Tennis star Coco Gauff is expanding her business empire beyond tennis. Ranked second in the world by the Women’s Tennis Association, she is linked to several businesses while still active in major tournaments.
She recently extended a partnership with shipping giant UPS to create a campaign to uplift small businesses. The promotion, dubbed Coco vs. The Doubters, highlights Generation Z entrepreneurs who overcome the odds of running a business. As per Forbes, UPS trades on the New York Stock Exchange with a $117 billion market cap.
“I realized a lot of (negative) things that are told to small business owners are also told to athletes,” Gauff told Forbes. “I like to partner with things that are an extension of myself.”
Gauff currently has deals with other companies like New Balance, Bose, Carol’s Daughter, and Naked Smoothies.
In her interview with Forbes, Gauff shared one piece of advice for entrepreneurs on how to be successful. According to her, entrepreneurs have to be delusional.
“I think delusional is great. All of the greatest athletes and greatest artists have to have a little bit of craziness and delusion. Having a little bit of craziness in your goal is kind of healthy,” she said.
In October 2023, she was on SportsPro’s 50 Most Marketable list as one of the world’s most marketable tennis players. Forbes estimates that Gauff made $21.7 million in 2023, ranking her third among the highest-paid female athletes in the world.
Gauff won the hearts of Americans when she defeated Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka to win her first US Open title, becoming the youngest American tennis player to do it since Serena Williams achieved it at 17 years old in 1999.
In 2021, she broke a 15-year-old record to be the youngest woman to reach the grand slam quarterfinal at the 2021 French Open. Prior to that, she was also the record holder for the youngest American woman to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal since Venus Williams did it at the age of 17 at the 1997 U.S. Open.
Gauff won her maiden WTA Tour singles championship at the 2019 Linz Open at the age of 15, becoming the Tour’s youngest singles champion since 2004.
Gauff rose to attention after defeating Venus Williams in the first round of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.
