2 weeks Ago By Nick Remsen
We’re at a studio just off I-95 in Boynton Beach, Florida. Coco Gauff —the current world number four women’s tennis player, 2023 U.S.
Open champion, and 2023 and 2024’s highest-paid female athlete on the planet—has stepped outside for a few photographs in situ, away from the busywork humming inside. A longtime local—she grew up in nearby Delray Beach—Gauff seems at ease in the familiar humidity, even in a tracksuit. But the tracksuit is key: printed on the left chest and upper thigh are New Balance’s fused “NB” icon and Miu Miu’s curvy-mod font logo.
It’s a tightly held reveal from a capsule of performancewear, outerwear, and accessories between the two brands, which the tennis star will debut on- and off-court during the Italian Open in Rome, starting May 7. She’ll continue wearing these co-branded items in Berlin and Cincinnati later this year and, come September 10—peak U.S.
Open time—the Miu Miu x New Balance with Coco Gauff collection will finally be released to the public. Here in the Sunshine State in late March, Gauff is on-site shooting content for the coming months—and we were invited for a first look. Gauff, who consulted on the collaboration, is visibly pleased with the outcome.
The tracksuit’s styling nods to Miu Miu’s Spring 2025 collection—with its flyaway collars and rolled sleeves—and the inclusion of Gauff’s handwritten signature on her custom Coco CG2 New Balance shoes adds a personal touch. “It’s three tournament looks in total,” Gauff says. “I showed them what silhouettes I like, and we worked around that as a starting point.
We were, like, What can we do in tennis that has either never been done or been done very few times? The only time I can think of high fashion on the court was when Off-White partnered with Serena [Williams.] I know Fed[erer] had the Jordan shoe, but not a full outfit. Jannik Sinner has been carrying Gucci when he walks on court, but it’s not a collab.
” In an era when sport and fashion are more intertwined than ever, the move not only represents a crossover benchmark–Rome, indeed, will be the first time an Italian-founded luxury fashion label will officially be worn in play at a WTA event—but also, a new step in Gauff’s extracurricular interests. She has become popular on TikTok, in part for her “GRWM” videos, which showcase her style. (Gauff describes her aesthetic as “playing with femininity and masculinity.
”) However: she has never been to a fashion show. “Not one! It is something I want to do. I feel like, when I was younger, it just wasn’t the right spotlight for me.
But now I’m trying to branch out more.” This broadening sentiment may be due to her own recent milestone: Gauff turned 21 on March 13, just a week before our meeting. Fans and followers might be surprised at the reminder; Gauff does seem far maturer than the number, and she admits to the tug-o’-war of feeling more adult—which is understandable given her fame and earnings—but also being a “quite regular” Gen-Z’er .
“I feel like, in growing up in this life, I can feel a lot older than I am,” she says. “But outside of tennis, in a lot of ways, I’m the same [as any other young person]. So if someone asks to do something as simple as a TikTok, I love to do that.
It brings me back to my age. I will always say yes to that.” (In March, her preferred TikTok audio and trend was the dance around Doechii’s “Anxiety,” but the app moves faster than an ace, so she likely has a new favorite at this point.
) We move from a loading dock to a patch of green, where South Florida’s high afternoon light filters softly through the palm fronds. Gauff mentions she celebrated her 21st quietly: dinner with cousins, followed by a barbecue her dad, Corey, prepared the next day. Family—and faith—are central to the athlete.
So is humor. “My brothers Codey and Cameron are definitely my biggest support, and they always root for me. And humble me,” says Gauff.
“When I do well, they’re still going to make fun of me. And when I do bad, they’re still going to make fun of me. Sometimes, when you’re competing, you feel like you’re putting your whole life into whatever match you’re playing and that the odds are life or death, that’s what’s on the line.
But obviously, it’s not. Having people like them around makes you feel that pressure less.” Gauff continues the thought while discussing her Christianity: “Sometimes you also feel like your whole identity is tied to your results.
But the more focused I am on faith, too, I realize I’m much more than my sport. It’s something that makes me thankful–if I don’t win another tennis match ever again, I still have a lot outside of it to look forward to.” Gauff grew up in the church and continues to nurture her practice through daily listening to worship songs, and reading the Bible when she has time.
There’s been some discussion of late around Gauff’s above-mentioned “results:” when you’re a Slam winner and one of the most recognized names in the game, people seem to expect titles and wins...
well, almost constantly. Gauff reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January. She made the rounds of 16 at both Indian Wells and the Miami Open, the quarterfinals at last week’s Stuttgart summit, and, notably, she was undefeated at the United Cup.
In late 2024, she won the WTA Finals in Riyadh by beating Qinwen Zheng , the 2024 Olympic gold medalist. That said, Gauff does acknowledge she is “changing” a few components of her play, which may be contributing to some of her losses this year–and this is where her wiseness-beyond-her-years element really shines through. “When you’re changing things, results don’t always happen right away.
I’m trying to serve better. I’m trying to return serve better. It’s tough to find the timing, but you have to accept that you’re not going to get it right right away–and that eventually, everything will come.
” Our brief respite outside is ending–the teams need Gauff back inside, now that the studio set-up is complete. Here, she says something again about the collaboration that taps into what seems to be her overall headspace. “This feels really natural,” she says.
“I think it was meant to be.” Styling by Lotta Volkova.
