“Give Zendaya a wildcard to Roland Garros”, “The forehand is very Daniil Medvedev”: Tennis fans react to Challengers star practicing with stunt double

Tennis fans on social media were impressed upon seeing Zendaya shadow practice alongside her stunt double during the shooting of the film titled 'Challengers'.

'Challengers' is set to hit theater screens on Friday, April 26, globally. The plot of the film revolves around the life of former player-turned-coach Tashi Donaldson, her husband Art Donaldson, and her ex-lover Patrick Zweig.

Zendaya plays Tashi's part in the film whereas Art and Patrick's roles have been portrayed by Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor, respectively. The trio notably received special tennis training from legendary coach Brad Gilbert for the film.

Recently, a video clip of Zendaya surfaced on X (formerly Twitter) in which she can be seen mimicking her stunt double Kara Hall Wangler's movements, including the service motion, footwork, and forehand on the court.

Tennis buffs on X were amazed to see the actress go about her business with her skillful precision. A fan notably likened Zendaya's style of hitting a forehand to Russia's Daniil Medvedev's.

"Honestly impressed that it looks close but obviously off for someone who plays/watches a lot of tennis. I think it's because her footwork is pretty good but the forehand is very Medvedev lol," the fan wrote.

Zendaya's effort prompted a fan to demand a wildcard entry into the 2024 French Open for her.

"We’ll take it…..Give her a wildcard to RG," the fan tweeted.

Here are a few more reactions from X:

"I’ve played competitive tennis since I was younger than 10 but I’m starting to get worried Zendaya would smoke me. The woman nails everything she tries haha," one fan stated.

"Her form is actually pretty good for someone who doesn’t actually play I’m impressed," another fan commented.

"Curious to see her backhand, will it be Medvedev style," a fan wrote.

"For someone that has not played tennis at all she has the swings down pretty good," a fan remarked.

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Zendaya attended Daniil Medvedev's final against Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells Tennis Garden

Tom Holland & Zendaya watch Daniil Medvedev play against Carlos Alcaraz at 2024 Indian Wells Masters.

Zendaya was spotted in the stands during Daniil Medvedev's final against Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 Indian Wells Masters on Sunday, March 17, as a part of her promotional commitments for the film 'Challengers'.

Medvedev was unable to overcome Alcaraz in the summit clash as the Spaniard walked away with a 7-6(5), 6-1 win to secure an Indian Wells Masters trophy for the second year in a row. Zendaya watched the entire match alongside her boyfriend Tom Holland.

Notably, Zendaya was in the stands for the women's singles final between Iga Swiatek and Maria Sakkari at Indian Wells the preceding day as well. She held a brief conversation with Swiatek after the Pole claimed the championship with a 6-4, 6-0 win.