Coco Gauff Melts Hearts With Adorable Response to 30 YO WTA Star’s Surprising Valentine’s Day Request

Tennis has witnessed some legendary love stories—tales so heartwarming they could soften even the iciest line judge’s heart. Take Caroline Wozniacki, for example. The Danish star’s face lit up with pure surprise when then-fiancé Rory McIlroy unexpectedly joined her at the Qatar Ladies Open on Valentine’s Day, right as she walked out for a press conference. A grand gesture that left both Wozniacki and the tennis world swooning.

And who could forget the love story of Roger and Mirka Federer? Their romance blossomed at the 2000 Olympics, where they first met while representing Switzerland. The tennis legend has often fondly reminisced about their first kiss, which took place in the Olympic Village—marking the start of a lifelong partnership both on and off the court.

And in 2025, the season of love is in full swing! However, this time an unexpected and heartwarming moment stole the spotlight on Valentine’s Day Eve, involving Coco Gauff and Ons Jabeur at the Qatar Open in Doha. Jabeur has been making strides in the tournament, securing a spot in the quarterfinals, while Gauff faced a surprising early exit in the round of 32 after a tough loss to Marta Kostyuk.

Despite the disappointment, Gauff lifted spirits with her adorable response to a playful Valentine’s request from Jabeur. During a lighthearted interaction at the tournament, Jabeur jokingly asked Gauff, “Would you be my Valentine?” The two burst into laughter, and without hesitation, Gauff enthusiastically accepted, saying: “Oh! Yes. I did choose Galentine’s Day. I don’t have anything for you, so the hug is for you. I saw somebody coming from the bushes. I was like, who the heck is jumping over? Thank you.”

Much like Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day is all about celebrating love—specifically the bonds of friendship between women. Traditionally observed on February 13, it’s a day to honor the sisterhood that brings joy and support. Ons Jabeur, one of the most beloved players on the WTA Tour, shares a great friendship with Coco Gauff. So when the Tunisian star playfully asked Gauff to be her Valentine, the American didn’t hesitate for a second before saying yes.

But their connection goes beyond just friendship—it extends to family as well. Gauff’s younger brother, Codey, is a huge fan of Jabeur. Not only does he try to imitate her signature drop shot, but he’s even given himself a fitting nickname: the Black Ons Jabeur.

Talking about it, Gauff said, “I think Ons Jabeur, I hope outside of me, is his favorite player. I have two brothers. The youngest is eight. I don’t know who his favorite player is. The other is 14. He plays baseball, doesn’t play tennis. He calls himself the Black Ons Jabeur. He doesn’t play tennis, but when he does, he always goes for drop shots. He calls it the ‘snake ball’. When I played her a couple of times, You got to watch out for that snake ball.”

Meanwhile, this isn’t the first time that Gauff and Jabeur have engaged in a playful conversation with each other. Last year, they were engaged in a cheeky banter at the WTA Berlin.

When Coco Gauff and Ons Jabeur renewed their rivalry in Berlin

Apart from being good friends, Gauff and Jabeur are also strong rivals, having played many memorable encounters over the years. The two have played against each other on eight occasions, with Gauff prevailing in six of them. Their latest encounter was at the WTA Berlin and ahead of that match, the duo had a cheeky banter with each other.

Before the match in Berlin last year, a video of their match at the same venue back in 2022 went viral in which one of Gauff’s serve accidentally hit Jabeur’s body and she fell on the court. However, Jabeur avoided the ball hitting her face and went on to win the encounter. Watching the video, Jabeur said, “I didn’t have the best reaction, but at least I didn’t have the ball in my face for sure. I mean obviously, Coco’s serve is unbelievable.”

On being asked “Did it hurt?” Jabeur simply replied, “No. No.”  Subsequently, Gauff cheekily said, “That was my target. Was to go body, but obviously not to hit her.” While Gauff would look to overcome her surprising loss in Qatar, Jabeur is up against Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals. It will be interesting to see if the Tunisian star can lift the trophy in Doha. What are your views on Jabeur’s heartwarming gesture? Let us know in the comment section below!