Coco Gauff, currently recognized as the highest-paid female athlete, is estimated to earn $31 million annually, with $23 million of that coming from sponsorships. Her portfolio includes major brands such as New Balance, Head, Bose, Rolex, Mercedes-Benz, Baker Tilly, Naked Smoothies, and Chase Bank.
Parents’ role in early decisions
In a recent interview with Forbes, Gauff explained how her parents, Corey and Candi Gauff, guided her through the complexities of brand deals during her formative years. “Pretty young, I would say for sure. First time I signed a pro deal with money and everything was I think New Balance when I was 14. As far as the calls, I would say probably like 8 or 10 years old. My parents refused to sign anything too early. Obviously, I wasn’t aware of it at the time,” she said.
Choosing the right sponsors
Gauff credited her parents with ensuring that her focus remained on tennis while carefully selecting sponsors that respected her priorities. “Oh, parents were 100% key. They made me aware enough, but not too aware, where I felt like I had to do this to meet this criteria or accomplish this. So I never knew anything about that, but it was also them choosing brands that knew that tennis was the main focus, and all of this was after that, so keeping the limitation of the amount of brands that I signed with at a time,” she explained.
Growing into sponsorship responsibilities
As she matured, Gauff began to take on more sponsorships, balancing her commitments with her career. “Obviously, I’ve added more as I’ve gotten older and been able to handle more, but when I was younger, I really didn’t sign as many as I could have. I’m glad that I didn’t, cuz I think I would have been lost in the sauce when it came to that,”
she added.Success on the court
Beyond her commercial success, Gauff has enjoyed a stellar 2025 season. She won four titles: the United Cup with Team USA, the French Open, the Wuhan Open, and the doubles crown at the Canadian Open alongside McCartney Kessler.
Upcoming season
Looking to 2026, Gauff will represent the United States at the United Cup. Team USA has been drawn into Group A alongside Spain and Argentina, with matches scheduled to take place in Perth. Her continued rise both on and off the court underscores her growing influence in the sport and beyond.
Cori Gauff in 2025
Ranked world no.3, Coco played her last match on the 6th of November when she capitulated to world no.6 Jessica Pegula 6-3 6-7(4) 6-2 in the round robin in Riyadh (draw).
During this season Coco has managed to achieve an overall 48-16 win-loss record. The American clinched 3 titles in 2025 in Australia, French Open and Wuhan. The American got to the final in Madrid and Rome.