Coco Gauff spearheads a new generation of tennis stars who know that branding and the way you present yourself online is arguably as important as winning.
After all, as much as the tennis community wants to see success, they also want to see relatability from the very apex of the sport they all love.
The American certainly achieves this with her refreshing take on social media, unafraid to give her thoughts on topics with complete openness.
The same goes for whenever she steps into a media room too, now recently asked to comment on the state of this ongoing Grand Slam and its coverage in America.
Coco Gauff praises French Open coverage in America
Speaking in her post-match press conference, she was quizzed about her thoughts on Ben Shelton’s recent comments regarding the tournament.
After all, these events are constantly seeking to progress, and her compatriot certainly felt like the French Open had done that this year.
As such, Gauff noted about US coverage of Roland Garros, which Shelton felt helps progress tennis in America: ‘Yeah I think it does help with our sport, especially in the US, because I feel from my perspective that maybe during this tournament in particular the audience was kind of lost. At least that’s what I’ve noticed with the growth of my socials. I would get more growth at Wimbledon, US Open and even Australia than here.
‘I think the coverage is helping. I don’t know if it’s necessarily helping our results when it comes to that but it’s cool just to be on TikTok and see people in the comments rooting for us and things like that.
‘I think it’s great when we have this coverage on introducing tennis, and especially this tournament, to more audiences in the US. I feel like maybe before it wasn’t happening as much.’
Coco Gauff is flying at Roland Garros
Heading into Roland Garros, Gauff was one of the big favourites to challenge for the title.
However, having now watched her in her opening three matches, that notion has likely only intensified for many.
She has swept aside all in her way thus far in straight sets, looking so comfortable as she has cruised into the fourth round. It seems like all the time that Gauff spent watching Rafael Nadal practise here is paying off.
As a former finalist here, and having reached the final of both the Madrid and Rome Masters too, Gauff is in a great place to convert that experience into silverware.
Next up is Ekaterina Alexandrova, who will represent a fresh challenge to try and trouble the 21-year-old superstar.
