Tennis star Coco Gauff is starting her own management firm
Coco Gauff is leaving her longtime agency and launching her own management firm so she can “take greater ownership” of her tennis career as she grows “as an athlete, entrepreneur, and changemaker,” she wrote on social media Wednesday.
The 2023 U.S. Open singles champion and 2024 French Open doubles champion posted that the new venture will be called Coco Gauff Enterprises.
“This is just the beginning of an exciting new era for me, and there is much more to come, which I’ll be excited to share in due time,” Gauff wrote. “As always, tennis will continue to be my main priority!”
The 21-year-old American, who was born in Florida and is based there now, is currently at No. 3 in the WTA rankings in singles and No. 25 in doubles. She’s been as high as No. 2 in singles and No. 1 in doubles.
Gauff has won about $23 million in prize money and collected millions more from endorsement deals. Her total earnings of $30.4 million in 2024 alone put her at No. 1 among female athletes, according to Sportico.
This business move involves starting a relationship with WME — an agency that has represented plenty of other sports stars, including retired tennis great Serena Williams — and ending Gauff’s association with Team8, the management company founded by Roger Federer and his agent, Tony Godsick.
Gauff burst onto the scene at age 15 during Wimbledon in 2019, when she became the youngest qualifier in tournament history, then beat Venus Williams in the first round of the main draw and made it all the way to the fourth round in her Grand Slam debut.
“From the moment I first picked up a tennis racket, I’ve always believed my purpose extended far beyond the court,” Gauff’s post said Wednesday, adding that she wants to make “an impact — not just in tennis, but in business, philanthropy, and beyond.”
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis