Coco Gauff shared her thoughts on the new tennis film Challengers while speaking at the 2024 Italian Open.
A recent film that has caught the attention of the tennis world is Challengers, which incorporates tennis as a significant element. With tennis-themed films being rare, this one has sparked interest within the sport’s community.
The presence of mega-star Zendaya in the film added to its appeal, and Coco Gauff also watched it.
Speaking in Rome, Gauff shared her opinion, mentioning that she didn’t fully connect with Zendaya’s character, especially regarding her personal life off the court.
“I thought it was a great movie. I enjoyed the romance and the unique characters. The portrayal of tennis was commendable, although not flawless, which is typical of sports movies. While I’m unaware of any ‘thruffles’ in the tennis world, there may be some, but I’m not involved in that (laughs).”
“I’m not Tashi Duncan [sic]. I didn’t find any similarities with Tashi Duncan [sic]. However, I did resonate with her mentality on the court, though not with her off-court activities.”
Gauff also humorously mentioned relating to the main character’s preference not to date someone who isn’t skilled at tennis, jokingly discussing this with her non-tennis player boyfriend.
“At one point in the movie, I jokingly told my boyfriend how relieved I am that he doesn’t play tennis, as I agree with the character about not wanting to date an inexperienced player on tour (laughs). That’s the only part of Tashi’s character that I found relatable; otherwise, she wasn’t kind to her husband.”
