“He thinks he’s LeBron”: Coco Gauff explains Tiafoe’s sunglasses episode during Rome dinner outing

Coco Gauff advanced in Rome Open 2026 with a straight-set win that she described as uneven in parts, but ultimately controlled when it mattered. The 2025 Rome runner-up, said she was “not completely happy in some moments” despite closing out the match in a composed manner.

The world No. 3, who has been a consistent presence at the top of the WTA Tour since her US Open breakthrough in 2023, continues to shape her clay-court season as she moves towards Roland-Garros. Her focus remains on serving consistency, particularly after her recent match against Valentova, where the American totaled 7 double falts.

Rome forms part of a broader European clay swing that includes Madrid and precedes Paris. Gauff has previously reached strong milestones on the surface, including the Roland-Garros title in 2025, and finals in Madrid and Rome during last year.

Beyond results, Gauff’s Rome appearance has also been marked by a series of off-court moments involving American players, which have gained traction on social media and in broadcast coverage.

Gauff acknowledged that her recent weeks have not been linear, citing illness in Madrid and a period of physical depletion. Despite that, she maintained that her trajectory remains positive, particularly in relation to her serve, which she has identified as a key performance indicator during the clay season.

“Last week I was feeling good on the court and then I got sick, unfortunately, and I was able to fight through that,” said the world No. 4 to Tennis Channel. “I feel like I was heading in the right direction in Madrid, and I’m just trying to continue that serving momentum I had there. My last match I had 13 aces, which I haven’t had in a long time.”

She also referenced the difficulty of physical sustainability during certain matches, noting that she does not often feel completely drained on court, but experienced that condition during a recent encounter.

“It was an emotional match. There were moments where I never felt physically spent on the court,” Gauff said about her clash against Valentova. “It’s not often I feel like that, but that was one of the moments I did feel like that, so it was a weird feeling for me.”

A notable subplot of Gauff’s Rome week has been her interaction with fellow American players during downtime in the city. The group, which included Jessica Pegula and Frances Tiafoe, went out for gelato in a moment that Gauff later described in humorous terms during her interview, including a dispute over who should pay.

“We all had to pay for our gelato. She (Pegula) asked us, and I didn’t give her the idea, but I gave her ideas for the player box,” Coco Gauff said smilling. “I was like, you’re not going to pay, Big Mama? I think that video is going to be one of their most viewed videos, so I feel like we should get something out of it.”

The episode also included light-hearted comments about Frances Tiafoe’s behaviour during the outing, which Gauff used to illustrate the relaxed tone within the group. “We were in a restaurant and he walked out and put on shades. I was like, why are you putting on sunglasses? I make fun of him because he thinks he’s like LeBron. But it’s funny, so I think it works for him.”

Looking ahead to Roland-Garros, Gauff downplayed the importance of results in Rome and Madrid relative to Paris, where she enters as the defennding champion. She suggested the French Open often allows for reset regardless of pre-tournament momentum.

“At Roland-Garros, I can usually do well regardless of how the momentum is going into it,” she explained. “I put less weight on these tournaments, but it feels great to enter after making a final. I just feel like I find my groove in this part of the swing.”

She also acknowledged lessons learned from previous seasons as a defending champion at major tournaments, including the US Open, noting the importance of emotional control and physical awareness.

“I learned from going into the US Open as defending champion, so I’m hoping this time I’m a little bit more chill. When your body experiences something before, it knows how to react and train your mind.”