Why Art & Patrick Hug At The End Of Challengers

Challengers chronicles the friendship, rivalry, and many ups and downs of Tashi (Zendaya), Art (Mike Faist), and Patrick (Josh O’Connor), and after all they go through together over the years, Art and Patrick hug at the end of the movie. 2024 has seen a variety of movies that have won over critics and general audiences, and one of them is Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers. Written by Justin Kuritzkes, Challengers is a romantic sports drama with tennis as the backdrop, and while a lot of the tension comes from one specific match, the focus is on the relationships between the three main characters.

Challengers follows Art and Patrick, best friends who win the boys’ junior doubles title at the US Open in 2006. Art and Patrick then meet Tashi Duncan, a rising tennis star they both have a crush on. Tashi and Patrick begin a relationship while Tashi and Art attend Stanford University, where Tashi suffers a career-ending injury. Years later, Tashi and Art begin a relationship and she becomes his coach, and he ends up playing against Patrick in a Challenger event. The most important moment at the end of Challengers is Art and Patrick’s hug, and not so much who won the game.

Art & Patrick’s Hug Shows Them Reconciling Their Friendship

Art & Patrick Were Best Friends Before They Met Tashi

At the time of the Challenger event, Tashi and Art are already a wealthy power couple in the field of tennis, with Art being only one US Open title away from a Career Grand Slam. However, Art has been struggling due to an injury and age, as he has been playing tennis for years. To help him regain his confidence and boost his return, Tashi enters Art as a wild card in a Challenger event – and, to their surprise, Patrick also enters the Challenger, as contrary to them, he lives out of his car and gets by on winnings from the lower circuits.

During the match, just as he’s losing, Patrick signals to Art that he slept with Tashi, using Art’s serve tic.

Patrick and Art end up facing each other in the final match of the Challenger, and after Art tells Tashi that he plans to retire at the end of the season, regardless of winning the US Open or not, Tashi asks Patrick to throw the match to Art. After an argument that leads to them having sex in Patrick’s car, Patrick agrees to Tashi’s wish. However, during the match, just as he’s losing, Patrick signals to Art that he slept with Tashi, using Art’s serve tic. This fires Art up and they tie the match, leading to a furious trade of groundstrokes during the tiebreak.

Although the biggest question left by
Challengers
is who won the match, the result is ultimately irrelevant after the hug, which takes all the attention and meaning.

When Art jumps for a volley at the net, he collides with Patrick over the net and they hug, with Tashi cheering on them. Although the biggest question left by Challengers is who won the match, the result is ultimately irrelevant after the hug, which takes all the attention and meaning. The reveal of Tashi’s infidelity is a turning point in Art and Patrick’s broken relationship, and they are reminded of when they used to play tennis before meeting her. The hug is what seals Art and Patrick’s reconciliation, regardless of the results of the match.

Art & Patrick’s Relationship Has Finally Moved Beyond Tashi

Tashi Was A Turning Point In Art & Patrick’s Relationship

Meeting Tashi is what cracks Art and Patrick’s once-strong friendship, eventually ending it. Tashi cheating on Art with Patrick only makes their enmity grow, reaching its highest point during the Challenger event. However, learning that Tashi has once again cheated on him with Patrick and during one of the lowest points in his career, is a turning point for Art, who finally decides to move beyond everything Tashi has caused in their lives.

The subtle exchange of smiles between Art and Patrick is what the latter needs to understand that all is well again with his former best friend, and also moves beyond Tashi and her manipulations. Whether Art stays with Tashi after the ending of Challengers or not, the hug shows he and Patrick are over all the Tashi drama and are open to being friends again.

What Challengers’ Cast Have Said About Art & Patrick’s Hug

The Challengers’ Cast Has Some Thoughts About The Hug

Art and Patrick’s hug at the end of Challengers symbolizes the end of years of enmity and the love they still have for each other, along with their shared passion for tennis – but just like viewers, the Challengers cast have their own ideas and interpretations of the movie’s ending. Speaking to EW, Josh O’Connor shared that, to him, Art and Patrik have found each other at the end of Challengers, and the three characters had been searching for a way to satisfy their hunger for each other.

Luca Guadagnino confirmed that the ending of
Challengers
is not about who won the match but how they won each other back and got to be together again.

O’Connor added that Patrick revealing that Tashi cheated on Art was his way of getting his old friend into a place that would satisfy everyone, and he truly achieved that. Luca Guadagnino confirmed that the ending of Challengers is not about who won the match but how they won each other back and got to be together again – all three of them. Art and Patrick’s hug at the end of Challengers will get many interpretations, but in the end, it’s all about them getting back together after years of hostility and jealousy.

Source: EW.