Coco Gauff's close friend Jalen Sera sends heartfelt message to American on 21st birthday

Coco Gauff's close friend Jalen Sera sent an adorable message to the tennis star on her 21st birthday. The American is hoping to channel positivity through her birthday celebrations after a disappointing exit from this year's BNP Paribas Open.

The tennis star had a great start to the tournament with back-to-back wins over Moyuka Uchijima and Maria Sakkari in the first and second rounds of the tournament, respectively. However, the 2023 US Open title winner faltered in her Round of 32 match against Swiss Belinda Bencic, even after an early first-set advantage. This added to her streak of heartbreaks as prior to this, she had faced two consecutive second-round exits in Doha and Dubai as well.

Currently in the comfort of her home, the young gun will look to work hard to rectify her mistakes and make a strong comeback as she turns a year older on March 13, 2025. Her close friend, who has been a constant source of support for Gauff, posted a picture on his Instagram story of them playing arcade games. Tagging the star, he wrote:

"Happy birthdayyyy @cocogauff Big 21! I hope it's your best one yet"

Screenshot via @jalensera on Instagram

She also expressed how she would have loved to be on the court on her birthday but looked forward to celebrating the day with her family too at the post-match press conference.

"Obviously I would have loved to be out here tomorrow. But I'm going to try to either get home tonight or tomorrow just to celebrate with my family," she said at the post-match press conference following her defeat to Bencic.

However, Coco Gauff had more positive things to look forward to on her birthday.

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Coco Gauff's birthday was made special by New Balance

Coco Gauff's in her signature pairs- Source: Getty

Coco Gauff had a special surprise awaiting her by sportswear brand New Balance as they decided to drop the new shoes made in collaboration with the tennis star on her 21st birthday. Inspired by her hometown, the shoe is named 'Coco Delray' and is priced at $110.

The brand is currently the kit sponsor of the tennis star and has paired up for two other kicks that dropped last year. The brand posted an inspiring product launch video on their official Instagram handle and tagged the American.

"Every place has a story to tell. Introducing the Coco Delray, from the court that Coco calls home. Available March 13th, 2025" -said the caption.

Gauff will look to make a stellar comeback in her next tournament at the Miami Open.