“He said a little out there for a 60-year-old with threesome & everything”: Coco Gauff reveals Brad Gilbert’s take on Challengers starring Zendaya

Coco Gauff recently opened up about her conversation with her coach Brad Gilbert on the upcoming tennis-centric film called 'Challengers'.

'Challengers' follows the events of former player Tashi Donaldson's complicated tennis journey as a player and as a coach with her husband Art Donaldson and ex-lover Patrick Zweig.

Zendaya has played Tashi's part in the film whereas the characters of Art and Patrick have been portrayed by Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor. The movie will be released in the theaters on Friday, April 26.

Coco Gauff shares a connection with the flick in a way that her coach Brad Gilbert has imparted tennis training to the 'Challengers' cast. Hence, she was asked to comment on the film during a press conference after she advanced to the quarterfinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart on Wednesday, April 17. She replied:

"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."

Gauff then revealed that Gilbert found the portrayal a little extreme, especially the threesome sequence between Zendaya, Faist, and O'Connor.

"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.

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Coco Gauff "excited" to watch Challengers: "I love that type of stuff, I love the drama, and I love the love triangles, I love all of that"

Coco Gauff

During the same press conference at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2024 in Stuttgart, Coco Gauff expressed her excitement for 'Challengers', saying:

"For me, I love that type of stuff, I love the drama, and I love the love triangles, I love all of that. So I'm really excited to see it. I literally have it on my list of movies I'm going to go to see in Europe. As soon as it releases, if I'm not playing a match, I'm going to go."

The 20-year-old then appreciated Zendaya's looks in the film and during the promotions.

"I loved all the Challengers fashion looks. I thought that was really cool to see tennis in that way, because I felt for a tennis player for us, a lot of us wouldn't want to do that, but she [Zendaya] made it look like high fashion and chic," she added.

In Stuttgart, Coco Gauff awaits the winner of the second-round match between Zheng Qinwen and Marta Kostyuk.