Naomi Osaka does her best Zendaya Impression.
In a video posted to TikTok on Thursday, May 2, the 26-year-old four-time Grand Slam winner paid a playful tribute challengerthe successful romantic drama with Zendaya as a tennis phenomenon caught in a hot love triangle.
“Nobody: Me after watching challenger“Osaka captioned her post, in which she put on her sunglasses, twirled her racket and showed off her serve. For the background music, she chose the super intense synthesizer score from the film.
Recently, the screenwriter of the film, Justin Kuritzkessaid that he was inspired to write the script after seeing Osaka defeat her idol. Serena Williams, in a surprise victory at the 2018 US Open. Osaka was 20 years old at the time – a prodigy, just like Zendaya’s character Tashi Duncan, although Kuritzke’s Tashi was not based on Osaka. However, her famously exciting fight with Williams was a different story.
Zendaya is taking the drama from the tennis court to the red carpet while promoting her new film “Challengers.” The Emmy winner plays Tashi Duncan, a tennis prodigy whose career is cut short by an injury, in the drama directed by Luca Guadagnino. She begins coaching and eventually turns her husband (Mike Faist) into one […]
“It immediately seemed to me like this very cinematic situation where you’re all alone on your side of the court and there’s this one other person in this huge tennis stadium who cares about what’s happening to you just as much as you do, but you can do it “Don’t talk to them,” Kuritzkes said in a press conference last month Business Insider.
@naomiosaka 😁😂 #challengers #tennistiktok #funnymoments
♬ Challenger [MIXED] (Challengers Soundtrack) – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross & Boys Noize
The game was incredibly tense as Williams, the fans’ favorite, argued with the referee Carlos Ramos because I accused her of three code violations. “[Y]You stole a point from me, you are also a thief,” she said to Ramos.
After the match, which Osaka won 6-2, 6-4, the rivals stood side by side as observers in the stands booed the result. Osaka covered her face with her visor and cried. Williams hugged Osaka, who told the crowd: “I know everyone was cheering [Williams]. I’m sorry it had to end like this. I just want to say thank you for watching the game.”
Since her first Met Gala in 2015, Zendaya has become a fixture at the annual ball. With her use of textures, prints and colors, the actress brings drama to every mead she graces. She doesn’t shy away from boundary-pushing silhouettes and effortlessly modernizes outdated aesthetics. Zendaya also perfectly complements her ensembles by elevating them […]
It was in that moment, said Kuritzkes, that the story was made challenger clicked in his head. “Well, what if you really needed to talk about something? “And what if it was something that went beyond tennis?” he explained. “What if it was something that was going on with you two? And what if it was the person on the other side of the net? How would you have this conversation and how could you convey the tension of this situation using film-specific means?”
The drama in challenger revolves around a crucial game between former best friends Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) and Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), who is married to Tashi, his trainer. What adds to the tension is Patrick, the former lover she just can’t let go of. The film, directed by: Luca Guadagninoopened at number 1 in theaters last weekend.
(If Osaka wants to do another social media tribute, she might consider wearing Zendaya’s “I TOLD YA” T-shirt made viral.)