Coco Gauff’s Coach Brad Gilbert Compares Zendaya’s Athleticism in Dancing to Tennis Players’ Skills

Coco Gauff’s coach, Brad Gilbert, recently praised actress Zendaya’s athleticism at the Los Angeles premiere of the tennis-themed film Challengers. Gilbert has a storied career as a tennis coach, having guided Andre Agassi to six of his eight Grand Slam titles and having worked with former ATP World No. 1s, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray. He is currently coaching Gauff.

Challengers, set to release in the United States on April 26, sought Gilbert’s expertise to help Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist look like professional tennis players. At the LA premiere, Gilbert noted that although Zendaya isn’t a professional athlete, she is quite athletic. “All three of them have good skills. Mike was the only one who had a little bit of a tennis background, he played in high school. Zendaya has a lot of athleticism in dancing,” he shared.

Gilbert also drew parallels between actors and tennis players in terms of focus and determination and expressed his pleasure in working alongside them for the film.

Coco Gauff recently spoke about Challengers at a press conference during the ongoing Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. The reigning US Open champion advised audiences to keep an open mind while watching the film, without focusing solely on the tennis aspect. Gauff shared that Gilbert had informed her that the film’s “threesome” element might not resonate well with older viewers, but his role was solely focused on the tennis aspect. Gauff’s own Stuttgart campaign ended in the quarterfinals after losing to Marta Kostyuk in a three-set match.

Kevin Anderson
Kevin Anderson
Kevin is a sports writer based in New York. With a degree in journalism and years of experience covering sports, Kevin is an informative writer who knows how to deliver an in-depth analysis. Whether it's the Yankees, the Knicks, the Giants, or any other team

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