Back in 2023, Coco Gauff found herself caught in the middle when climate protesters disrupted her US Open semifinal. She supported what they were fighting for, but made it clear she did not support their protest interrupting her match. Three years later, Gauff is taking a similar stance on the influencer debate in New York.
“I think it’s great to have a different demographic to the sport. I have no problem with influencers. I’ve met some of them and follow some of them online. Luckily, the ones I do follow online do follow the etiquette and know tennis pretty well,” Gauff said in her press conference.
She has no issue with content creators being part of tennis, but when their behavior starts interfering with matches, that is where she draws the line.
“Any venue you come to, you have to follow the etiquette towards it. I definitely think no flash photography. Try not to talk too loud. Ashe is a very loud court, so I’m used to it. Definitely not, like, mouthing TikToks and stuff in the middle of a point. It’s not just for the players, but for the viewing experience, for those around.”
On-court behavior by influencers has come under scrutiny at the US Open following an incident in Naomi Osaka’s first-round match against Anastasia Zakharova.
The chair umpire had to pause the match after a group of influencers began full-blown photo sessions with ring lights while play was underway. Security was eventually sent to the corporate suites to get the group seated and stop further distractions.
The incident only added to the USTA’s problems, with fans already angry over expanded influencer access and soaring ticket and ground-pass prices.
That frustration only grew when the tournament doubled the number of influencers at Flushing Meadows, increasing the figure from 54 to more than 100.
Gauff has not been the only player to have given her opinion on the debate, with Daniil Medvedev and Jessica Pegula also sharing their views. While both welcomed the introduction of influencers in the sport, Pegula was more categorical in calling the content creators’ on-court behavior ‘disrespectful’, whereas Medvedev had a more casual outlook, believing warnings were enough to educate the people in question about on-court etiquette.
And the criticism is not exactly new. Back in April 2025, Daria Saville had already taken aim at tennis marketing for giving more attention to fashion and lifestyle influencers, along with players’ WAGs, than to the “actual, sweaty tennis players” grinding on tour.
Her problem was obvious. Tennis was chasing influencer clout while the players doing the actual work were being treated like background props.
For Gauff, the American handled the off-court questions with the same maturity she brought to her on-court challenges.
Coco Gauff Gets Past Her Tough Second Round Challenge With Her Matured Mentality
Having started her US Open campaign with a dominant win against Zeynep Sonmez in the first round, the home favorite faced a tougher challenge when she faced Paula Badosa in the second round. The Spaniard had a 5-3 head-to-head record against the American, but Gauff started well, winning the first set.
Despite having a 4-2 lead in the second set and an opportunity to serve the match out at 6-5, Gauff could not seize the moment, as Badosa broke her twice to take it to a tiebreak. The Spaniard even saved a match point in the tiebreaker, but the second match point proved to be decisive for Gauff to close out the match.
More than her aggressive style of tennis, which featured 18 net approaches in two sets, Gauff’s mentality was key in the contest, as she was vulnerable to cracking under pressure in such situations, especially on her serve. However, on this occasion, the American remained solid behind her serve, winning 64 percent of the service points in the match.
Gauff is all set to take on Cristina Bucsa in the next round, with a potential box-office clash against Alexandra Eala waiting for the American in the fourth round.