Coco Gauff is standing up to critics who call her out for caring about her on-court style.
Source: Mike Stobe / Getty
The 21-year-old opened up about her focus on fashion for match day, defending her decision to get glam for the US Open and other major tennis matches.
“I plan my outfits for tournaments well in advance just because I like to know what I’m wearing,” Gauff revealed in a Vogue Beauty Secrets video, adding that she’s going to get her nails done “to match the outfit” she’s set to wear in the 2025 US Open.
While the two-time Grand Slam champion noted that it’s “very rare” when “all the three things [hair, nails, and outfit] are done,” she said she tries to “make sure” that the trifecta is complete specifically for Grand Slams.
“I don’t know why it’s such a big deal what women choose to do with their on-court or off-court looks,” she says in the video, pointing out that she often gets called out for spending “more time” on her outfits than the court.
“And I’m like, ‘I’m a human. Tennis is what I do, but it’s not who I am’,” she boasts, “‘And I like to express my way just like any other person likes to express themselves’.”
The star continued: “For me, that’s just showing up on court being the best version of myself. But I definitely think if women want to do that, they should be celebrated and not persecuted for it.”
Ahead of the 2024 US Open, Gauff revealed to PEOPLE that she plans her Grand Slam outfits up to “two years… maybe sometimes longer in advance.” Despite all of the planning, however, the final looks for big tournaments, like the Australian Open and Wimbledon, aren’t “set in stone until the big day.”
The 2025 US Open kicked off on Aug. 24 and will conclude on Sept. 7, taking place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, N.Y.
