"New sport every week" - Coco Gauff tries her hand at squash

Coco Gauff recently tried her hand at another racket-and-ball sport, squash.

Gauff had a brilliant 2023 season as she emerged victorious in several singles and doubles competitions. Her wins in the singles category included titles at the ASB Classic, Citi Open, Cincinnati Masters, and the US Open.

Not only did Gauff excel in singles, but she also demonstrated her prowess in doubles alongside compatriot Jessica Pegula. Together, they claimed titles at the Qatar Open and at the Miami Open.

The World No. 3 also qualified for the WTA Finals but was defeated by Pegula in the semifinals.

Coco Gauff is currently enjoying her time away from the tennis court. She recently took to social media to share a video of herself playing a game of squash. In her post, she stated that she is exploring various sports each week, yet she believes that tennis remains the "best racquet sport."

"@kineticracquet new sport every week. Tennis is still the best racquet sport though," Gauff captioned her Instagram story.

Coco Gauff's Instagram story

A look into Coco Gauff's 2023 Grand Slam campaigns

Coco Gauff with her US Open title

Coco Gauff came into the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, after winning the 2023 ASB Classic, where she defeated Rebeka Masarova 6–1, 6–1 in the final.

Gauff, who was seeded seventh at the Australian Slam, defeated the likes of Katerina Siniakova, Emma Raducanu, and Bernarda Pera to secure her spot in the fourth round. There she faced Jelena Ostapenko who defeated Gauff, 7-5, 6-3 to move to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the first time in her career.

Coco Gauff teamed up with her friend and compatriot, Jessica Pegula, for the doubles matches. The American duo successfully advanced to the semifinals, where they went up against the Japanese pair of Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara. Unfortunately, the Americans were defeated by Aoyama and Shibahara 6-2, 7-6(7).

At the French Open, Gauff advanced to the quarterfinals. On her way to the last eight, she defeated Rebeka Masarova, Julia Grabher, Mirra Andreeva, and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

However, the 19-year-old's run came to an end when she went up against defending champion, Iga Swiatek, who ultimately outplayed her 6-4, 6-2.

In the doubles matches, Gauff once again teamed up with Pegula. However, in the semifinals, the Canadian-American duo of Leylah Fernandez and Taylor Townsend managed to defeat the No. 2 seeds 6-0, 6-4.

The Wimbledon Championships proved to be lackluster for Gauff. In the singles matches, she was defeated by Sofia Kenin 6-4, 4-6 in the first round. In the doubles, Gauff and her partner Jessica Pegula, who were the top seeds, were defeated by the German-Russian duo of Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva (3-6, 6-4, [10-8]) in the Round of 16.

At the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, Coco Gauff had a dream run. She defeated Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the final to secure her first-ever Grand Slam title. With this win, she became the fourth American teenager to claim a Grand Slam singles title in the Open Era.

In the doubles, the eighth-seeded pair of Hsieh Su-Wei and Wang Xinyu defeated the third-seeded duo of Gauff and Pegula 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-4 to move into the semifinals.