnroe (2017)
It’s the game that your dad still talks about. Swedish tennis champion Björn Borg was facing the uncouth New Yorker newcomer John McEnroe in 1980. The Wimbledon crowd was, obviously, backing the well-mannered Monaco resident Borg, but there was nevertheless something lovable about the ambitious upstart McEnroe. The film, which stars Sverrir Gudnason as Borg, and Shia LaBeouf as McEnroe, becomes a tense thriller, as the rivalry between the two very different characters reaches fever pitch.
Battle of the Sexes (2017)
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, who directed Little Miss Sunshine and Fleishman Is in Trouble, tackle the subject of sexism in sport in this biographical sports film written by Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty). The film stars Emma Stone as Billie Jean King and Steve Carell as Bobby Riggs, and reimagines their real-life infamous 1973 exhibition match, when Riggs challenged King to a contest dubbed the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ with a winner takes all prize of $100,000. The film was a flop at the box office, but picked up two Golden Globe award nominations. The Guardian described it as “a winner in straight sets.”
7 Days in Hell (2015)
Is this the greatest tennis film of all time? Potentially. 7 Days in Hell is a 45-minute long mokumentary starring Andy Samberg and Kit Harington as two barmy tennis players who end up playing the longest match in history at Wimbledon. Director Jake Szymanski and writer Murray Miller do a great job of recreating the look and the feel of a men’s singles match, which is sliced together with BBC footage and interviews with the real Serena Williams and John McEnroe. But it’s the on-court back and forth which is the real entertainment here: imagine Samberg donning a ridiculous blonde wig, and The King of the North in tennis whites; the duo huffing and puffing and behaving badly.
Match Point (2005)
This 2005 film from controversial director Woody Allen stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Chris Wilton, a professional tennis player who has recently retired and is now working as a coach at a fancy club. He becomes friends with Tom (Matthew Goode) and ends up dating Tom’ sister Chloe (Emily Mortimer). But then he meets Tom’s fiancée, Nola (Scarlett Johansson), a struggling actor, and the two are immediately drawn to one another. From that second on, things start to get complicated.
Wimbledon (2004)
Richard Loncraine’s 2004 romantic comedy is a winner because of, rather than despite, its sprinkling of Noughties cheese. Paul Bettany stars as tennis pro Peter, while Kirsten Dunst plays rising star Lizzie. The paths of the two players converge at Wimbledon, and, you guessed it, they fall in love. The story is about how Peter’s career ambitions start to alter now that Lizzie is in the picture. The film is from the creators of Notting Hill and Bridget Jones’ diary, so as you can imagine, it’s really sweet, if a bit gooey.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Admittedly it’s a stretch to include The Royal Tenenbaums on this list, and yet... we’re going to. Wes Anderson’s 2001 comedy stars Danny Glover, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson as members of an eccentric family who are coming to terms with the news of the cancer diagnosis of their father, Royal (Gene Hackman). The tennis part? Well, all of the kids were young prodigies: daughter Margot (Paltrow) is a brilliant writer, Chas is a whizz at maths, and Richie has a talent for tennis.
