Wimbledon fans are discovering that Coco Gauff, who is through to her first Wimbledon quarter-final, is not using her real name at the tournament. The 22-year-old American tennis star's official forename is 'Cori', but her family gave her the nickname Coco to avoid confusion with her father, Corey.
Why Coco Instead of Cori?
Gauff explained the origin of her nickname in a previous interview: "My dad's name is Corey. And so I guess, you know, they didn't want me to get my dad and me confused when my mom is like yelling at one of us in the house." She added that there are two competing stories about who came up with 'Coco'—her aunt or her father—but she tells both to avoid offending anyone.
The nickname has caused practical issues, such as when checking into flights and hotels. "Every time I check into hotels or people at the airport, they look at my ID, obviously the airport you book under your real name, but the person sometimes will recognize me and they'll be like, 'Wait, are you Coco?', I'm like, 'Yeah, it's just a nickname. I'm not somebody that looks like her'," Gauff said. She added that hotel staff sometimes cannot find her reservation until she clarifies it is under Coco, not Cori.
Quarter-Final Showdown
Gauff faces her doubles partner Jessica Pegula on Centre Court on Tuesday, scheduled as the first match at 1:30pm. This is Gauff's maiden Wimbledon quarter-final, and she is drawing on her experience as a two-time Grand Slam champion. "Honestly, it's going to be kind of similar. It will be the third flat hitter I've played in a row. I think the last two matches I've had definitely gave me prep for her," Gauff said. "Yeah, she's always a tough opponent for me. I think she's really consistent and gets a lot of balls back and can also play really aggressive, too. I think it's just going to be another one of those where I just have to be in it from start to finish."
Gauff made her big breakthrough at Wimbledon at age 15, and now has bags of experience to rely on as she aims for the semi-finals.
