Do we like Coco Gauff?
Our score: 8 out of 10. She backs LGBTQ+ people and racial justice in her own words and gives money away, and her one live controversy ended in an apology.
Gauff is a Florida kid who went from teen phenom to the 2023 US Open champion, and she added the 2024 French Open women's doubles title. She was also voted Team USA's female flag bearer for the Paris Olympics opening ceremony by fellow athletes. Her activism runs in the family: she has pointed to her grandmother's activism, and said her family has a deep-rooted history with HBCUs.
The Beijing stoush is the story of the moment. Playing 16-year-old wild card Xinran Sun, Gauff stopped a late first-set rally when electronic ad boards flickered, and the umpire ordered the point replayed. Online, she was accused of cheating, and she hit back with “I'm not a cheater or a thief.” She said the flood of messages aimed at her was racist, and she also said she apologised to Sun, who she said understood.
Her politics are on the record too. In February, ahead of the Dubai event, she said she disagreed with recent events in the US and said people shouldn't be dying in the streets just for existing, while stressing she is proud to be American. In 2024 she said she had reservations about the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia, raised LGBTQ and women's rights with a Saudi official, and said she probably wouldn't return if nothing changed. Some will think playing there at all was a compromise; she was upfront about the tension.
The giving is real. She put $100,000 into a UNCF scholarship program for tennis players at historically Black colleges in 2025, then added another $150,000 at this year's Australian Open, taking the total to $250,000. The program has already awarded scholarships to 10 students, per Tennis.com. That is using a platform for other people, not just trophies.
So, would we support her? Yes. The only live scandal is a split-second call on a court, and she apologised to the young player involved. The trans-athletes answer is a bit nuanced, but it is supportive of trans people, and we found nothing harmful in her words or her record. We also didn't dig deeply into her business deals, so that part of the picture is thin.