“…aww they waited an hour and a half after my match for me to come out… I love Madrid,” Coco Gauff wrote on Instagram a couple of days ago, as she saw a loyal crowd brave the late hours, well past 11 PM, to get a glimpse of her outside the stadium in Madrid. The 21-year-old had an unforgettable fan encounter in the crowd. After her win against Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine in R64, Coco unveiled a jaw-dropping fan tribute, where one supporter went as far as tattooing her signature on their hand, making her recall a story back in time. 

On Thursday, fresh off her opening match win at the Madrid Open, former US Open champion Coco Gauff posted a string of heartwarming fan moments on her Instagram stories. One story stole the spotlight, where a devoted fan, Katherine Canlas, proudly revealed a tattoo featuring Coco’s signature and silhouette on her right arm. “She tatted me and my signature omg,” an ecstatic Coco captioned the post, clearly touched by the incredible gesture. But it didn’t stop there. 

Katherine later shared that on her own IG story, capturing the exact moment Coco snapped a picture of the tattoo, writing, “@cocogauff Got shoes signed and a hug, I can die happy now.” A beaming Coco then re-shared it on her story, celebrating the beautiful connection with joy and gratitude.

Now, following her latest victory over fellow American Ann Li in R32 at Madrid, Coco took a nostalgic turn. She shared the deeper backstory behind Katherine’s tattoo. When asked about that interaction, Coco recounted a memorable fan encounter from a previous Madrid tournament. “I think like two years ago she asked me to sign her arm and she said she was going to get it tattooed, but I didn’t believe her and then I saw her and she actually got it tattooed,” she said. But what exactly happened back then?

In last year’s Madrid Open, Coco Gauff burst onto the clay with a flawless 6-0, 6-0 debut win over Arantxa Rus. Beyond the dominance on court, the current World No. 4 encountered a fan moment that truly caught her off guard. Taking to IG, she teased her followers, writing, “I normally don’t record videos like this, but I had the craziest fan, she is the sweetest soul, but I am about to post, just watch the next two posts.” What followed was pure magic.

In the next stories, a fan asked Coco to autograph her arm, promising to turn it into a tattoo. Hours later, Gauff re-shared a reel showing the fan’s new ink, overwhelmed with emotion as she captioned, “and she actually got it tatted. MADRID ENERGY IS DIFFERENT! Sob fr omg.” It was a moment that perfectly captured the unique bond between Coco and her fans, and the undeniable special energy Madrid brings.

Fast forward to this year: after a gritty opening win against Dayana Yastremska, Coco found herself reliving that magic. Another unforgettable fan moment took center stage, prompting her to once again document it on IG. Some energies, it seems, are simply timeless. 

In addition to that, with her heart full, Coco sets her sights on a thrilling R16 clash against a formidable opponent, Belinda Bencic.

“It will be an interesting one,” Coco Gauff opens up about her upcoming match against Bencic

Coco Gauff, who has won nine WTA singles titles, is determined to make her mark on the clay courts of the Madrid Open after experiencing two R16 exits previously. Despite dropping the first two games against Ann Li, Gauff surged with eight straight games to seize full control and power into the next round with a commanding 6-2, 6-3 win. Still, the 21-year-old knows the actual test awaits.

Standing in her way now is Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, a fierce competitor and 2020 Olympic gold medalist. Gauff admitted that Bencic, fresh off a marathon win over Beatriz Haddad Maia, will be a tough hurdle if she wants her first Madrid QF appearance.

“It will be an interesting one,” according to Gauff. “I know she hits a little bit flatter and I hit heavier, so I would like to think it favours me more. But, obviously, she beat me last time in Indian Wells [in March] and she’s always a tough opponent,” 

Gauff’s victory over Li, achieved in just over an hour, included 10 winners and a 73% success rate on first serves. “Overall, a solid performance. I was just trying to stay steady. She was throwing in some errors today. I felt like I didn’t have to do too much, except push her to play more defence,” she further added. 

Both Gauff and Bencic have already faced off twice this year. While Gauff eliminated her from the Australian Open earlier in January, Bencic staged a comeback win at Indian Wells. With their H2H tied 2-2, tomorrow’s clash promises fireworks. Who will edge ahead this time?