This story contains spoilers for Challengers.

Shortly after Tashi Duncan, the tennis prodigy played by Zendaya, meets Patrick Zweig (Josh O'Connor) and Art Donaldson (Mike Feist) in "Challengers" she doubles partners known as "Fire and Ice." "You don't know what tennis is," she tells them. She is jealous of Patrick's signature serve and says that the game of tennis is not about self-expression: "Tennis is about relationships."

Luca Guadagnino's sports drama Challengers (opening April 26) may be largely set on a tennis court, but it is much more about who scores the first 40 points than about the players' desires and behavioral patterns. Written by Justin Klitzkes, the bulk of the film centers on a 2019 challenger tournament in New Rochelle, New York. Art's coach, Tashi, watches the matches from the stands, watching each serve deal with unresolved tensions in their relationships, and imagines what she wants to say to them: "I told you so."

The words are never uttered in the film, but the brief, boastful phrase "I TOLD YA" is depicted on the T-shirt. Tashi first wears that gray oversized T-shirt in the film's 2006 timeline, and it is revealed a short time later that it belongs to Patrick. The T-shirt was designed by Jonathan Anderson, the film's costume designer and Loewe's creative director.

The T-shirt and its bold message became a bit of a phenomenon. Before the theatrical release of Challengers, Zendaya and O'Connor wore "I TOLD YA" T-shirts at promotional events. Currently, Loewe is selling a $330 replica. [In the Challengers' wardrobe, which is primarily characterized by athletic uniforms adorned with sponsorships from Adidas, Nike, and Uniqlo, the racy shirt stands out as original and a character success. But the uniforms also reflect the film's exploration of changing power dynamics in relationships.

Tashi first appears on the T-shirt when she and Art are both student athletes at Stanford University and Patrick, who is in a long-distance relationship with Tashi, is away on a professional tour. Before Patrick visits campus, Tashi and Art have lunch together, and Art tries to drive a wedge between her and his friend, who is in love with her. He insists that Patrick does not love Tashi, and she angrily leaves.

A short time later, Patrick picks up his shirt after he and Tashi's dorm room fling turns into an argument and she says she wants a "fan club membership" instead of a boyfriend. Their fight breaks down when Patrick does not go to Tashi's game, and she suffers a career-ending knee injury there. Art was the only one who comforted Tashi, and when Patrick finally came to visit her and saw his friend by her side, "I TOLD YA" was written on his chest.

Years later, when Patrick reunites with Tashi at a convention in Atlanta, he wears it again. At that point, Tashi and Art are married, and Patrick seems to see their marriage as merely a means to be with her true love, tennis, and when the two have a one-night stand, once again the shirt says it all.

Loewe's Jonathan Anderson explains the significance of the T-shirt: in an interview with WWD, the costume designer said he drew inspiration for Patrick's style from John F. Kenzi Jr. and his "lack of effort" and inherent " sex appeal" were cited. In fact, the late attorney actually had an "I TOLD YA" T-shirt and was photographed wearing it.

In Challengers, the power relationship between the characters changes, and when one of them gains the upper hand, this shirt seems to come out of the closet. It circulates like so many other elements of the film: the ball passing over the net, Art spitting out gum, the two of them facing Tashi and frequently coming into frame. That phrase "I TOLD YA" also seems to indicate that the three seem to know each other's tics, movements, and desires on and off the court.

By the end of the film, this know-it-all sentiment is traced back to Tashi's early assertion that tennis is a relationship, and that when she first met Art and Patrick, the one who wins the match gets her number.

In 2019 in New Rochelle, she finally gets her wish. Tashi signed up to play Art to boost her confidence, and Patrick joined to improve his ranking.

At the end of the match and film, Tashi lets out a guttural scream. It is not unlike the sound she made in her 2006 U.S. Open match. She said at the time that she felt like she was "in love" with her opponent. The end of the match may remain ambiguous as to where the three of them will go, but Tashi certainly found what she needed in Art and Patrick, and deserves the "I TOLD YA" bragging rights trophy.