“Challengers” is a sleek and sometimes sexy “Jules and Jim” menage a trois set in the world of professional tennis.

The (digitally augmented) tennis is quite good, the romantic entanglements sophisticated and the story narrowly-focused on our three leads in this new film from the director of “Call Me By Your Name.”

The picture’s backdrop is almost as richly-detailed as “King Richard,” depicting the grinding life sought by the (literally) privileged few as two “bunkmates since we were twelve” tennis academy alumni compete for the rising star who is the most beautiful woman either has ever seen pick up a racket, and incidentally “the color of” America today, as one of our paramours notes.

Zendaya is here to carry the picture as the talented, somewhat mercenary Tashi who starts toying with focused workaholic Art (Mike Faist of “West Side Story”) and devil-may-care talent Patrick (Josh O’Connor of “God’s Own Country” and “Emma.”) when they’re all rising “junior” in the tennis heirarchy.

They become her “two white boys,” despite her joking suggestion that “I’m not a homewrecker.” These besties since boyhood are that tight.

But after a bit of polyamorous play and teasing, a romance settles in, only to be disrupted by the pitfalls of any athletic career — injuries, limits to talent, lack of discipline. The coolest thing about this Justin Kuritzkes screenplay is how the power dynamic never really shifts. Whatever goes right or wrong for each of them, however she’s involved in that success or failure, the gorgeous woman with the polished groundstrokes and killer instinct on and off the court is the one true “tennis player” in the trio.

That phrase is a distinction that’s kicked around the sport for decades, a measure of one’s level of focus and sacrifice for the sport, struggling to be the complete package on the court even if off the court.

Vitas Gerulaitis might be the poster boy for “tennis player” as defined here. He pretty much died for the game. That’s why Tashi opts for Stanford instead of turning pro as a teen because “I don’t want my only skill to be hitting a ball with a racket.”

Patrick, when we meet him, seems as committed as any “tennis player” who ever picked up a racket. He’s living in his aged Honda CRV, struggling to collect wins and motel money at a “challengers” (qualifying/rank-raising) tourney in 2019 in New Rochelle, New York. At this “up and comers” level of the game, a local tire distributor is the best sponsor available. Over 30, Patrick is too damned old to be playing here, and not too proud to “swipe right” to pick up someone who might allow him to sleep over after sex so that he can be sharp for his next match.

Art is too big a deal to be playing here. He’s also over 30, but he’s had a lot of success, lacking only a U.S. Open title to complete “a career Grand Slam,” titles in all four major international tourneys — Wimbledon, the Australian, French and U.S. Opens. But he’s coming back from an injury, and while the Aston Martin endorsements might still be there, the confidence is not.

The beauty paired-up with him on those Aston Martin billboards is his coach and his wife. That’s Tashi. And she’s determined to get him that last “slam,” otherwise “What’s the point?”

“Challengers” is framed by Art and Patrick colliding in that New Rochelle tire distributor tourney finals, with flashbacks showing up how these three beautiful people met over a decade before, their taste of the real affluence surrounding this “country club sport,” their predictable personality differences and the soap opera that’s played out over the years of their on-and-off relationships.

As director Luca Guadagnino is involved, you know the sexuality depicted will be fluid and somewhat unconventional. As Zendaya is the star, the object of desire, the woman who cautions both paramours about falling “in love with me,” when the two lads in question can only answer “Doesn’t everyone?” you can also guess that the sex is a lot more PG-13 than R-rated. So Guadagnino treats us to a little full-frontal in the men’s tennis locker rooms to up the “sexy” ante and earn that R rating.

The tennis seen here has a screaming, racket-smashing volatility that seems superficial and extreme. And there’s a cynicism to this over-praised drama that comes through in the situations, the characters and their racial/sexual makeup that seems to count more than compelling performances or nuanced conflict.

Zendaya is a convincing tennis pro, if a tad slight of build to be a star in the making. And she’s a little less convincing as the mature-for-her-age woman trying to play the angles, find or follow her heart after she finds it. She isn’t helped here by Guadagnino’s seeming disinterest in romance or heterosexual sex.

O’Connor’s character is set up as a gauche lout, seeking sexual conquests and easy money and easy fame, and not getting two of the three things he seems to feel entitled to. Faist has the more complicated character to play, someone lucky to be married to that person who gives him the heart, strategic tips and motivation to succeed, a charismatic beauty who opens all sorts of doors for him, and yet uncertain in her fidelity or romantic commitment.

Structurally, that “framed by the pivotal tourney” format begins to grate and the picture, headed for a conclusion was can see from some distance off, is drawn-out like a tie breaker that has no “sudden death” about it.

But the tennis, with augmented sound, shotmaking, balls-eye-view camera work and the like, dazzles. And whatever the strengths of the leads, the sexual dynamics of this relationship are every bit as of America at this “moment” as the beautiful biracial player’s “color” that the script takes pains to point out.

“Challengers” is just challenging enough as it is wearing out its welome and trodding past its obvious climaxes and towards the “final” one, even if we see it coming.

Rating: R profanity, some sexual content and graphic nudity

Cast: Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor

Credits: Directed by Luca Guadagnino, scripted by Justin Kuritzkes. An MGM/Amazon release.

Running time: 2:11