US Open fans only just realising what Coco Gauff’s name is and nickname reason

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At 19 years of age, Coco Gauff is fast emerging as the star of American tennis, but a lot of fans don’t even realise that she plays using a nickname. The world No. 6 will have the chance to clinch her first-ever Grand Slam title when she takes on number two seed and soon-to-be world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final at Flushing Meadows on Saturday.

Gauff was a beaten finalist at the French Open last year, but with home advantage, is hoping to go one better in New York in front of what will be a noisy partisan crowd.

But as the teenager’s profile continues to sky-rocket fans of the US star could be surprised to learn that Coco is in fact just a nickname and not her birth name.

Gauff’s real first name is Cori, which she was named after her father Corey Gauff.

Explaining the oddity in an interview with Sports Illustrated, she said: “So my dad’s name is also Corey and my parents always wanted their first child to be named Corey or Cori.

“Actually, no, I take that back! My mom wanted her first child to be named that but my dad said if I were a boy, he wouldn’t have named me Corey because he didn’t want a junior.

“My nickname came about because we both can’t be named Corey/Cori, that’d be confusing.

“I believe it was my aunt who said, ‘Oh, we should just call her Coco.’ When my dad was growing up, people used to call him Co and I guess they just said, ‘Oh, Coco’s a cool nickname.’

“Ever since then, I’ve been going by Coco. For sure more people used Coco than Cori.”

Guaff first announced herself to the tennis world when aged just 15, she stunned Wimbledon by defeating five-time champion Venus Williams in the first round.

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After finishing runner-up to Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros last year, the America went on to reach a career-high world ranking of 4 in October of the same year.

Now world No. 6, she has put the disappointment of a first-round exit at this year’s Wimbledon behind her to reach the second Grand Slam singles final of her career and perhaps ominously the first on American soil.

Should she go on to fulfill her dream and beat second seed Sabalenka on Saturday at Flushing Meadows, the name of Cori Gauff will soon be known the world over.

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