Who Are Coco Gauff’s Best Friends on the Tour? Does Ben Shelton Make the Cut?

Of course, Ben Shelton makes the cut. Loneliness can be the toughest opponent for the tennis players on tour. So, traveling with friends during the tour can be a real boon until the player faces the same on the other side of the court. Coco Gauff is one the most beloved players on the Tour. Her friend list keeps on increasing day by day. Let’s have a look at who are some of her best friends on the tour.

A few weeks ago, Ben Shelton was seen spending time with Coco Gauff and Chris Eubanks during the Indian Wells. They even posed for a photoshoot with the vintage props at a vintage-themed place. But do you know who are the other two close friends of Coco Gauff?

Coco Gauff’s Kindred Spirits on Tour

Coco Gauff is lethal on the court but off the court, she’s a fun-loving character who loves to spend time with her friends. Talking about friends, well they’re all in fact the torchbearers of American tennis. So, they share quite a common goal of taking the nation higher on the maps of the tennis world. Who are the 4 American tennis stars close to Coco Gauff?

1. Frances Tiafoe

Frances Tiafoe is a good friend of Coco Gauff. He hugely admires Gauff for what she has achieved so far in her career. Reflecting on her US Open last year, Tiafoe said, “A person of color winning that at 19, It was an unbelievably big moment. I couldn’t be happier for her and her family.” Besides her emphatic triumph, he had also highlighted the bond between them stating, “We get along really well.” Last year he was also spotted at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre cheering for Coco Gauff.

Coco Gauff on the other hand, was seen highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of her companion during the 2024 AO. She opened up about some of the factors of Tifoe’s game, in which she felt he must get better to find his consistency at the top level.

Last year during the US Open, Frances Tiafoe wore a teal tank top covered with a pink, red, and orange splatter paint-like design. Coco Gauff seemed to be not a big fan of her friend’s outfit and was spotted trolling Frances Tiafoe for the same.

READ MORE: ‘Ben Was Awful’ – Coco Gauff Pokes Fun at BFF’s Nightmarish Escape Room Shenanigans

These funny moments in their friendship portray the unique bond between the two American tennis sensations. But who’s next on the list? Let’s find out.

2. Jessica Pegula

Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula have become one of the most successful doubles teams in the last few years. They have won 5 titles together and also reached the finals of the Grand Slam once. The pair have been number 1 and number 2 in doubles ranking and fans now hope to see them win gold medals in the Paris Olympics. This successful on-court partnership has carried forward their friendship off the court as well. Despite having an age gap of almost 10 years, they are often seen spending time together and having fun with one another.

But does this friendship affect their game? “It [losing to Pegula] doesn’t feel as much as people make it out to be. Jess and I have obviously more of a public friendship because we’re playing doubles a lot, but I’m friends with a lot of the girls on tour, so it’s quite the same thing. Obviously, we’re playing doubles, so you guys — I guess our friendship is more of a big thing, but you’ll be surprised how often we play people that we’re close to on tour,” said Coco Gauff.

The 20YO feels it is difficult playing Jessica Pegula but she doesn’t think being friends with her makes it more difficult. Although Gauff believes Pegula might know a few things more about her game than any other opponent but she believes these things don’t make it harder by any chance.

3. Chris Eubanks

Coco Gauff is one of the biggest supporters of Chris Eubanks. Last year, she was also spotted in the Wimbledon stands cheering for her Atlanta neighbor during his match. In fact, it was Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton who stuck to Chris Eubanks when he was struggling to make it to the Top 100 a few years ago.

Eubanks once revealed, that putting his phone in ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode had really helped him to stay focused on his game. But there were only a handful of individuals for whom Chris Eubanks was always available. Who are those people?

“I needed to hear from my coach. I want to hear from my parents. Yeah, I had to see whose messages can just come through at all times. And I think I put like Coco in there. I put Ben in there, my girlfriend in there, my coaching there,” said Chris Eubanks. Who’s the next one on the list? Well, we have already given you a hint.

4. Ben Shelton

Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton have often publicly spoken about their camaraderie off the court. Shelton calls their relationship to be that of brother and sister. “Coco is a little sister to me! She’s definitely one of the ones I’m talking about,” revealed Ben Shelton. Will the fans ever get the chance to witness them together partnering in a mixed doubled match?

Well, Coco Gauff recently revealed her apprehension about it. She mentioned that it would be fun to play with Ben Shelton. However, she also said that he’s not a ‘dream’ partner. Ben Shelton shared the clip from that interview and wrote, “Guess I’m not good enough to play mixed with u huh.” To this, Coco Gauff replied by revealing her major concern. What is her major concern though?

She said, “No tbh I’m just scared if you hit a 150mph serve in the back of my head. but we’ll play one day.” All five of the players are in action at the Miami Open. Who do you think will go further in this tournament?

READ MORE: Coco Gauff Rules Out Friendship with Jessica Pegula as a Potential Reason for Her Canadian Open Loss – ‘It’s Nothing Different’