AFTER A TOURNAMENT, COCO GAUFF WANTS TO EAT A BURGER AND STAY UP LATE

Coco Gauff’s U.S. Open win last year made her, at 19, the tournament’s youngest American victor since Serena Williams in 1999. Now, the tennis star is gearing up for her next competitive tour: first stop Wimbledon, then the Paris Olympics.

How will she celebrate when all of her matches are over?

“I’m always craving a burger, fries and Diet Coke,” Gauff, 20, said. “A burger was the first thing I had after the French Open. Also, staying up late. I’m a night owl. If I had the choice I’d stay up until 2 a.m. every night.”

Gauff lives in Delray Beach, Fla., with her parents, Candi and Corey Gauff, and her brothers, Cameron, 10, and Codey, 6. Here, she discusses her training schedule, who she’s most excited to meet at the Olympics and the advice she received from Michelle Obama.

What time do you get up on Mondays, and what’s the first thing you do after waking up?

When I’m not in a tournament, I usually practice twice. I have a morning practice that starts around 9 or 9:30. I am somebody who can wait till the last minute to get out of bed. So maybe 7:30. Lucky for me, I have a court at my house. I’m able to work out and do everything at home. As soon as I wake up, I pray and then after that, I like to do my skin care routine.

What does your skin care routine entail?

Right now I’m using the Ordinary face wash. I do toner and then an essence and a serum, usually with hyaluronic acid, and sunscreen.

How do you like your breakfast and coffee?

Before practice, I’ll have a lighter breakfast: an egg, maybe toast, a smoothie or fruit. I’ll drink coffee occasionally but not every day.

What does your training look like outside practices?

Right after my morning practice, I’ll do fitness. I could be in the gym doing strength training, or sometimes I’ll go to the track and do cardio. All of that will probably finish around 12, then I’ll go and shower.

Before I take a shower, I Uber Eats, and by the time I get out, it’s at my house. I don’t cook, so I’m a chronic delivery girl. If I’m practicing twice, I need a nap for 30 minutes. Then I’ll either watch or read something until it’s time for me to start again around 3.

Do you have any break periods, or do you train year-round?

Basically year-round, because our season is so long. It starts in January and ends in November. I’ll usually have a week and a half off after that when I’ll try to go somewhere. Last year, I went to a music festival.

Do you meditate or journal or otherwise practice mindfulness?

Journaling is something I’ve done since I was a kid. I was one of those little kids who had a “Dear Diary.” I don’t write that anymore. It’s very helpful for me, especially spending a lot of time alone—to digest and write my thoughts out. Sometimes you realize the deep root of what you’re feeling just from writing.

You’re partnering with Naked Brand, becoming their first Chief Smoothie Officer. What’s your favorite fruit and why?

I’m going to go with pineapple because I eat that the most on court. I also like mangoes a lot.

You’re heading to Paris soon. What does being an Olympic athlete mean to you?

It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for so long. When I was 16, it was Tokyo. I had qualified, but I couldn’t go because I tested positive for Covid. I was pretty bummed. It was a goal of mine since I started tennis.

Who are you excited to meet?

I don’t know who I’ll be able to meet because tennis is the first week. But if I have the chance, Simone Biles and Sha’Carri Richardson.

You’ve said you watch anime and TikTok before matches. Does it help you focus?

I’m the type of person where if the match is at 7 p.m., I can wake up at 7 a.m. and start thinking about it. I’ll think about it the day before. So I try to distract myself because I don’t think it’s healthy to constantly think about something. You just go through an endless roll of “what ifs” and things that probably won’t ever happen.

You reviewed “Challengers” on Instagram live. Do you think the movie accurately portrayed the relationship tennis players have to the sport?

I think it was pretty accurate. I don’t know if there are any willing throuples, but there’s definitely been situations where people have been with the same person. So that’s definitely a thing. Then I thought the set design of the movie was so accurate. I think they should be nominated for an Oscar for that, for just how accurate. And the tennis was better than I thought it was going to be.

Who are your favorite players to watch?

Lately I’ve been enjoying watching Jannik Sinner a lot. Carlos Alcaraz. Roger Federer was a fave of mine. Then on the women’s side, Serena and Venus were obviously my idols. Mirra Andreeva is a new player coming up. She had a great tournament at Roland-Garros. I just like watching my friends: Sloane Stephens, Alycia Parks and Caty McNally.

You have great style. What do you wear when you want to feel powerful?

Streetwear. That’s where I feel my most comfortable and powerful or cool. But I like to flirt with different aesthetics too. Sometimes I like to be super girly and wear the maxi skirt.

Tennis clothes have been having a fashion moment for a while. What do you think of the trend? Do you ever wear them in a non-tennis context?

“Tennis-core” taking off is so good. For me, it’s been a little weird to see your equipment, basically, taking off as trendy. Off-court, sometimes I try to incorporate it and sometimes I feel weird and end up taking it off. There was a TikTok I posted about this polo shirt I thrifted, and I was asking how to style it. Everyone recommended a white tennis skirt. I was like, I’m trying to get away from that!

Mental health has become a big conversation for professional athletes. How does it feel to see that playing out in your sport?

I’m very thankful for athletes who spoke about it in our sport. Naomi Osaka was a big person to do that. It’s great not just for athletes to hear but in any workplace for people to understand that a mental injury or fatigue is just as real as a physical injury, and you have to take care of it and take care of yourself.

Who do you go to for advice?

I do have a therapist who I speak to once every two weeks, so I’ll go to her for advice. My mom. Between those two, I can always find an answer to whatever question I’m looking for.

What do you do to relax and unwind?

I love escape rooms. I try to do them whenever all of my group of friends are at the same tournament. There was one we did recently in Rome that felt super realistic. We were in this dungeon basement somewhere. I didn’t think we were going to get out. I kind of mentally gave up 20 minutes in, but we actually did get out. My friends kind of took over for that.

What have you been reading and watching lately?

I’ve been reading “Iron Flame,” by Rebecca Yarros. I’m watching “Jujutsu Kaisen,” which is an anime. And “Bridgerton.”

What’s one piece of advice you’ve gotten that’s guided you?

It’s from Michelle Obama. I met her when I was around 16, and she told me the importance of saying no. I don’t think I understood it then because I was still fresh in my career. I didn’t realize how much people would be asking for things. It’s something that resonated years later.

Write to Lane Florsheim at [email protected]

2024-07-01T12:12:02Z dg43tfdfdgfd