Who says Grand Slams are all about stress and intense matches? For Coco Gauff, it’s a delightful mix of competition, fun, and a touch of sass! The American sensation is once again proving she’s not just a tennis ace but also the queen of comebacks. This time, her sharp wit took aim at none other than compatriot Chris Eubanks. What happened, you ask? Well, Eubanks thought it’d be fun to poke at Coco’s escape room skills, questioning her prowess outside the court. Bad move, Chris! Coco, never one to let a good dig slide, fired back with a hilarious clapback.

The American ATP star is back in the commentator’s box after he failed to qualify for the main draw of the Australian Open and is sharing insights into the skills that players bring onto the court. However, things took a hilarious turn on Thursday when he was quizzed about the escape room team, during an interaction on AO Bluezone. “Ah no this is one of those I’m not too proud of it,” he said reminiscing the moment. And this is where things started to get interesting.

Continuing further, Eubanks shared that they had a rough time at the escape room. “Coco, Ben and I went to our usual escape room place here in Melbourne. All of a sudden Ben and I show up and Coco goes, ‘I made sure to reserve the hardest room this time.’ So we go, ‘why on earth would you do that.’ But she is an escape room vet. ” And as the game began, the trio found themselves engulfed in a multitude of challenges. “So I guess she thought she was a pro at it. We got in there, naturally arguing ensues, and we started to try to figure it out. We tried our best, the clock is counting down, we had 60 minutes. We thought we may have been close to the end, come to find out we still had about two more levels,” Eubanks revealed.

He further added that he had made a blunder for the team and that Gauff would not let him forget it. “I’m sure if you ask Coco about it, she is gonna be the first to say well, “Chris had one of the clues and he didn’t think it was a clue! So then we went away from it for 5 minutes.” I know she is gonna hang that over my head.” Eubanks also added that Gauff might spin the story since people love hearing her, and hence, he wished beat her to the reveals! But this did not sit with Gauff, who hilariously commented, “he’s a hater.” Needless to say, Gauff is immensely proud of her escape room prowess, and Eubanks’ latest remarks were definitely not aligned with her beliefs.

During the United Cup this year, Gauff revealed that she helped Taylor Fritz and Desirae Krawczyk battle past a tough escape room challenge. “They’ve been doing escape rooms for the last three United Cups but never got out of one. So I think I’m just gonna say I was the lucky charm,” she cheekily said. But what exactly is an escape room? Well, this is a game where people must solve puzzles and use clues to achieve a common goal, which is usually finding the key to unlock the room’s door. And Gauff has taken this challenge several times before. 

The American tennis sensation was spotted with Ben Shelton, Chris Eubanks, and their friend Anna Mitchell in a medieval-themed room during that outing in March last year. Coco Gauff even shared a post on her social media with the caption, “escape room goats.” And guess what? Her love for the escape room challenge is also taking center stage ahead of her 21st birthday.

Coco Gauff wishes to include escape room challenge to celebrate her birthday

Coco Gauff is on a stellar campaign at the Australian Open and will shortly face Leylah Fernandez in the Margaret Court Arena in the third round. She outshone Britain’s Jodie Anna Burrage in her last match and baffled her in straight sets 6-3, 7-5. But besides her stellar performance, what caught the attention further was Gauff’s revelation of her plans for her 21st birthday which she will celebrate on March 13.

Speaking of her plans, the 20-year-old said, “I don’t know. I’ll be at Indian Wells. I’m not really like a huge party person, so I love escape rooms. I’ll probably want to do an escape room.” But this is not all. Continuing further, Gauff added, “I don’t know, maybe have a drink with my parents. Probably not during the tournament. I mean, I was legal everywhere else except the US, so I don’t think that much would change because I travel a lot.”

Well, who knew solving puzzles to escape a locked room could spark this much fun and passion? As Gauff continues her campaign in Melbourne, it will be interesting to see if there will be more funny revelations that will come into light about her escape room challenges.