"Hang in there" - Coco Gauff's coach Brad Gilbert consoles Thai-Son Kwiatkowski as former NCAA champion "cries" over rankings diss in 'Challengers'

Coco Gauff's coach Brad Gilbert has extended his sympathies to Thai-Son Kwiatkowski after the former NCAA champion was left second-guessing his career choices due to the movie 'Challengers.' The tennis-centric movie starring Zendaya featured a dialogue criticizing a character's ranking, which hit too close to home for the 29-year-old.

Kwiatkowski enjoyed an immensely successful collegiate career at the University of Virginia, representing the Virginia Cavaliers. The American led the Cavaliers to the 2017 NCAA Division Men's Team Championship and clinched the NCAA Men's Singles Championship that same year. However, the 29-year-old's success has not translated to the ATP tour, as reflected in his current ranking of World No. 289.

Thai-Son Kwiatkowski recently recounted his experience of watching 'Challengers,' revealing that he was taken aback by Zendaya's character Tashi criticizing a character for being ranked World No. 271 at 31 years of age and firmly dismissing their chances of winning.

Given his own ranking of World No. 289 as a 29-year-old, Kwiatowski humorously lamented that he was "crying" over the dig and even contemplating a career change.

"*me enjoying my evening, watching ‘challengers’ finally* Tashi duncan: “Quit right now. Right the f*** now, quit. You are 271st best in the f***ing world. You’re 31. You have a better shot with a handgun in your mouth.” *me, 29, 289 in the world, crying, opening up LinkedIn*🤣," he posted on X.

Coco Gauff's coach Brad Gilbert commiserated with Kwiatkowski, urging the American to "hang in there."

"That’s sad 😢 hang in there 😥," Gilbert replied.

Gilbert himself has a connection to the 'Challengers' movie, serving as a consultant and helping train the cast of Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor in tennis. He also attended the film's premiere in Los Angeles amid Coco Gauff's campaign at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

"Brad Gilbert said the movie was a little out there for a 60-year-old man with the threesome" - Coco Gauff shares her coach's take on 'Challengers'

Coco Gauff with her coach Brad Gilbert

During her campaign at the 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Coco Gauff disclosed that she was "excited" to watch 'Challengers,' but disclosed that her coach Brad Gilbert had warned her against approaching the film with the mindset of critiquing the tennis on display.

"I haven't seen the movie yet, so I'm excited. I think people shouldn't go into the movie critiquing the tennis. I think really that's just not what the story is about. So he did tell me that," she said in a press conference in Stuttgart.

The 20-year-old also shed light on Gilbert's thoughts on the film, revealing that the threesome sequence involving Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist had shocked him.

"He [Brad Gilbert] said the movie was a little out there for a 60-year-old man with the threesome and everything like that. He did say that. But he said ‘I just wanted to focus on the tennis and not the storyline’," she added.

Coco Gauff eventually got the chance to watch the movie during the 2024 Madrid Open, describing it as "good" while humorously remarking that she would've been "frenemies" with Zendaya's character if they were on tour together.