When it comes to her love life, Coco Gauff is one tough nut. Amid the glam and glitz of being a sword (read: racket) yielding diva, and the intense scrutiny/limelight that comes with it, there are some things that Coco would rather keep close to her heart, away from the world. Like her boyfriend…

Having been in a relationship since 2023, the tennis star has counted the exact numbers of steps she’s proceeded to divulge details about her relationship, before retracting. It’s always been bits and pieces of information sprinkled across multiple interviews. The 20-year-old first confirmed her relationship in March last year after her father Corey described it as a “friend who she’s dating”: “He’s a very nice guy. He’s in school now. He’s about to apply for music school. He wants to be an actor and he plays the guitar. He’s not from Delray. He’s actually from Atlanta.”

In an interview with TIME Magazine the very next month, she divulged more. “This is my first real relationship. To just have someone to talk to who is not involved in tennis at all gives me a fresh perspective…,” Gauff said before adding that her mother was her boyfriend’s fourth grade teacher.“My mom always said, if they’re bad in school, they’re probably bad as adults. He’s always been a smart, nice kid.” What’s more?

Ahead of her US Open Final, her mystery man even helped her beat the blues. “Last night, I started a little bit, but honestly, I just called my boyfriend, and I told him let’s talk until it’s time to go to sleep so we spoke until 1:00 a.m. and then I went to sleep,” the 20-year said. Wholesome, right? And, as expected, the couple would also be indulging in normal couple activities, right? Well, no.

Just like last year, Coco Gauff has decided to spend February 14 with her other Valentine—her mother—with some quality time in Dubai. The World No. 3 shared a video of savoring delicious food with Candi Gauff, who is a former heptathlon athlete. Sharing the reel, Gauff wrote, “V-day dinner with my mom @candigauff.” While this time, we didn’t see her rumored boyfriend enter the picture indirectly, the same cannot be said for last year.

Like clockwork, last year too, Coco shared a heap of pictures cruising on a quadricycle on Qatar’s Sealine Desert with her mom for Valentine’s Day. After exiting the 2024 Qatar Open in the second round, she spent her time sightseeing with Candi in Doha. The duo shared snippets of their outings on their respective Instagram handles, and Gauff captioned it as “Motorsport.” That’s not the most interesting part, though.

Jalen Sera, her rumored boyfriend, made sure to hop into the comment section to add a little flirtatious comment. Calling her “Sandwoman”, Sera wrote, “These last two posts really bring out the earthbender in you.”

Having said that, for Coco Gauff, her mother is her constant travel partner. Be it cheering for her daughter at the 2025 United Cup or visiting the Great Wall of China together during their trip to Beijing, Candi has been Coco’s partner in crime. Reflecting on this special bond with her mother previously, Coco Gauff had said, “Yeah, I mean, both my parents are constant support all the time. My mom, it’s just a motherly thing. There’s nothing like a mother-daughter relationship. Especially in swings like Asia where it maybe is more isolated than usual, we just play Uno lot.”

She also highlighted how her mother took care of everything on tour and became her constant support. “It’s great to have my mom. She’s my biggest fan for sure. Having one or both of my parents I think always makes the tournament easier. You don’t have to take care of some things. She’s always reminding, me, Do you have your headphones, change of shoes, and clothes? Just things that moms, dads, they all do,” Gauff added.

Although Gauff decided to spend the entire day with her mom, in a cute gesture, she had a special offer this Valentine’s. What was that?

Coco Gauff agreed to be her colleague’s “Galentine”

Coco Gauff was proposed by the Ministry of Happiness, Ons Jabeur on Valentine’s Eve. In a video shared by the WTA’s Instagram handle, the Tunisian could be seen asking the World No. 3, “Will you be my Valentine?” and Gauff said, “Yes!” The moment caught the fans off-guard and highlighted their beautiful friendship.

After Gauff’s response, the show’s producer remarked that Gauff chose Galentine’s rather than Valentine’s, and Gauff agreed. “I did choose Galantine’s Day. I don’t have anything for you, so the hug is for you. I, like, saw somebody coming from the bushes. I was like, who the heck is jumping over?,” the American said, as she hugged Jabeur. Galentine’s Day is actually a global holiday celebrating women’s friendship.

However, the scene took a quirky yet funny turn, when Gauff asked Jabeur, “Thank you (For the rose). How many people have you done this for, though? How many Valentines do you have?” Gauff’s hilarious dig at Jabeur made her flee from the scene. “See you!” the Tunisian said, as she chuckled and disappeared. Jabeur’s gesture prompted Gauff to add a sarcastic conclusion. “Oh, okay. Maybe it’s not as special anymore,” she said.

Coco Gauff’s Valentine’s Day celebration with her mother warmed the fraternity’s hearts. However, her recent setbacks on the court have got the fans worried as well. Are you backing Coco to regain her form soon?