Coco Gauff Reveals the Adorable Nickname Beau Jalen Sera Has for Her

From dancing in the Arthur Ashe Stadium during the US Open as an eight-year-old to lifting the trophy in that same stadium eleven years later, Cori Dionne “Coco” Gauff’s journey has truly been remarkable so far. But are you confused hearing her full name? Well, this 21-year-old American tennis star is mostly known as Coco among her fans. Speaking about the popularity of this name, rather than her real name, Gauff once claimed, “I think maybe just because Coco is just so easy and recognizable, people like it more than using my last name.” However, despite its popularity, there are few who love calling Coco Gauff by some other names. Recently, she revealed her boyfriend’s nickname for her. What’s it?

Before getting to that, let’s first understand why she’s mostly known as Coco. Well, in a previous interview with Sports Illustrated, she explained, “So my dad’s name is also Corey and my parents always wanted their first child to be named Corey or Cori.” But shortly after that, she added, “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.” Coco Gauff then revealed that it was her aunt who first gave her the name 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.’“

So, that’s how it started, and now it has become a household name for every tennis fan. Recently, in a video clip released by the WTA on IG, Coco Gauff was spotted standing in front of the iconic Trevi Fountain and revealing some of the affectionate nicknames that she has been given by her close ones. For example, the post mentioned “to the government ‘Cori’, to my closest friends ‘Coco‘” and similarly it revealed that her parents also call her ‘Coco’, but her boyfriend calls her ‘Star’ and her uncle calls her ‘Cantaloupe’. But her coach, Matt Daly, prefers to call her ‘Co’.

Just a few weeks ago, Gauff cracked a joke saying 99% of people don’t remember her real name. Describing another hilarious incident, she once spoke about how whenever she checks into hotels or people at the airport, people usually look at her ID and get confused seeing her real name on that. So, this has been a long struggle for Gauff, but it seems as if she enjoys people calling her by this name. 

But what’s the significance behind her boyfriend calling her ‘Star’? Well, talking about her relationship with Jalen Sera, Gauff once revealed that it’s her “first real relationship.” Sera is in fact one of her biggest supporters, and he’s often seen attending the matches. Even when he’s not present at the box, he rarely misses a chance to celebrate her achievements. “To just have someone to talk to who is not involved in tennis at all gives me a fresh perspective,” said Gauff about her boyfriend.

She had also revealed how he motivated her to win the US Open title. A few months ago, when Coco Gauff stepped out at the Oscars for the first time, in a stunning pastel yellow gown, Jalen Sera celebrated her stardom by sharing some of her photos from that mega event, calling her “Regal” and then he even wrote, “THE star. Like, come on man.” It reflected his love and admiration for one of the biggest stars in American tennis. Both Sera and Gauff have now become a popular couple in the tennis world.

Now, shifting our focus back to tennis, Gauff recently got off to a winning start at the Italian Open. What was her reaction after getting things rolling yet again following her loss to Aryna Sabalenka at the Madrid Open final?

Coco Gauff steals victory from the jaws of defeat in the 2025 Italian Open 

Coco Gauff is yet to win a title this season, and she has a win-loss record of just 20-7 this year. Although Gauff came inches closer to winning a title in Madrid, she went down to the world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, by 3-6,6(3)-7. Following that defeat, Gauff admitted that she hates losing and especially in finals. It was, in fact, her second loss in a WTA tour final since losing to Iga Swiatek at the 2022 French Open. However, despite that loss, the American claimed that there were “a lot of positives to take” from that match in the Spanish capital.

Talking her learnings forward, he entered the Italian as a clear favorite against Canada’s Victoria Mboko (156). But interestingly, the Canadian pushed her to three sets. Gauff eventually won that R64 clash by 3-6,6-2,6-1. After this hard-fought victory, Coco Gauff heaped praise on the 18-year-old, saying, “Obviously the last two sets were a lot better. It was tough finding, like, my rhythm. I find the conditions are so much slower than in Madrid. I felt it was impossible to hit a winner. Victoria played great tennis. She forced me to play like that. So full credit to her.“

She revealed that she had first seen her at the Miami Open and didn’t know much about her before, and now, having played against her, she hailed Mboko as a “great player” and also admitted that she saw an 18-year-old version of herself in her. Next up for Gauff is Poland’s Magda Linette. She has a 2-1 record against the Pole. Can Coco Gauff keep her winning run intact at the Italian Open?

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