Gauff made herWTA Tour debut in March 2019 with the2019 Miami Open at the age of 15. She received a wildcard into the qualifying draw for the2019 Wimbledon Championships, where she became the youngest player in the tournament's history to qualify for the main draw. There, she defeatedVenus Williams and reached the fourth round. Gauff won her first WTA Tour singles title at the2019 Linz Open. She reached her first major final in women's doubles at the2021 US Open and reached her first major singles final at the2022 French Open. In 2023, Gauff won her firstWTA 1000 title at theCincinnati Open and her first major singles title at the US Open, followed by the WTA Finals title the following year. In 2025, she won her second major singles title at the French Open.[3]
Gauff was born inAtlanta, Georgia,[4] on March 13, 2004, to Candi (née Odom)[5] and Corey Gauff, both fromDelray Beach, Florida.[6][7] She has two younger brothers.[8] Her father played college basketball atGeorgia State University and later worked as a health care executive. Her mother was a track-and-field athlete atFlorida State University and worked as an educator.[9] Gauff lived her early years in Atlanta.[10] She began playing tennis at the age of six. When she was seven, her family moved back to Delray Beach to have better training opportunities.[11][12] She worked with Gerard Loglo at the New Generation Tennis Academy starting from the age of eight.[13][14]
Gauff recalled, "I wasn't much of a team person. I loved tennis. I was so-so about it in the beginning because when I was younger I didn't want to practice at all. I just wanted to play with my friends. When I turned eight, that was when I played 'Little Mo' and after that I decided to do that for the rest of my life."[13][15]
Gauff's parents gave up their careers to focus on training their daughter. Her father later became her primary coach, while her mother oversaw herhomeschooling. Her father had limited experience playing tennis growing up.[9][13] At the age of 10, Gauff began to train at theMouratoglou Tennis Academy in France run byPatrick Mouratoglou, longtime coach ofSerena Williams. Mouratoglou commented, "I'll always remember the first time I saw Coco. She came over to the Mouratoglou Academy in 2014 to try out and she impressed me with her determination, athleticism and fighting spirit.... When she looks at you and tells you she will be number one, you can only believe it."[16] He helped sponsor Gauff through his Champ'Seed foundation, which he created to provide funding for talented juniors who did not have the financial resources to afford high-level training.[17]
Gauff won the USTA Clay Court National 12-and-under title at the age of 10 years and three months to become the youngest champion in the tournament's history.[13]
Gauff is a former world No. 1 junior.[18] She entered the prestigiousLes Petits As 14-and-under tournament in 2016 at age 12 and made it to the semifinals.[19] Gauff began playing on theITF Junior Circuit at the age of 13, skipping directly to the highest-level Grade A and Grade 1 tournaments. She finished runner-up toJaimee Fourlis in her third career event, the Grade 1 Prince George's County Junior Tennis Championships in Maryland.[20] At her next event, Gauff made her juniorGrand Slam tournament debut at the2017 US Open and finished runner-up toAmanda Anisimova.[21] Gauff did not drop a set before the final in either tournament. She became the youngest girls' singles finalist in US Open history at13 years, 181 days old.[22]
After beginning 2018 with a semifinal at the Grade 1 Traralgon Junior International in Australia, Gauff lost her opening round match at theAustralian Open.[18] She did not enter another tournament in singles until the French, where she won her first career junior Grand Slam tournament title at the2018 French Open.[23] She did not drop a set until the final, where she came from behind to defeatCaty McNally in three sets. With the title, Gauff became the fifth youngest girls' singles champion in French Open history at14 years, 89 days old.[24] A month later, following another final win against McNally at the Grade 1 Junior International Roehampton, she became the No. 1 junior in the world.[25][26]
Gauff reached the quarterfinals in singles at the final two majors of the year. She fared better in doubles at both tournaments, reaching the semifinals atWimbledon with partnerMaría Lourdes Carlé and winning her first junior Grand Slam tournament doubles title at the2018 US Open with McNally.[18] Gauff and McNally defeated compatriotsHailey Baptiste andDalayna Hewitt in the final, in straight sets.[27] In September 2018, Gauff represented the United States at theJunior Fed Cup withAlexa Noel and Connie Ma. The team reached the final against Ukraine. After Gauff won her singles rubber and Noel lost hers, Gauff and Noel won the Junior Fed Cup by defeating Lyubov Kostenko and Dasha Lopatetskaya 11–9 in a match tiebreak.[28] Gauff finished the year with another Grade A title in singles at theOrange Bowl.[29] She ended the season ranked world No. 2 behindClara Burel.[30]
Gauff made her debut on theITF Women's Circuit in May 2018 at the age of 14 as a qualifier in the 25k event atOsprey, where she won her first professional match.[31] She received a wildcard into qualifying at theUS Open, but lost her opening match five months after turning 14 years old.[32][33] In her first 2019 tournament, she finished runner-up in doubles at the 100kMidland Tennis Classic alongsideAnn Li.[34] Two weeks later, Gauff played her next event at the $25k level inSurprise and reached the finals in both singles and doubles. She finished runner-up in singles and won her first WTA Tour title in doubles alongsidePaige Hourigan.[35] In March, at theMiami Open, she recorded her first WTA Tour match win againstCaty McNally.[36]
Gauff lost the second round of qualifying at theFrench Open. AtWimbledon, she defeatedAliona Bolsova andGreet Minnen. Gauff became the youngest player to reach the main draw at Wimbledon by qualifying in the Open Era at the age of 15 years and three months.[37] In her main-draw debut, she upset five-time Wimbledon championVenus Williams in straight sets.[38] Gauff won overMagdaléna Rybáriková and No. 60Polona Hercog, saving two match points against Hercog. The hype surrounding Gauff's first-round match win led to her third rounder moving toCentre Court.[39][40] She was eliminated with a fourth-round loss to eventual championSimona Halep.[41] All four of Gauff's matches were most-watched matches onESPN on their respective days during the first week of coverage.[42] With this performance, she rose to world No. 141.[43]
Gauff played in oneUS Open Series tournament at theWashington Open, where she qualified for the main draw but lost in the first round.[44] She entered the doubles event with McNally and defeatedFanny Stollár andMaria Sanchez in the final for their first career WTA title in their first joint WTA.[45] At theUS Open, Gauff wild-carded into the singles and doubles main draws. She continued her success in major singles with two three-set wins overAnastasia Potapova andTímea Babos, both onLouis Armstrong.[46][47] She was defeated in the third round by world No. 1 and defending champion,Naomi Osaka.[48] In doubles, Gauff and McNally won two matches, including an upset over ninth seedsNicole Melichar andKvěta Peschke.[49] They lost in the third round to eventual runners-upAshleigh Barty andVictoria Azarenka.[50] Although Gauff lost in qualifying at theLinz Open, she entered the main draw as alucky loser and won the title, notably upsetting top seedKiki Bertens in the quarterfinals for her first top-10 victory.[51] She defeatedJeļena Ostapenko in the final to become the youngest WTA player, at15 years, 214 days old, to win a singles title since 2004.[52] With this title as well as a semifinal in doubles with McNally, Gauff made her top-100 debuts in both the WTA singles and doubles rankings.[53] Gauff and McNally ended their year with a second WTA doubles title at theLuxembourg Open overKaitlyn Christian andAlexa Guarachi.[54]
Starting 2020 at theAuckland Open ranked No. 67 in the world, Gauff defeatedViktória Kužmová before losing toLaura Siegemund in the second round.[55] Playing doubles with McNally, Gauff reached the semifinals.
At theAustralian Open, Gauff defeated Venus Williams in straight sets in the first round[56] andSorana Cîrstea in the second round, making it three straight majors where she reached the third round.[57] She defeated defending champion Osaka[58][59] in the third, becoming the youngest player to defeat a top-5 player sinceJennifer Capriati beatGabriela Sabatini at the1991 US Open. In the fourth round, she lost to the eventual champion,Sofia Kenin. In doubles, Gauff and McNally recorded their best result in a major championship to date, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to second seeds and eventual champions,Kristina Mladenovic and Tímea Babos.[60]
Gauff beat two top-50 players at theLexington Challenger, before losing in straight sets to world No. 49,Jennifer Brady. At the Western and Southern Open, played in New York, Gauff lost in the first round to world No. 21,Maria Sakkari. At theUS Open, Gauff was defeated in the first round byAnastasija Sevastova.[61]
Gauff, ranked 53, beat world No. 34,Ons Jabeur, in the first round of theItalian Open before losing to two-time major championGarbiñe Muguruza. At theFrench Open, Gauff defeated the ninth seed and world No. 13,Johanna Konta, in the first round, but went on to lose to eventual quarterfinalistMartina Trevisan in a second-round match in which Gauff hit 19 double faults. At theOstrava Open, she qualified for the main draw and was defeated by world No. 12,Aryna Sabalenka, in the second round.
Starting the year ranked No. 48, in theAbu Dhabi Open, she beat NorwegianUlrikke Eikeri before falling in the next round to Maria Sakkari.[62] At theAustralian Open, in singles, Gauff again beat Teichmann in the first round, but fell in the round of 64 to the fifth-seededElina Svitolina, in straight sets.[63] In doubles, she and McNally failed to Demi Schuurs and Nicole Melichar in the quarterfinals.[62]
In theMiami Open, she played her first WTA 1000 event while seeded (as the 31st). In May, Gauff reached the first semifinal at a WTA 1000 in her career at theItalian Open due to then-No. 1, Barty's retiring with a right arm injury in their quarterfinal match.[68] As a result, she entered top 30 for the first time. She then lost to the eventual champion,Iga Świątek.
Gauff won her second singles and third doubles (with McNally) titles at theEmilia-Romagna Open in Parma. She became the youngest player to win both the singles and doubles titles at an event sinceMaria Sharapova won both titles at the2004 Birmingham Classic.[69] Gauff thus rose to new career-high rankings of world No. 25 in singles and No. 41 in doubles. She became the youngest American to make her top-25 debut in nearly 23 years (since Serena Williams, June 8, 1998).[70]
Seeded 24th at theFrench Open (her first time being seeded at a major), she beatAleksandra Krunić andWang Qiang in straight sets, received a walkover when leading one set to love against 13th seed and Australian Open runner-upJennifer Brady, and beat 25th seedOns Jabeur in just 53 minutes to reach her first major quarterfinal. As a result, she became the youngest female player (17 years, three months) to reach a major quarterfinal sinceNicole Vaidišová at the 2006 French Open, the youngest American to reach a quarterfinal at the French Open sinceJennifer Capriati in 1993 and the youngest American to reach the quarterfinals of any major tournament sinceVenus Williams reached the 1997 US Open final.[71] Subsequently, Gauff was eliminated after losing in straight sets to the eventual champion, unseededBarbora Krejčíková.[72] As a result, she reached a new career-high of No. 23.
AtWimbledon, Gauff reached the fourth round for a second consecutive time defeatingElena Vesnina in straight sets in 70 minutes,[73] andKaja Juvan in straight sets in the third round.[74][75] Gauff lost her next match toAngelique Kerber in straight sets, eliminating her from the tournament.[76] She also reached the third round in doubles with Caty McNally and as a result entered the top 40 in the doubles rankings at No. 38 on 12 July.
At 17 years old, she was selected for the2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, becoming the second youngest American player after Jennifer Capriati competed at 16 in 1992, and the youngest Olympic tennis player of any gender sinceMario Ančić in 2000.[77] However, she tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to withdraw.[78]
At theCincinnati Open, Gauff reached the second round and lost to second seed, and world No. 2, Naomi Osaka.
At theUS Open, Gauff beatMagda Linette in the first round, before falling toSloane Stephens in the next. In the women's doubles, Gauff and McNally stormed into their first major semifinal without dropping a set and in the finals, they lost toSam Stosur andZhang Shuai.[79]
2022: French Open final, singles top 5, doubles No. 1
Seeded 18th at theAustralian Open, Gauff lost in the first round against Wang Qiang in straight sets.[80]
In February, Gauff reached the quarterfinals at theQatar Open by defeatingShelby Rogers, Caroline Garcia and third seedPaula Badosa. In the quarterfinals, Gauff lost to sixth seed Maria Sakkari. Indoubles, Gauff paired withJessica Pegula to win her first WTA 1000 doubles title, beating third-seeded pair ofVeronika Kudermetova andElise Mertens in the final.[81] With the win, she climbed to a career-high No. 10 in the doubles rankings on 28 February 2022.
Gauff reached her first major singles final at theFrench Open, defeatingRebecca Marino,Alison Van Uytvanck, Kaia Kanepi, 31st seed Elise Mertens, Sloane Stephens, and Martina Trevisan, before losing to Iga Świątek in straight sets.[82][83] She reached the final in doubles with Jessica Pegula where they were defeated by Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic.[84][85][86] As a result, she secured a new career-high of world No. 13 in singles and the top 5 in doubles.
Seeded sixth at theSilicon Valley Classic, she reached the quarterfinals defeatingAnhelina Kalinina in the first round, and next Naomi Osaka who saved seven match points.[89] In her quarterfinal match, she struggled with her serve and lost in straight sets to Paula Badosa.[90]
At theCanadian Open, she became the youngest player to reach back-to-back quarterfinals in Canada since Jennifer Capriati in 1990 and 1991. She beat sixth seed Aryna Sabalenka, a day after ousting Wimbledon championElena Rybakina, winning both matches in a third-set tiebreak. She lost to eventual champion Simona Halep, in straight sets.[91][92] Seeded third in doubles at the same tournament she reached the semifinals with Pegula defeating fifth seedsDesirae Krawczyk andDemi Schuurs. Next they defeatedMadison Keys/Sania Mirza in the semifinals and Nicole Melichar/Ellen Perez in the final to win their second WTA 1000 title together. As a result, Gauff became the No. 1 doubles player in the world.[93]
At theUS Open, she reached the quarterfinals of this major for the first time with wins over 20th seed Madison Keys and Zhang Shuai becoming the youngest American woman to achieve this feat since 2009, whenMelanie Oudin was 17.[94] As a result, she guaranteed herself a top 10 debut in the singles rankings at world No. 8 on 12 September 2022, after the tournament.[95] Subsequently, Gauff was defeated by Caroline Garcia, in straight sets.[96] Seeded second in doubles, Gauff and partner Pegula were defeated in the first round byLeylah Fernandez andDaria Saville.[97]
In October, Gauff became the youngest player in singles sinceMaria Sharapova in 2005 to qualify for the year-endWTA Finals. She and partner Jessica Pegula also both qualified for the doubles championships. Gauff and Pegula were the first Americans since Serena and Venus Williams in 2009 to qualify for both the singles and doubles year-end championships.[98]
Gauff started her 2023 season at theAuckland Open, where she defeatedRebeka Masarova in the final in straight sets. At theAustralian Open, Gauff advanced to the fourth round, where she lost to Jeļena Ostapenko in straight sets.[99] At theQatar Ladies Open, Gauff reached the quarterfinals after defeating two-time championPetra Kvitová in the second round.[100] At the same tournament in doubles, Gauff and Jessica Pegula defended their title, defeatingLyudmyla Kichenok and Jeļena Ostapenko in a three-set match.[101] AtDubai, Gauff reached the semifinals by defeating Madison Keys in the quarterfinals, before losing to Iga Świątek.[102] AtIndian Wells, Gauff lost in the quarterfinals to second seed and eventual runner-up, Aryna Sabalenka. InMiami, Gauff lost against 27th seedAnastasia Potapova in the third round. In doubles at the same tournament, Gauff won her fifth overall and third WTA 1000 team title with her partner Jessica Pegula. They became the first all-American duo to win the Miami Open doubles title in 22 years, defeating Leylah Fernandez andTaylor Townsend in the final.[103]
In August, Gauff won theWashington Open title, beating Maria Sakkari in the final.[104] It was Gauff's firstWTA 500 singles title, and her biggest singles title to date. She became the first teenager to win the tournament.[105] Gauff won her firstWTA 1000 title at the2023 Cincinnati Open, defeating world No. 1, Iga Świątek, in the semifinals and world No. 10,Karolína Muchová, in the final.[106]
In September, Gauff won theUS Open, her first major singles title, beating world No. 2, Aryna Sabalenka, in three sets and becoming the first American teenager to win the US Open since Serena Williams in 1999.[107] As a result, she reached world No. 3 in the rankings on 11 September 2023 and was nominated at theLaureus World Sports Awards forBreakthrough of the Year.[108][109]
Gauff and Pegula returned to the world No. 1 doubles ranking on 23 October 2023, after qualifying for the2023 WTA Finals as a pair and also individually, becoming the first players to qualify in both disciplines in back-to-back years sinceSara Errani in 2012–13.[110]
At theItalian Open she reached the semifinal for the second time at this tournament and second at the WTA 1000 level for the season defeating Magdalena Fręch, Jaqueline Cristian, Paula Badosa and seventh seedZheng Qinwen.[111] With the win, she passedCaroline Wozniacki for the most WTA 1000 wins before turning 21. She lost to world No. 1 Iga Świątek, in straight sets.[112] At the same tournament, partneringErin Routliffe, she reached a consecutive final in doubles.[113]
At the2024 French Open with new partnerKaterina Siniaková, she lifted her first major tournament doubles trophy defeating 11th seeds Sara Errani andJasmine Paolini in the final.[114] In singles, also at the French Open, she reached the semifinals and was defeated by eventual champion, Iga Świątek, but despite the loss reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 2 in singles on 10 June 2024.[115]
In October, Gauff won the 2024China Open title, beating Karolína Muchová in the final. It was Gauff's second WTA 1000 singles title. She became the first player to win each of her seven WTA hardcourt finals in theOpen era and the second American to win the championship, followingSerena Williams' title runs in 2004 and 2013.[121]
On November 9, Gauff became the2024 WTA Finals singles champion,[122] becoming the youngest player to win the year-end championships since Maria Sharapova in 2004[123] and the first American to win the finals since Serena Williams in 2014.[124] She beat Iga Świątek, the No. 2 seed and defending champion of the WTA Finals inRiyadh.[125] She then defeated Sabalenka in the semifinals and Zheng Qinwen in the finals to capture her first year-end singles championship title.[126]
2025: United Cup, French Open, and Wuhan Open titles
To begin the2025 season, Gauff participated in theUnited Cup, where the United States team won the title against Poland. In the final, she defeated world No. 2, Iga Świątek, in straight sets. Gauff was undefeated across the tournament.[127]
At theAustralian Open, she advanced to the quarterfinals where she was defeated by Paula Badosa, in straight sets.[128] After the Australian Open, Gauff lost both of her opening matches in the Middle East at theQatar Open and theDubai Championships, totaling three consecutive losses.[129] She then reached the 4th round at both theIndian Wells Open and theMiami Open.
During the clay season, Gauff began to rediscover her form. She reached the quarterfinals of theStuttgart Open, losing to Jasmine Paolini.[130] At theMadrid Open, she reached her first final at the tournament, losing to world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka.[131] Next at theItalian Open, she again reached the final, falling to Jasmine Paolini.[132] At theFrench Open, Gauff became the youngest woman to reach the finals of the three biggest clay court tournaments (Madrid Open, Italian Open, and French Open) in the same year.[133][134] She went on to defeat Aryna Sabalenka in the final to win her first French Open title and her second major title.[135][136] It was the first French Open singles triumph for an athlete from the United States since Serena Williams in 2015.[137]
In October, Gauff won the 2025Wuhan Open title, beating compatriot Jessica Pegula in the final. It was Gauff's third WTA 1000 singles title. She became the first American to win the title sinceVenus Williams in 2015 and the first player to win her first nine hardcourt finals.[139]
Gauff andIga Świątek have met 15 times since 2021, with Swiatek controlling the head-to-head 11-4. Gauff lost to Swiatek in her firstmajor final at the2022 French Open championships. They met again in the2023 French Open quarterfinal, and the2024 French Open semifinal, with Swiatek winning each time. Gauff has won their last three meetings, including the2024 WTA Finals.
Gauff andAryna Sabalenka have met 11 times since 2020, with Gauff having the 6-5 edge in their head-to-head. Gauff defeated Sabalenka in the2023 US Open final to win her first major title. Sabalenka would defeat Gauff on her way to defending her title in the2024 Australian Open semifinal. Gauff won her secondmajor title at the2025 French Open by defeating Sabalenka in three sets. Gauff also defeated Sabalenka in the2024 WTA Finals semifinal on her way to winning the tournament.
Hard courts and clay are Gauff's favorite surfaces. Although many analysts would describe her as an "opportunistic counterpuncher," she describes herself as having a highly aggressive playing style and a powerful serve, while on the defensive side she uses her athleticism and speed to remain in points.[140]
From July 2023 to September 2024 her coach wasBrad Gilbert.[141] Gilbert encouraged Gauff to put high, heavy topspin on her ball and to chase down balls in every corner of the court.[142] In September 2024 Gauff hired coach Matt Daly,[143] who has focused on improving her serve and forehand with a grip on her racket that is closer to theeastern backhand style rather than the more frequently usedcontinental style.[142] On August 20, 2025, Gauff replaced Daly with Gavin MacMillan, a biomechanics specialist who helped rescue world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka's serve.[144]
Gauff uses aHead Boom MP 2022 racket[145] with 16 main and 19 crossstrings. She wearsNew Balance clothing and tennis shoes.[146] In October 2018, Gauff signed her first multi-year sponsorship contract, with New Balance.[147] At the2021 French Open, Gauff wore a New Balance outfit of bold mismatched color splotches to contrast with the all-white ensemble of doubles partner Venus Williams.[148] In March 2019, Gauff announced a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Italian food companyBarilla, which also sponsorsRoger Federer.[147][149] In January 2023, Gauff was announced as a brand ambassador for advisory CPA firm Baker Tilly US, LLP.[150] In January 2024 at the Australian Open, Gauff debuted a newNew Balance pair of shoes with geographical coordinates specially inscribed on the soles. She revealed in a post-match interview that the coordinates (26 28 0.75" N 80 5' 1.4" W) pointed to public tennis courts inDelray Beach where she grew up and trained.[151]
In 2025, Gauff became the face of a collaboration betweenMiu Miu and New Balance, blending luxury fashion with performance wear in a campaign that highlighted her crossover appeal.[152]
Gauff is aChristian. Since she was eight years old, she has prayed with her father before every match that she and her opponent would be safe. After winning the Cincinnati Open in August 2023, she said: "... I'd like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I spent a lot of nights alone, crying trying to figure it out. I still have a lot to figure out, but I thank Him for covering me." After winning her first major title in September 2023, she said: "... I don't pray for results, I just ask that I get the strength to give it my all and whatever happens happens. I'm so blessed in this life."[153]
Gauff's tennis idols are Serena and Venus Williams. "Serena Williams has always been my idol...and Venus," she has said. "They are the reason why I wanted to pick up a tennis racquet."[16] Gauff first met Serena when she won the Little Mo national tournament at the age of eight, and later met her again to film a commercial forDelta Air Lines and at the Mouratoglou Academy.[13] After defeating Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019, Gauff expressed her respect when they shook hands at the net. "I was just telling her thank you for everything she's done for the sport," Gauff said. "She's been an inspiration for many people. I was just really telling her thank you."[38]
Gauff stated in 2020 that she had experienceddepression and stress related to her sporting career, though her parents clarified that she was not diagnosed with depression in the clinical sense, and had not sought medical attention relating to her psychological well-being.[154]