Coco Gauff is not actually tennis star's real name as people confused
Coco Gauff is not actually tennis star's real name as people confused
Coco Gauff is in action in the French Open final against Aryna Sabalenka - and the American tennis sensation has previously explained why she goes by 'Coco'
Coco Gauff
(Image:)
Tennis star Coco Gauff has spoken about the fascinating reasons behind her preference for her nickname over her birth name 'Cori'. The young prodigy, who captured the world's attention at 15 by storming to the fourth round of Wimbledon, has been affectionately known as 'Coco' since her landmark victory over Venus Williams at the renowned championships in 2019, catapulting her into stardom.
Her impressive achievements include clinching the US Open title in 2023 and appearing in two French Open finals, preparing for a showdown against Aryna Sabalenka on a Saturday afternoon this year.
In a previous discussion, Gauff unveiled the backstory of her sobriquet: "My dad's name is Corey," she communicated. "And so I guess, you know, they didn't want me to get my dad and me confused when my mom is like yelling at one of us in the house."
Concerning the moniker 'Coco', she detailed two potential sources: "With Coco there are two stories. My aunt says she came up with calling me Coco. But then my dad said, when he was younger, people used to call me Co.
"Then he was like, I'll call my daughter Coco. I don't know which story is actually true, but they both get pretty bad if I don't say both of them. I just say that."
Gauff also recounted occasional mix-ups due to her name: "Every time I check into hotels or people at the airport, they look at my ID, obviously the airport you book under your real name, but the person sometimes will recognize me and they'll be like, 'Wait, are you Coco?', I'm like, 'Yeah, it's just a nickname. I'm not somebody that looks like her'."
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Moreover, she explained typical confusions at hotels: "In the hotel, sometimes, like, 'Well, we don't have your room', I'm like, 'It's probably under Coco, not Cori', and then they'll do that."
Ahead of the French Open final, Gauff said: 'My first final here I was super nervous, and I kind of wrote myself off before the match even happened,' she said.
'Obviously here I have a lot more confidence just from playing a grand slam final before and doing well in one.
'I think going into Saturday I'll just give it my best shot and try to be as calm and relaxed as possible. Whatever happens, happens.
'I think just realising how minuscule it is, everybody is dealing with way bigger things in life than losing a final. And realising however many players wanted to be in this position.
'I'm sure there are hundreds of players who would kill to win or lose a final, so just knowing that makes me realise how lucky and privileged I am to be in this position.
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'At first I thought it would be the end of the world if I lost, but you know, the sun still rose the next day. So knowing, regardless of the result, the sun will still rise.
'Especially being in a city like Paris, I was walking around the next day, and no one knew that I lost, and no one cared. I was just realising that how big the moment seems in our lives is not as big in the grand scheme of things.'
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