"So cute" - Coco Gauff shows off adorable stuffed animals and gifts she received in Beijing, fawns over "sweetest" Chinese supporters amid Wuhan Open
Coco Gauff's triumphant resurgence during the Asian swing has been accompanied by the passionate support of Chinese fans. The American expressed her delight at being showered with an array of stuffed toys from fans in Beijing.
Gauff recently clinched the second WTA 1000 title of her career at the 2024 China Open, claiming a commanding 6-1, 6-3 win over Karolina Muchova in the final. After a disappointing North American hardcourt swing, which caused her to slip out of the top five in the rankings, her successful run has propelled her to being the World No. 4.
Coco Gauff enjoyed the enthusiastic support of the crowd during her campaign at the China Open. She recently took to social media and shone the spotlight on a "kind and sweet" elderly man who cheered her on with an adorable handmade sign bearing her name.
"This man was so kind and sweet 😢," she posted on her Instagram story.
The 20-year-old also showed off all the plushies and keepsakes she had received from the "sweetest supporters" in Beijing, expressing her love for stuffed animals.
"China has some of the sweetest supporters 🙏 these are all of the gifts I received from people in beijing 😢 so cute and if you know me you know I love stuffed animals," Gauff wrote.
Following her campaign at the China Open, Coco Gauff enjoyed traveling to the Wuhan Open in a high-speed train, sharing a glimpse of her journey on social media.
"It was really cool to experience Chinese culture" - Coco Gauff on Forbidden City visit with Carlos Alcaraz
Before her campaign at the China Open, Coco Gauff visited the Forbidden City with Carlos Alcaraz, with the duo donning traditional Chinese attire. Although they learned about the historic site's reputation as a "lucky place," the American disclosed that she didn't want to "jinx" herself by believing it would bring her good fortune.
However, once Alcaraz went on to clinch the ATP 500 title in Beijing, the 20-year-old began to entertain the idea of how "sick" it would be if they both emerged victorious after their shared visit.
"Yeah, it was a really cool experience going there. I didn't think it would bring luck. Obviously I know the history behind it. I got to learn about it while I was there. Everyone was saying it's a lucky place. I got asked in press about it," Gauff said in her pre-tournament press conference at the Wuhan Open.
"Sometimes I'm like a believer in jinxing, so I didn't want to jinx myself. Then Carlos won. I did think about it. I was, How sick would it be if we both won? He won on Wednesday. It was only the quarters for me. I had a lot of work to do," she added.
The World No. 4 also gushed about her treasured experience of immersing herself in the local culture and disclosed her plans to visit the Summer Temple when she returned to China during the 2025 season.
"It was really cool to experience Chinese culture. Last year I did a teahouse, the tournament did a teahouse for me. This year I got to do the Forbidden City. I think next year I want to do the Summer Temple," she said.
Coco Gauff will hope that her good fortune extends to her campaign at the Wuhan Open as she gears up to take on Viktoriya Tomova in her opening match at the WTA 1000 event.