Coco Gauff and Eugenie Bouchard extend a warm welcome to MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani
Coco Gauff and Eugenie Bouchard shared their joy at the announcement of a new addition to the New Balance family. New Balance announced that the two-time MLB All-Star has signed a long-term contract with the brand on Tuesday, February 1.
Gauff signed her first contract with New Balance at the young age of 14. The American chose to extend the contract at 18. New Balance commemorated the occasion by launching a new colorway for Gauff's signature shoes.
Eugenie Bouchard made the shift from Nike to New Balance in 2021, expressing admiration for the brand's design. Both shared their appreciation for the welcome decision on social media.
Gauff, who just announced a special collaboration with New Balance herself, expressed her support for the new signing and shared the brand's announcement on her Instagram story.
Eugenie Bouchard took to her social media as well to extend her welcome to Shohei Ohtani.
"Welcome to the fam!!!," she wrote.
She also expressed her personal excitement at the news by sharing her status as a fan of Ohtani.
"Such a big fan," she added.
Coco Gauff's positive outlook for the season despite early Australian Open defeat
After reaching the final at Roland Garros in 2022 and making the quarter-finals of the US Open the same year, Coco Gauff was looking to make a strong showing at this year's Australian Open. However, a strong performance from Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round cut her dreams short.
Her disappointment was evident in her teary post-match press conference as she detailed her frustration at the loss. She spoke about how well she felt coming into the tournament and emphasized her feelings of having improved despite the loss.
"But, you know, when you play a player like her and she plays really well, it's like there's nothing you can do," the American admitte
Despite the obvious feeling of hurt and disappointment at the loss, the seventh seed expressed her support for fellow American Jessica Pegula, her doubles partner. She showed her love for the sport by revealing her excitement to play doubles alongside Pegula for the sheer joy of competing.
The American, who rose to No. 6 in the WTA rankings after the Australian Open, voiced her desire to keep learning from every defeat in order to better herself as a tennis player. Aiming to win her first Grand Slam title in 2023, the World No. 6 is looking forward to making her mark on the tennis circuit.