Coco Gauff is still figuring out what she enjoys doing outside of tennis. The 22-year-old tennis star has spent the majority of her young life on the court, but she is discovering there is so much more to her life than tennis.
Finding Life Beyond the Tennis Court
For a while now, Gauff has been trying different activities in her free time, although many of her interests have only lasted for short periods of time. She has admitted that she is not very good at many of the things she tries. Recently, the young star discussed trying out pole dancing, purchasing musical instruments and playing some basketball for fun in a feature for Vogue, indicating that her quest to make her life more than just tennis is progressing well.
While most of her life has been spent traveling the world for tennis tournaments, Gauff stated that she has not always taken advantage of the opportunities that come with visiting places around the globe. In an April interview with the WTA, the young tennis star talked about her years of traveling for matches in the early years of her career, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when her life consisted of going from match to match, staying in her hotel room and ordering room service.
She eventually started to realize that spending so much time in her hotel room was not how she wanted to live her life. She began making more of an effort to go out, hang out with friends and see the cities she was in for more than just the tennis matches she was playing. At the Cincinnati Open in August, Gauff spoke about activities she enjoys, such as going to restaurants, watching movies and even just strolling through cities on her own.
As reported by Sports Illustrated, a feature published by the Cincinnati Open revealed that she had walked to a Cincinnati Reds game in the rain the previous year. She also spoke of her love of spending time alone, even when she is traveling with her team. Gauff has talked about enjoying the freedom to explore places on her own without having to focus on tennis.
Trying New Activities Without Fear of Failure
Gauff is known as a person who likes to explore new things, although she admits that it can be hard to stick with them for long. In a November interview with Vogue, Gauff shared that she had recently started trying out pole dancing and was enjoying it so far. She also mentioned that she had bought a guitar and a keyboard a while ago but hadn’t spent much time using them yet.
This is not the first time Gauff has described a pattern of hopping from interest to interest. In her April interview with the WTA, Gauff mentioned that she had briefly enjoyed crocheting and then reading, before moving on to online puzzles and playing the popular game Among Us with her friends. She admits that some of her activities last for a short time, but she is willing to try something new, and if she doesn’t like it, then she can move on to something else. Gauff is also happy to try things that she is not good at, such as playing basketball for fun.
The tennis star is also into movies, watching Love Island and even going to an escape room with her family, as she discussed in an August interview with Vogue. The November Vogue feature also describes her growing interest in fashion, with Gauff recently wearing clothes by Miu Miu and explaining her fascination with accessories and heels. She stated that she likes putting together outfits even when she has nowhere to go. Her work with Miu Miu has also been covered by Sports Illustrated, including her collaboration with New Balance for Wimbledon.
Gauff does not have to be a musician, a basketball player or a dancer to enjoy something. She can try something for a few weeks, decide it is not for her and then move on to another activity.
