Coco
Gauff shared her thoughts on the newly released movie "Challengers,"
starring Zendaya, during a press conference. The world No. 3 commented on the
film and was asked if she had found characters similar to Tashi Duncan, the
protagonist of the story.
The
20-year-old tennis player is the third seed in the main draw at the
Rome Open
and is coming off a loss in the
Madrid Open quarterfinals against her
compatriot
Madison Keys. The 2023 US Open champion is closely trailing Aryna
Sabalenka, and a good result in Rome could propel her to world No. 2 in her
last tournament before the French Open.
Gauff
shares her perspective on Zendaya's character
Actors
Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist portrayed tennis players in the movie,
and part of their preparation was overseen by Brad Gilbert, Gauff's current
coach, who ensured that everything was "as authentic as possible," as
Gilbert recently revealed.
Coco
Gauff joked during the press conference that she doesn't know any players on
the tour like the characters in the movie: "I don't know any throuples
going on on tour (laughter). There probably are some, but I'm not in it. I'm
not Tashi Duncan. I don't know any Tashi Duncans." “I did relate to her
mentality on the court, not everything going on off the court…” she added.
“Also
there's a part of the movie, I told my boyfriend, Thank God you don't play
tennis, because she's right, I would not want to date a scrub on tour
(laughter). That's the only relatable part I have about Tashi, otherwise she's
not a nice character to how she treated her husband.”