"I can't imagine the shoes Coco Gauff has to walk in" - Zendaya lauds American's composure as she recalls being 'terrified' during Challengers shoot

American actress Zendaya has opened up on her immense admiration for Coco Gauff after gaining insight into the lives of tennis players while shooting for her tennis-centric film 'Challengers.'

Amid promotions for the movie, Zendaya expressed her eagerness to meet Gauff, receiving an enthusiastic response from her fellow American in return. The duo's connection was forged through the World No. 3's coach Brad Gilbert, who trained with the cast of the film for three months.

In a recent interview with Tracy Austin on the Tennis Channel, Zendaya elaborated on being inspired by Coco Gauff, saying that she can relate to the pressure the 20-year-old faced, having experienced similar scrutiny when breaking into Hollywood at a young age.

However, she emphasized that she couldn't even begin to fathom the challenges Gauff has had to endure as a professional tennis player.

"Well, you know, many things. But also, she's so young and I guess I relate to her in the sense that I was very young when I started in this industry.

"And so I guess, I relate to the idea of pressure and having all eyes on you but then in many ways, I can't imagine the shoes she has to walk in as a tennis player, as a professional athlete," she said.

The 27-year-old recalled shooting US Open scenes for 'Challengers' at the Billie Jean King Center, admitting to being "terrified" despite the absence of any real stakes. She lauded Gauff for her strength, pointing out that the World No. 3 competed on the biggest stages of the sport with her composure and poise intact.

Zendaya also opened up about feeling "protective" over Coco Gauff and other young stars who were thrust into the spotlight at an early age.

"I remember when we were shooting our US Open stuff at the Billie Jean King Center, I remember being absolutely terrified. And I'm just pretending, you know, I remember feeling nervous and like, sweating and like the whole thing. And I wasn't actually playing," she said.

"There was no stakes. So I could only imagine and I'm so impressed by her composure, her strength and her poise and like I said, she's so young and so I think when I see young people who are in the public space, I just feel particularly protective," she added.

Coco Gauff: "I loved all the Challengers fashion looks, was really cool to see tennis in that way; Zendaya made it look like high fashion and chic"

The admiration between Coco Gauff and Zendaya is mutual, as the 20-year-old tennis ace recently lavished praise on the actress and her film 'Challengers.'

During the 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Gauff expressed her interest in watching the movie, citing her fondness for dramatic tropes and love triangles.

"For me, I love that type of stuff, I love the drama, and I love the love triangles, I love all of that. So I'm really excited to see it.

"I literally have it on my list of movies I'm going to go to see in Europe. As soon as it releases, if I'm not playing a match, I'm going to go," Coco Gauff said in a press conference.

The US Open champion also commended Zendaya for her remarkable looks during the promotional tour, asserting that the actress has elevated tennis fashion to a more sophisticated and chic level.

"I loved all the Challengers fashion looks. I thought that was really cool to see tennis in that way, because I felt for a tennis player for us, a lot of us wouldn't want to do that, but she (Zendaya) made it look like high fashion and chic," she added.

Coco Gauff continues her claycourt season at the Madrid Open, taking on Arantxa Rus in her opening match at the WTA 1000 event.