Welcome to the latest edition of "Hot Shots," a USOpen.org-curated look at what you may have missed on social media this past week. Before the main-draw action begain in in Indian Wells, Coco Gauff flashed her star power off the court.
Coco Gauff was already a superstar before she won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open. But after her New York triumph, the young American has vaulted to new levels of fame around the globe.
One week before her 20th birthday, Gauff experienced another first: a cover story in the iconic Vogue magazine.
The April-issue feature, "Chasing Perfection With Tennis' New Superstar," highlights Gauff's glory in Arthur Ashe Stadium and her burning ambition to back up that major success.
The story features fresh insights from coach Brad Gilbert and Gauff's parents, Corey and Candi. It also covers her breakout match against Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019 and the inspiration she drew from both Venus and Serena Williams.
Gauff has proven to be plenty inspiring herself, even at her young age—so much so that her success on the court and her activism off it earned her a place on TIME magazine's 2024 Women of the Year list in February. On Tuesday, she spoke at a Hollywood gala celebrating the honorees. (Gauff is pictured atop this story at the event, alongside actress and producer Marsai Martin.)
"Our impact is strongest when we work together," she said, speaking to her fellow female trailblazers. "Thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for believing in me and thank you for showing me that the sky’s the limit."
Moving from one champion to another pair of trophy-winners, the power couple of Katie Boulter and Alex de Minaur authored one of the feel-good stories of the season this past weekend by claiming 500-level trophies within 24 hours of each other.
Australia's De Minaur successfully defended his Acapulco title by beating Casper Ruud on Saturday evening, then jetted off to San Diego to watch Boulter beat Marta Kostyuk in that Sunday final. The WTA 500 title is the British No. 1's biggest tour-level crown.
"I want to say a small, special thank you to my boyfriend," Boulter said during her trophy speech. "He finished last night at midnight and I really want to embarrass him. He got on a 4.15 a.m. taxi and a 6 a.m. flight to be here today. So I do appreciate it."
From San Diego, it was a short journey for both players to Indian Wells, where both tours join together for the prestigious 1000-level event. But it's not just tennis that's on tap in the desert... The players also showed their glamorous sides at on-site photoshoots, where they were captured in their newest threads.
Emma Navarro even took her dog to set, while Iga Swiatek brought her game face.
There's also plenty of soccer action to catch (just not with your hands!) at Indian Wells, where the tournament's popular grass warm-up field serves as a space to get loose with some fun cross-training.
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