What makes a tennis match electrifying aside from the fierce energy of the players? It’s the cheers of the fans, of course! Thousands pack stadiums to cheer on their favorites. Coco Gauff knows this feeling well. She admires fans in Beijing who bring thoughtful gifts. “You can really feel the effort they put into their gifts, it’s like they know me personally!” she says. At the WTA Finals, she even signed sneakers, always eager to give back the love she receives. But what about off the court?
Speaking to Tennis Channel at the Stuttgart Open, Coco was asked if she gets recognized often in public. As the youngest American WTA player to win the 2023 US Open since Serena Williams, and now ranked World No. 2 as of June 2024, she’s bound to be noticed. Still, she’s getting used to it.
She said, “Sometimes pretty quickly, and sometimes you have someone look at you and then by the time you walk you can hear them be like, ‘oh my, god, is that Coco?’ so most of the time I just keep walking because I don’t want to…I don’t know it’s kind of awkward. Like, ‘yeah, it is me’ or something.” At 21, despite conquering the charts and nearly 2 million Instagram followers, she’s still just a young woman.
Coco Gauff’s rise began at 15 with a legendary Wimbledon debut in 2019, stunning Venus Williams and thrusting the star into the spotlight. Before that, she was the youngest to reach the U.S. Open junior girls’ final in 2017 and won the French Open junior title in 2018. Her climb didn’t stop there.
She hit a career-high world No. 2 singles ranking in June 2024 and claimed the world No. 1 doubles spot in August 2022. Her trophy cabinet boasts nine WTA singles titles, including the 2023 US Open and 2024 WTA Finals, plus nine doubles crowns, notably the 2024 French Open.
Off the court, Gauff sees herself like anyone else. “I mean, it’s cool to connect with different people and it’s always crazy for me. I get recognized and especially in places not in the US I don’t know…in the US I expect it but I went to the mall today and I got recognized so I wasn’t expecting that.” The recognition still surprises her. But on the court, she appreciates the enthusiasm!
Last year at the French Open in Paris, she noticed a group of boys under 12 who cheered loudly on Court Suzanne Lenglen. “There was a group of boys, all under the age of 12, and they were just cheering super loudly. I actually enjoyed that,” she said. “And they were respectful to my opponent, which I like when it’s like that.” These moments with fans brighten her day.
After a disappointing exit at Indian Wells last year, Coco shared a memorable trip to In-N-Out where she met a family of superfans. She often spends time signing autographs and engaging with fans, showing how much she values their support.
Gauff shares a heartwarming moment with fans following match disappointment
Last year at Indian Wells, Coco Gauff’s impressive 20-match winning streak on U.S. soil came to an end with a tough 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-2 loss to 2022 finalist Maria Sakkari. That streak had seen her snag titles in Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, and the US Open. Amid all that winning, Gauff revealed on Daria Kasatkina’s What The Vlog? YouTube series that she never got around to trying the famous west-coast burger chain. “Solid 8/10 burger was good!” she said. “I think the fries could be more crispy.”
But the real highlight wasn’t the food—it was the company. Gauff met the Rowley family, who not only picked up her tab but also wrote her a heartfelt note. “Thanks for being an amazing role model,” they wrote. “You were one heck of a fighter tonight. We sure love you!” Gauff shared on her stories how “human connections like this means a lot, especially after a tough loss.”
She opened up about the rollercoaster of emotions on tour, saying, “I started on tour at 15, and, you know, went from overwhelming positive response to, now there’s pressure that you have to win and to where every loss was negative comments.” After reaching the semifinals at 2024 Indian Wells, she emphasized the importance of drawing strength from positive voices—both off-court and online.
Now, as Gauff heads into the quarterfinals of the Stuttgart Open to face Jasmine Paolini, all eyes are on her. Will she channel her fans’ cheers into power and push deeper into the tournament? Could this be the moment she clinches her first title of the season? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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