There are obviously spoilers ahead for Challengers!
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For Challengers, Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor trained with Brad Gilbert, who recently coached Coco Gauff to her US Open win in 2023.
There are obviously spoilers ahead for Challengers!
This allowed the shots to be as meticulous as the filmmakers wanted them to be and allowed the actors to focus on the choreography and performance as opposed to being worried they needed to hit the tennis ball.
In an interview with the New York Times, Luca recalled filming the moment, saying, "Thank god for the athleticism and the gentlemanship of Mike Faist. He jumped over me in the nick of time."
After Brad went back to coaching Coco following his time on Challengers, Coco went on to win the US Open in 2023, her first Grand Slam title.
He reflected on the experience to Variety, saying, "In some sense, and I told Zendaya this, she somehow prepared me to get ready to coach Coco."
She added that as a tennis pro she immediately noticed the tennis ball was CGI, but her mom didn't realize, which is a testament to how well the movie is put together.