I played on tour for 16 years and I was ready for Luca Guadagnino’s new movie to fail. But it’s the most accurate depiction of the tennis life I have seen on screen
On a hot spring day in Munich, I went to a small movie theatre in the basement of an apartment building, dreading the prospect of missing an evening in the setting sun, possibly with a Bavarian beer in hand. The whole city seemed to be anxiously anticipating the upcoming Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. People roamed the streets, trying to find a place to watch football with their friends.
I, on the other hand, was on my way to see Luca Guadagnino’s new movie, Challengers. I was ready to see it fail. For context, I played on the tennis tour for 16 years and retired at the US Open two years ago. You’ve probably never heard of me. There are two reasons for that. With perfect timing, I retired at the same time as Serena Williams. Reason number two: I never had Serena’s career. It’s OK. One can thrive in so many other ways.
Andrea Petkovic is an author and a former world top-10 tennis player.