In today’s digital age, where every sport spins stories across screens, tennis still seems trapped in its old rhythm, struggling to embrace the pulse of modern content. Taylor Fritz and his girlfriend, Morgan Riddle. who began dating the American star in 2020 and turned her life as a tennis ‘WAG’ into a social media empire, recently sparked conversation by calling out the sport’s rigid approach to online storytelling. Their criticism hit a nerve across the tennis world, and now Coco Gauff appears to be echoing that same sentiment, aligning herself with a growing call for change in how tennis connects with fans.

A few days ago, digital creator Eliza Wastcoat ignited a conversation the sport has long avoided. In a passionate video, she called out tennis for disregarding “non-traditional forms of media coverage.” That clip didn’t just resonate with fans; it drew a supportive comment from Morgan Riddle herself, and a telling double-tap from Coco Gauff. The likes spoke loudly: even one of the sport’s biggest young stars feels the frustration of content being policed.

Coco Gauff, only 21 and already a Grand Slam champion with a massive online following, understands better than most how the next generation consumes sports. And during a recent press conference, she didn’t hold back when asked whether tennis is truly tapping into modern marketing opportunities and pop-culture momentum. Her reply was blunt: “If I have to give my honest answer, no. I don’t think that tennis is doing enough to benefit from that.”

She shared how she constantly meets unexpected celebrities and fans, people “really into” tennis, who discover the sport almost by accident rather than because the sport reached out to them.

She pointed to the strength of Gen Z fan culture living in the digital space. “Me personally, being a Gen Z, I definitely think the TikTok audience can be reached a lot more. I feel like TikTok is one of those apps that just transcends everything and makes those connections, and we do have users who are making fashion TikToks, and we have tennis influencers doing their things.”

But Gauff stressed a critical point: those influencers are doing the heavy lifting alone. “And that’s just them on their own. I definitely think we can do more as a sport of capitalizing off of it, marketing it.”

She also believes that the burden shouldn’t fall on players to drag tennis into the future. “I think we’re doing, as players, a good job. I definitely think the tours and the Slams can capitalize off of it more.” The message was clear, the sport is missing opportunities right in front of its eyes.

This issue first exploded from the ATP side when Taylor Fritz and Morgan Riddle publicly challenged tennis’s outdated content restrictions. Riddle, who has built a massive online following by bringing fans behind the scenes, often faces rules that cut off that access. 

Some tournaments restrict where she can film or what she can share, essentially blocking the very content that creates new fans. Fritz highlighted the absurdity in a recent GQ interview: “A lot of the tournaments are saying, ‘You either have to have won a Slam or have 1 or 2 million followers to even be allowed a videographer on tour,’ which I think is absurd.” He doubled down with the ultimate question: “How are you ever going to have a million followers if you don’t have someone capturing decent content to build your brand?”

Riddle echoed that frustration. She’s even been hit with copyright strikes for posting videos of her own boyfriend. “I’ve gotten multiple copyright strikes against my account when I post videos of him,” she said. “In the last three years, the tournaments and the tour have gotten really strict with where you can film and where you can’t. I’m not allowed to have a camera in the box anymore.” She reminded tennis leadership that digital fandom is built on relatability, humor, and pop-culture energy: “Think about the fan girls, the people who create memes. That’s what builds a cult following in a sport. It’s frustrating, and it’s archaic.”

Meanwhile, Gauff continues championing tennis both online and on court, even if the WTA Finals began with a setback, suffering a surprise opening-day loss. Still, she gave fans something to celebrate with a dazzling WTA Finals photoshoot that electrified social media and spotlighted the very marketing magic she’s advocating for.

Coco Gauff’s mom and boyfriend adore her stunning WTA Finals look

Coco Gauff may have arrived fashionably late, but she made the wait worthwhile. The 21-year-old sensation finally treated fans to a breathtaking glimpse from the 2025 WTA Finals official photoshoot, sharing a trio of elegant images on Instagram. Two showcased her dazzling Miu Miu dress, while the final shot captured her standing tall among the eight elite contenders at the season’s grand finale. “4th year in a row✨ @wtafinalsriyadh ty @miumiu for this beautiful dress,” she wrote, radiating both gratitude and grace.

Her post lit up the internet instantly. Fans flooded the comments with praise, and those closest to her joined the chorus. Her mother, Candi Gauff, reshared the post with pure pride, writing, “@cocogauff ❤️❤️❤️.”

Her boyfriend, Jalen Sera, added a playful touch, posting a GIF of fans flashing perfect 10s in approval. Even fellow stars Amanda Anisimova and Eva Lys couldn’t resist celebrating Coco’s effortless elegance.

But behind the glitz, the grind continues. Gauff is set to return to action today, facing Italy’s Jasmine Paolini after a rough start marked by 17 double faults on opening day.

With Paolini having bested her earlier this year in the Italian Open final, the question now burns bright: can Coco rise again and script her revenge under the Riyadh lights?