“It’s just a nickname”: Coco Gauff explains why her real name still surprises people

Coco Gauff explained why she often runs into problems when checking into hotels or purchasing airline tickets. The world No. 3 is preparing for her Australian Open debut, where she will look to improve on her 2024 campaign, in which she was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Paula Badosa.

This time, the American arrives at the first Grand Slam of the year full of confidence after a solid showing at the United Cup, where she recorded three wins, including a victory over world No. 2 Iga Swiatek.

Ahead of her opening match in Melbourne against Kamila Rakhimova, Gauff spoke about a peculiar situation she experienced upon arriving at her hotel in Melbourne — a scenario that tends to repeat itself during her frequent travels. Many people are unaware that her real name is Cori, with Coco being a nickname.

“Every time I check into hotels or [with] people at the airport, they look at my ID,” the two-time Grand Slam champion mentioned. “Obviously the airport you book under your real name, but the person sometimes will recognise 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.’

“In the hotel, sometimes [they’re] like, ‘Well, we don't have your room.’ I'm like, ‘It's probably under Coco, not Cori.’ And then they'll do that.”

The 2024 WTA Finals champion went on to explain why she usually goes by her nickname Coco instead of her given name. “My dad's name is Corey. And so I guess, you know, they didn't want me to get my dad and me confused when my mum is like yelling at one of us in the house. 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.”

Coco Gauff will begin her Australian Open campaign on Monday morning, opening the schedule on Rod Laver Arena on Day Two of the tournament. The world No. 3 will face Kamila Rakhimova (No. 91), who recently made headlines after changing her nationality from Russia to Uzbekistan — becoming the new No. 1 player from the Central Asian nation and joining players such as Maria Timofeeva and Polina Kudermetova, who have followed the same path.

It will be the second meeting between Rakhimova and Gauff, with the American having claimed victory in their only previous encounter a few months ago at the China Open, winning 6-4, 6-0. After a competitive start from Rakhimova against the defending champion, Gauff went on to win 10 of the final 11 games of the match.

Gauff is aiming to improve her overall Australian Open record, where she holds a 16–6 win-loss mark. Her best run came in 2024, when she reached the semi-finals before being eliminated by eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka. In 2025, it was Paula Badosa who ended the 21-year-old’s run in Melbourne.