"I honestly only knew Roger, Rafa and Novak": Coco Gauff takes different tact to rivals, prefers to watch women’s tennis

Coco Gauff admitted that she barely watched men's tennis at the beginning of her career, with only four players catching her attention. The 2023 US Open champion highlighted Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, along with tennis legend Juan Martin del Potro from Argentina.

The world No. 3 spoke at a press conference following an outstanding debut at the Madrid Open, where she defeated Arantxa Rus in the first round with a score of 6-0, 6-0 in just 51 minutes. The American will step onto the court again on Saturday to face the 31st seed, Dayana Yastremska.

A few days ago, Aryna Sabalenka made headlines by revealing her preference for watching men's tennis over her female competitors like Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina. Following this revelation, Coco Gauff was asked to share her thoughts on the matter, providing insight into her own journey as a tennis spectator.

Gauff admitted that during her formative years, she predominantly watched women's tennis. "I watch women’s tennis like all the time. I will say, when I was younger it was the only tennis I watched," confessed the world No. 3. "I honestly only knew Roger, Rafa, and Novak at that time, and I didn’t even watch them play."

As she became more immersed in the sport, participating in junior tournaments and attending Grand Slam events, Gauff's interest in men's tennis began to grow. "So then when I got more into the sport and I started playing junior tournaments and being at the Slams with the guys then I was like, maybe I’ll watch them. And still, I would only watch Roger, Rafa, and Novak, actually I did watch Del Potro a little bit," she explained.

However, Gauff emphasized that her tennis viewing habits have evolved over time. She now finds enjoyment in watching both men's and women's tennis, as well as other women's sports. "Now as a player on tour, I just watch tennis a lot more in general than I did probably when I first got on the tour," she noted. "But I definitely enjoy watching women’s sports in general, not just tennis," she concluded.