Italian Open: Embracing the Deal With $4 Billion Worth Brand, Coco Gauff Throws Surprise Culinary Challenge for Local Fans

Coco Gauff‘s love for the sport goes hand-in-hand with her love for a key athlete’s fuel: pasta. Gauff has admitted “as an athlete, pasta is a staple in my diet.” Last year at the U.S Open she was part of Italian pasta brand Barilla’s “Serving Love” campaign and now she’s surprising fans at the Italian Open with a unique culinary challenge, adding a delicious twist to the already exciting tournament. Are you Ready for “Coco’s Cooking Challenge” folks?

Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, has been fueling her winning game with Barilla pasta since 2019. Joining tennis legends like Steffi Graf, Stefan Edberg, and Roger Federer, Gauff became the fourth player to partner with the Italian brand.

With her latest Instagram video, Gauff threw a challenge to her pasta-loving foodies as a part of her collaboration with the $4 billion brand. Through the video, Gauff announced a cooking challenge, stating, “Hi guys, It’s Coco here and I have a culinary challenge for Barilla. I have just arrived in Rome to play the Italian open and in honor of that I want you guys to share and show me your ultimate Roman pasta recipe. I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with.”

The official IG account of Barilla captioned the post, “Game, set, pasta! 🍝 Thank you @cocogauff for serving up a challenge straight from Rome! Watch us ace the art of cooking up a classic Roman Carbonara. 🎾#ASignOfLove #Barilla #CocosChallenge“

Following her historic 2023 win at the U.S Open, Gauff lifted the lid on her pre-match fuel of choice. In an interview with Tennis.com, while discussing her ongoing partnership with Barilla, she revealed, “Before matches, I just go with penne pasta. Because I don’t like the long pasta before matches because I’m not the cleanest eater. It gets on my kit!.”

Interesting fact: From humble beginnings in 1877 as a bakery in Parma, Italy, Barilla has grown into a global leader in pasta. The company, still family-owned, now boasts over 160 shapes and sizes of pasta, making it the world’s leading producer with a quarter of the Italian market share alone. Barilla’s commitment to quality extends beyond its products, with 29 production facilities around the world, 15 in Italy itself, making Coco’s pasta challenge a special one.

Gauff’s association with Barilla goes back to when she 14 years old. Just about a month ago, Coco Gauff participated in an advertisement for Barilla showcasing her unique dancing skills to the world. Through it, we all got a glimpse of an unknown side of her. 

The challenge has already begun, and hopefully, we will soon encounter Gauff’s favorite pasta recipes received from fans. However, this is not the first time that Gauff has engaged in a collaborative activity with the $4 billion brand. Last year, it was a campaign that grabbed the attention of tennis fans and pasta lovers alike.

When Coco Gauff participated in “Serving Love” campaign with Barilla 

While Coco was busy playing her best on-court in the U.S. Open of 2023, off-court, it was the Barilla brand starring behind the scenes. The “Serving Love” gave away pasta meal kits along with other food essentials as a part of that program. And it instantly became a hit among the tennis fans.

Addressing this, Coco Gauff admitted, “As an athlete, pasta is a staple in my diet as it provides the balanced nutrition and functional fuel I need on and off the court. I’m excited about the work Barilla and I are doing to bring quality food choices to dinner tables “

But, to take the legacy forward, Coco Gauff is now all ready to take on new challenges, and take part in commercials and campaigns to further strengthen her partnership with Barilla.