What Makes Coco Gauff The Most Marketable Tennis Player In The World

Forbes

15 hours ago

PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 04: Coco Gauff of United States celebrates victory over Maddison Keys of United ... More States during the Quarter final match of The French Open at Roland Garros on June 04, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by)
When Coco Gauff takes on Aryna Sabalenka in the 2025 French Open women's final tomorrow, the American will emerge a winner, no matter what happens on the court.
Despite being six years younger, ranked lower, and having fewer Grand Slam titles than Sabalenka, Gauff is considered more marketable. In fact, according to SportsPro, Gauff is the most marketable tennis player, male or female.
Why is Gauff the most marketable tennis player? She is young, accessible, likable, successful, and cool. But sports are full of young, likable athletes. What makes Gauff more marketable boils down to charisma, capability, character, and country.
Daniel Kirschner is the CEO and Co-Founder of Greenfly, a digital content management platform. Kirschner remembers the moment Gauff exploded onto the scene, in 2019 when she upset tennis legend Venus Williams in the opening round at Wimbledon.
"My kids were super into that. It was like, I mean, the age that she was. They were younger than her, but identified," Kirschner said. "That kind of explosive start to her career was a factor. I think, the way that she's continued to really sustain and engage an audience through social and digital channels is an important element of that success."
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Coco Gauff of the United States celebrates after defeating Aryna ... More Sabalenka of Belarus in their Women's Singles Final match on Day Thirteen of the 2023 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 09, 2023 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by)
The win over Venus catapulted Gauff into the headlines. However, Gauff was a known entity in the tennis world. She had been training with Patrick Mouratoglou, then Serena Williams' coach since she was 11. Gauff was only 13 when she signed with Team8, a sports and entertainment management company founded by Tony Godsick and Roger Federer.
By the time she upset Venus, Gauff was ripe for the hype. After she won the 2023 U.S. Open, her popularity and marketability soared. Retired tennis star and television commentator Mary Joe Fernandez told the Palm Beach Post, "The sky is the limit," for Gauff.
"She's literally the perfect package. No. 1 for me is she's such a good person, treats everyone well and with respect. That comes across," said Fernandez, who is married to Godsick. 'People want to join forces with her just for that. Now she's winning and has the marketability where you'll see her at the end of tournaments.'
Many players have breakout moments. But the most marketable stick around. Gauff's been in the Top 10 since 2022. She's been No. 1 in doubles. Last year, she won the WTA Finals in singles and a French Open title in doubles.
Staying in the Top 10 means more TV time, highlights on YouTube, TikTok videos, Instagram Reels, GIFs and memes. Yet, despite being known worldwide, Gauff avoids being overexposed.
That's by design, said Kirschner. Even in the advent of social media, NIL, streaming, and various forms of short-form content, Gauff's brand is well managed, her partnerships carefully curated. She has long-term endorsement deals with high-quality brands like New Balance, Barilla, Rolex, and Baker Tilly.
'I think one of the things, with somebody like Coco, they recognized from the beginning, she was going to be a top, iconic star in the world. And you want to take a different approach,' Kirschner said. 'You don't necessarily want to maximize your near term earning power by layering on as many brand deals as possible."
After the Wimbledon win frenzy, Godsick told CNN people bombarded him with endorsement opportunities. 'There is no rush in selling her to corporates,' Godsick said. 'She is a special talent, and she has been identified as that.'
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 02: Coco Gauff attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By ... More Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 02, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by)
Gauff's character on and off the court is part of what makes her a marketing team's dream. She's well-spoken, thoughtful and as comfortable talking about rap lyrics as she is about the civil rights movement. She smiles and giggles through interviews. Yet she displays discernment, when talking about serious issues like social justice or the war in Gaza.
That type of maturity and level-headedness is something marketing executives recognize in players at an early age.
Jean-Christophe Verborg, International Marketing Director at Babolat, said in an interview with Forbes that when the company entered the racket-making business in the 1990s, they struggled to sign established players. So they decided to identify young, up and coming talent. They signed a promising teenager, Rafael Nadal. The long-term relationship with Nadal paid off for Babolat. Verborg said investing in players takes decades and when you're trying to identify a player with the 'it' factor, you're making a commitment to that player, their team and family.
Verborg remembers the first time he met Nadal, who was practicing with a young Feliciano Lopez and Carlos Moya.
'You could already feel an amazing potential and his wish to compete.' Verborg said. 'But also after the practice, we had a meeting with him and (Uncle) Tony, when Rafael was 14, and you could see something in his eyes.'
Verborg had a similar experience when meeting 10-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, who was always smiling during and after practice.
'I don't think that people drastically change. You have a DNA, even if you're 10, 12, 14," Verborg said. "You can really change your game. You can improve your level. You can work or not. And so we have, for sure, to evaluate a lot of criteria. Is he a player who is really hungry to break into the Top 10? There are things you can see.'
PERTH, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 26: Coco Gauff of Team USA takes footage on her phone during a ... More helicopter ride following a media opportunity at Rottnest Island on December 26, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by)
Gauff amplifies her charisma on social media. She's active on TikTok, with over 25 million likes and over 800,000 followers. She has 1.9 million followers on Instagram and 367,000 on X.
"I think with the rise of social media, there's really been an opportunity for athletes to build much more direct and an intermediated relationships with their fans, where they can really express themselves and and tell their stories," said Kirschner. "Connection between the athlete and the fan is not just based upon performance or whatever else, but it's also a sense of, like, identification and personality."
Gauff is considered one of the most authentic storytellers in sports. During the 2024 Summer Olympics, Gauff brought fans along to the opening ceremonies via social media. She posted pics with LeBron James and fellow athletes. She gave followers a tour of her room and her TikTok video showing the communal bathrooms at the Olympic Village went viral. "10 girls, two bathrooms #olympics," she posted.
PERTH, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 31: Coco Gauff of Team USA warms up before the Women's singles match ... More against Donna Vekic of Team Croatia during day five of the 2025 United Cup at RAC Arena on December 31, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by)
The US is one of the biggest media markets and an American excelling in an international sport can bank on endorsement deals.
"The US market is the biggest market in the world for us, and we have Japan, is a big one. Most of the big countries in Europe, such as France, Italy, Spain, UK, Germany, we pay a lot of attention to these countries," Verborg said. 'It's tough for a brand not to be present.'
Verborg said players from smaller countries have to win more to break through. He points to Federer and Djokovic, all-time greats from smaller countries.
"If you are coming from the US, and you are even No. 9 or 10 in the world, you will have an impact. And if, in addition to this, you are super charismatic, it's perfect for the country," Verborg said. "For sure, the country where you come from is super important."
Gauff faces a formidable opponent in Sabalenka, a Belarusian with a charismatic personality who is also active on social media. However, win or lose, Gauff will remain the most marketable.