As tennis season reaches full swing, it’s clear that love is in the air on and off the court—from supportive partners cheering on grand slam stars in players’ boxes to our favourite celebrity couples watching the matches courtside. And this year, the game of romance will also be on the silver screen, as Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers is set to have its leading actors Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist play tennis pros, dynamic duos, and everything in between in a steamy, tennis-fuelled love triangle.
While the film’s intertwining themes of romance and sport have speedily become the film’s main appeal, this isn’t the first time the magnetic trope has enraptured the public’s eye.
Whereas Zendaya’s Challenger‘s character Tashi was fuming in her husband and pupil’s player’s box over his unrelenting losing streak, the actress was all smiles when she was spotted courtside with longtime partner Tom Holland at the Men’s Final of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California last month, singing along to Whitney Houston‘s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’. Apart from the famous pair, many celebrity couples from the Obamas to the Biebers, have taken to tennis tournaments to express their love for both the sport and each other.
Celebrity-spotting has long been the second favourite game at the the U.S. Open, but Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet took courtside stardom to a new level when they famously put their relationship out in the open last September at the Men’s Final in matching black outfits. And Wimbledon, the oldest and most prestigious of the grand slams, has since become the sporting equivalent to the Met Gala as not just a breeding ground for tenniscore styles, but also the perfect occasion for celebrities to make their official couple debut snuggled up in the stands.
Below, see the celebrity couples who have taken their love courtside.
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Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet at the U.S. Open
2 / 13
Barack Obama and Michelle Obama at the U.S. Open
3 / 13
Tom Holland and Zendaya at the BNP Paribas Open
4 / 13
Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman at the U.S. Open
5 / 13
Minke and Cara Delevigne at Wimbledon
6 / 13
Tom Sturridge and Alexa Chung at Wimbledon
7 / 13
Hailey Bieber and Justin Bieber at the U.S. Open
8 / 13
Zawe Ashton and Tom Hiddleston at Wimbledon
9 / 13
Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig at Wimbledon
10 / 13
Matthew Mcconaughey and Camila Alves at the U.S. Open
11 / 13
James Matthew and Pippa Middleton at Wimbledon
12 / 13
Chris Ivery and Ellen Pompeo at the U.S. Open
13 / 13
