Tennis Champion Coco Gauff Has This Advice To Entrepreneurs: ‘Be Delusional’

When it comes to ideas, don’t be afraid to be delusional.
That advice comes from tennis star Coco Gauff.

“I think delusional is great,” Gauff tells Forbes. “All of the greatest athletes and greatest artists have to have a little bit of craziness and delusion. Having a little bit of craziness in your goal is kind of healthy.”

Ranked second in the world by the Women’s Tennis Association, Gauff, 20, is taking her own advice she expands a business enterprise beyond tennis. Gauff discussed her portfolio while preparing for Wimbledon, where she advanced to the third round of the tournament before being ousted on Sunday by 19th-seeded Emma Navarro. The loss comes after Gauff partnered with 27th-ranked Katerina Siniakova to win the women’s doubles at the French Open in June. The win netted her roughly $641,000.

After Wimbledon, Gauff will play in the Paris Olympics then defend her US Open women’s singles championship in New York. Forbes estimates Gauff made $21.7 million in 2023. That ranks third among the highest-paid female athletes.

In between tennis, Gauff has other business to handle.

On Tuesday, she extended a partnership with shipping giant UPS to create a campaign intended to uplift small businesses. Entitled, Coco vs. The Doubters, the promotion spotlights Generation Z entrepreneurs who overcome the difficult odds of operating a profitable business. UPS trades on the New York Stock Exchange with a $117 billion market cap.

I realized a lot of (negative) things that are told to small business owners are also told to athletes,” Gauff says. Of her earnings, Gauff made $15 million off the court in 2023, Forbes estimates. She has deals with companies including:

New Balance
Bose
Carol’s Daughter
Naked smoothies
“I like to partner with things that are an extension of myself,” Gauff says.

Raised in Atlanta, Gauff started playing tennis early in her childhood, turned professional at age 14, and quickly offered a stunning moment in the sport when she upset Venus Williams in the first round of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships. Last year, Gauff won her first Grand Slam title when she captured the US Open.

Naturally, that victory attracted corporate partners who swarmed her with offers, which Gauff mostly swatted down. Instead, she keeps brand deals limited to avoid burnout.

“Tennis is my priority,” Gauff says. “Whatever interferes with that has to go.”

But Gauff knows more wins will bring more business. Asked how she wants to leave a legacy off the court, Gauff explained using the 2008 Wimbledon tournament.

Gauff recalls tennis icon Roger Federer’s choice of clothing at the tournament stood out. Federer wore an extra creamy Cardigan sweater with dark gold trimmings that extended from the collar to the shirt’s bottom button before his matches. The bold fashion statement astonished the London audience. More importantly, it symbolizes how Gauff wants to establish her venture post-tennis.

“That’s one of those things that are timeless,” Gauff says of Federer’s attire. “It’s always going to be iconic no matter who is looking at it or what age they are. – “I want to make sure that things I do, not only on the court but off-court, appear timeless.”