Zendaya shares what Serena Williams told her after watching her play tennis in ‘Challengers’

Zendaya is playing a professional tennis player in her new movie, “Challengers.” The film is a romance and a sports drama following the shifting dynamics between three tennis players. Logically, Serena and Venus Williams were in the guest list at one of the movie’s premieres.

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Over the past few weeks, Zendaya has revealed her preparation for the role, which included some tennis training in order to make her performance seem as real as possible. While she hasn’t discussed the film with Venus Williams, she revealed that she discussed it with her sister Serena, who had some thoughts.

“She was like, ‘I know there definitely weren’t real [tennis] balls,” said Zendaya in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “She knows. She’s the best of the best.”

Still, Zendaya makes it clear that her skills got the approval of Serena Williams, which is something she doesn’t take lightly. “She did say that it was great considering that I had never, never touched a tennis ball before,” she said.

Zendaya’s tribute to the Williams sisters

Zendaya has made a meal out of her every red carpet appearance for “Challengers.” One of her best looks was a tribute to the Williams sisters’ iconic photoshoot for Vogue. The tribute was shared on Law Roach’s Instagram, who’s been Zendaya’s longtime stylist and creative partner.

The photo shows Zendaya wearing a black and white Carolina Herrera dress, with her hair styled with white beads. In the post, Roach and Zendaya shared the original 1998 Vogue photograph, showing Serena and Venus as teens, with both wearing a similar black and white dress and the same hairtstyle.

“An ode to the GREATS,” reads the caption. “We thank you for all you have done! With love, Z and Law.”