Some say the 2-time Grand Slam champ spends more time on her clothes than on the tennis court
Tennis superstar Coco Gauff is clapping back at critics who claim she spends more time on her fashion choices than on the tennis court.
Gauff, 21, spoke to Vogue just before the U.S. Open, which is ongoing at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows in Queens, N.Y.
Coco Gauff picks outfits way in advance of each major
“I plan my outfits for tournaments well in advance just because I like to know what I’m wearing,” said the two-time Grand Slam winner in a Vogue Beauty Secrets video, noting that she’s going to get her nails done “to match the outfit” she’s set to wear in the 2025 U.S. Open.
Gauff admits that it’s “very rare” when “all three things are done,” in reference to her hair, nails and outfit coordination for competition. But she ensures that she is color coordinated for all four of the season’s Grand Slams: The Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open.
She’s now sporting New Balance apparel
The tennis star is striking in a fiery red New Balance ensemble that included a crop top and a white tennis skirt with a coordinating red waistband and neon red sneakers by the brand. She paired it with a headband, sweat-wristbands, and socks in a darker shade of red.
Gauff says she doesn’t understand the level of criticism she gets for being fashionable on the court.
Clapping back at critics
“I don’t know why it’s such a big deal what women choose to do with their on-court or off-court looks,” she says of her detractors who claim she spends “more time” on her outfits than the court.
“And I’m like, ‘I’m a human. Tennis is what I do, but it’s not who I am,’” she said. “And I like to express my way just like any other person likes to express themselves.”
She continues in the video, saying, “For me, that’s just showing up on court being the best version of myself,” Gauff continues, adding, “But I definitely think if women want to do that, they should be celebrated and not persecuted for it.”
The winner of the 2023 U.S. Open and the 2025 French Open said she often picks out her outfits up to “two years… maybe sometimes longer in advance,” though the choices are not set in stone until she shows up for that specific major.
In 2024, Gauff did something different with her hair, going honey blonde for the first time . “Honestly, the inspiration pic was from Willow Smith (the daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith),” she explained to People magazine last year.
