Coco Gauff is currently having a wonderful time in Saudi Arabia! She recently started her campaign at the 2024 WTA Finals with a two-set triumph against her compatriot, Jessica Pegula. This was Gauff’s 20th career Top 10 win and shortly after this win, we heard Gauff say, “I thought we both were playing high level. I just think I was able to break through on the more important points.” Surely, fans inside the iconic stadium in Riyadh witnessed an exciting all-American battle on Super Sunday (November 3). However, only a handful of fans managed to get a signature from the world number 3. Coco Gauff even handed out her autograph on the shoes of a fan!

During the 2023 Citi Open, we saw a similar moment when the American star showed her appreciation for her fans by signing autographs on her signature ‘CG1’ shoes. She posted a few glimpses of those moments on her social media account with a caption saying, “I signed a lot of CG1’s last night. (Still a crazy feeling). I appreciate ya’ll for supporting me. Thank You.” However, this time she got a bit emotional while accepting a fan’s similar request in Saudi Arabia. 

Recently WTA shared a video clip on their IG page, where Gauff interacted with few fans in the stands and even signed autographs in some of their sneakers. Later on, the 20-year-old even shared that post on her IG story with a caption saying, “always gonna stop and sign if you have my shoe!! 💜 thank you guys for supporting 🥲. I promise I never take it for granted.”

However, this isn’t the first time that we’ve seen Coco Gauff engaging in a heartwarming moment with her fans this season. Earlier this year, Gauff was seen spending some time meeting one of her superfans in Germany, a young boy named Maurice. After interacting with that little boy, Gauff said, “The fact that he feels so happy for me just to say hello, just gave me so much emotion and it’s why I do it. His mom was there and she was really happy. Just for me to give someone that joy, I don’t know what his trials are in his life, just for me to have an impact in that way means a lot to me.“

Then there was an instance when we saw, Coco Gauff thanking a fan for sharing a wonderful sketch featuring the tennis star. Gauff loves spreading joy and interacting with her fans, and these moments are just a few examples of such. Seeing her enjoying her time while engaging with her fans in Saudi Arabia is quite fascinating. What does the American think about playing in Saudi Arabia?

“It wouldn’t just be to play the tournament and leave” – Coco Gauff shares her thoughts on coming to Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, ever since their involvement with the racquet sport. Even the WTA has received a lot of criticism over the last few months from tennis experts like Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova surrounding the same. Saudi Arabia’s questionable track record on human rights has been the major talking point of this controversy. Seeing Coco Gauff enjoying her time in Saudi Arabia makes us wonder what she thinks about the controversies that ran the headlines over the last few months.

According to Gauff, “I am fully aware of the situation we have here. My vision is that sport can open doors for people. If you want change, you must see it. Sports are the simplest way to introduce it. I hope that with the arrival of the WTA and the fact that over the next three years, a program will be funded for future stars, more Saudi women will engage in this sport. I think their goal is to have a million people playing tennis by 2030. Hopefully, with that, people will see what we represent and greater equality will be generated. If you don’t come here, that will never happen.”

Did she have any doubts about coming to Saudi Arabia? Well, while answering this question, she stated, “I would be lying if I told you I didn’t have doubts.” Coco Gauff explained she had a call with the WTA and she told them, “If we were coming here, it wouldn’t just be to play the tournament and leave; we wanted to see a plan in action, a real plan.” She even said that she had a conversation with many Saudi women and one among them was Princess Reema.

Gauff strongly believes that they can’t change anything overnight, but she wants to see this as a stepping stone for this long process. “I wanted to see for myself if there is change here. I wanted to see if I felt uncomfortable because if I did, I probably wouldn’t come back. After a week here, I feel they are progressing and moving forward,” said Gauff. Seeing fans donning her signature shoe in Saudi Arabia perhaps now increased her excitement levels further. Do you think Gauff can please her Saudi fans by finishing the year on the highest note?