The tennis movie "Challengers" was greatly aided by Brad Gilbert’s insights

Be it as a Top 10 player, coach of Grand Slam champions, longstanding on-air analyst, or author of a strategic classic, two words best define what Brad Gilbert brings to the table: maximize performance.

Gilbert’s superpower is now about to publicly surface yet again, only this time in a new realm.  Back in early 2022, Gilbert spent several months working as the tennis consultant for the feature film, Challengers, starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist. Challengers opens on April 26.

He got involved with the film courtesy of his daughter, Julian. “She was working for Amy Pascal, one of the producers of the movie,” Gilbert said. When Julian saw this film had no one on it with any significant expertise in tennis, she suggested her father be brought in to help show the actors and production team how to best orchestrate the tennis scenes. Though Gilbert had previously had a cameo role on the mid-2010s TV show, Red Oaks, his work on Challengers was far more extensive.

“It was a cool experience getting to see these people just like tennis players,” Gilbert told me. “You want to get better and perfect what you’re doing. Obviously, we had a short period of time. And it’s not easy when you haven’t played and you’re supposed to be a pro. Zendaya and Josh had never played. Mike had played high school tennis. He’s a 4.0.”

While Gilbert connected well with all of the actors, he shared particular common ground with Zendaya. The two were both born in Oakland–amazingly enough, in the same hospital. (Gilbert in 1961, Zendaya in 1996.)

“Zendaya is definitely athletic,” Gilbert said. “She’s a dancer and she can move and be balanced. That’s very much part of tennis.”

At one level, tennis and acting are diametrically opposed. Tennis is an in-the-moment athletic experience that carries unique consequences on every point–with no retakes. Acting is planned, a series of carefully orchestrated steps, intended to create a specific effect, where the same moment is reenacted again and again.

But as Gilbert pointed out, tennis and acting both occupy the realm of the physical. Each also requires sustained discipline from body and mind.

“Actors are a lot like tennis players,” he said. “They have a lot of the DNA of tennis players. They are unbelievably driven and focused. Zendaya was performing in shows when she was 11 years old–just like a junior tennis player competing in tournaments.”

Gilbert was particularly impressed with Zendaya’s desire to study the sport closely. As production began, the two attended a college match between Arizona State and Pepperdine, the latter the school Gilbert played for in 1982. Zendaya spent hours inquiring about various footwork and swing patterns.

“She was very focused, very determined to learn and do the best work possible,” Gilbert said. “She got really good at copying and mimicking swings.”

But even then, showing an actor how to hit a tennis ball like a seasoned pro is different than giving a tennis lesson to a beginner. “They’re playing a part,” Gilbert said. “So first we worked a lot on just the racquet skills, on just getting better and learning how to play a little bit.”

Last year, Gilbert joined Coco Gauff’s team and she soon went on to win the US Open. It’s uncertain what’s ahead for the racquet-wielding cast members of Challengers. But unquestionably, they have been well-coached.