Wimbledon season is officially here, which (along with the sweltering weather) means that summer has finally arrived.
The tennis championship kicked off earlier this week, with many of us already glued to our TV screens.
However, if your Wimbledon fever is getting as high as the temperatures outside, there are many great tennis-themed movies out there to stream right now.
Here, Digital Spy has rounded up a list of 5 of the best to check out.
Challengers
Challengers became somewhat of a phenomenon when it was released last year, not least because of the intense chemistry between its leads Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist.
The Luca Guadagnino movie follows the love triangle between former tennis star-turned-coach Tashi Duncan, her champion player husband Art Donaldson and her ex Patrick Zweig, charting their story over the course of 13 years.
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Featuring a host of iconic moments – including a shot from the POV of a tennis ball, as well as a very sexually charged scene involving a churro – the movie drew huge acclaim, with Digital Spy calling it "a sweaty, horny tennis drama that serves hard".
Available to watch now on Prime Video.
Wimbledon
OK, so maybe not the greatest entry on this list – though 2004's Wimbledon is still worthy of a watch. Starring Paul Bettany and Kirsten Dunst, the film focuses on a pro player who loses his ambition, though meets a young player who helps him recapture his drive.
Taking its namesake from the competition, the movie attracted mixed reviews, landing a 60% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes as the consensus calls it a "predictable, bland rom-com", though Bettany "proves to be an appealing lead".
The movie boasts an impressive wider cast, including Jurassic Park's Sam Neill, X-Men's James McAvoy, Lord of the Rings' Bernard Hill, The Thursday Murder Club's Celia Imrie, Game of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Iron Man's Jon Favreau.
Available to watch now on Sky Cinema and NOW (with Cinema membership).
Battle of the Sexes
Starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell, this movie tells the true story of the 1973 match between tennis stars Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, dubbed the 'Battle of the Sexes'.
As well as the iconic match and the fight for equal pay, the movie also focuses on the pair's respective off-court personal battles while being in the media spotlight.
While the film wasn't the biggest box office hit, it proved a critical success, sitting at an 84% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Empire calling it "a light, funny, blissfully entertaining flick about heavy, sadly still relevant themes".
Available to watch now on Disney+.
King Richard
Will Smith stars in this 2021 movie, which follows the childhoods of future tennis icons Serena and Venus Williams as they are coached by their father Richard.
The actor went on to win an Oscar for his performance, with the real Serena calling it "surreal" to see the actor portray her dad. The movie also stars Nickel Boys' Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as wife Brandy and The Punisher's Jon Bernthal as tennis coach Rick Macci.
Available to buy and rent from Prime Video, Apple TV and Microsoft Store. Also airing on BBC One this Saturday at 10.20pm.
7 Days in Hell
Technically a TV movie, this great mockumentary is nevertheless worth a watch. Starring Game of Thrones' Kit Harington and Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Andy Samberg, 7 Days in Hell sees the pair play two fictional tennis greats who battle it out in a week-long tennis match in 2001.
The movie was inspired by the real-life John Isner and Nicolas Mahut marathon at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, which is the longest tennis match in history, and features cameos from Serena Williams and John McEnroe, while Girls' Lena Dunham, Marvel's Karen Gillan and Good Omens' Michael Sheen also star.
Available to watch now on Sky and NOW (with Entertainment membership).
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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
