American tennis star Coco Gauff, celebrated for her ferocious groundstrokes and clutch Grand Slam performances, recently shared a more personal memory: as a child, she used to sneak her mom’s perfume because she couldn’t get enough of it.
Gauff‘s anecdote surfaced in the context of her new collaboration as the U.S. ambassador for Miu Miu Beauty‘s “Miutine” fragrance. The partnership marks a fresh chapter for Gauff, one that ties together her heritage, her youthful curiosity, and her evolving sense of identity outside of tennis.
“I used to steal my mom’s perfume all the time,” Gauff said. “She prefers more stronger perfumes that I wouldn’t necessarily wear. I remember there was one that was super light. When I smelled Miutine, it reminded me of the first real fragrance that I actually loved.”
Her growing bond with Miu Miu has been evolving for some time, since the Italian fashion house previously collaborated with her sponsor New Balance to create distinctive on-court outfits.
Their interest in both her marketability and discipline made extending the partnership a natural step.
Furthermore, this new fragrance role emerges alongside a portfolio of major endorsements that helped Gauff top Sportico‘s highest-paid female athletes list for 2025.
The 21-year-old amassed approximately $31 million through a combination of prize money and sponsorship deals. Her earnings for the year included $7.9 million from competition, while close to $23 million came from endorsements.
New Balance remains one of her most significant partners, and its 2022 renewal has continued to drive her commercial success across global markets. Gauff has also added an impressive range of companies to her resume for extra measure.
She is also busy filling her time by representing Bose, Mercedes-Benz, Head, Rolex and Baker Tilly, among others as their commitments reflect both her influence and a vote of confidence to her talent.
Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka trailed her by a narrow margin with $30 million, followed by Iga Swiatek at $23 million, cementing tennis as the most dominant force in women’s sports financially, and highlighting her remarkable consistency at the pinnacle of the list.
Serena Williams‘ ex-coach gives interesting Coco Gauff forecast
Amid the commercial spotlight, Serena Williams‘ former coach Rick Macci recently predicted substantial growth for Gauff‘s game, as having reached World No.2 in 2024, she remains third and continues pushing toward overtaking the gap to the top.
This projection comes after a mixed 2025 season in which Gauff reached the Australian Open quarterfinals and captured the French Open title, yet suffered early exits at both Wimbledon and the US Open, illustrating the volatility that still sometimes shapes her campaigns.
“Coco will be a different player in 2026,” Macci tweeted. “Serve will be a weapon and the forehand more compact and overall strategy controlling the center of the court.
“She has the best defense on the tour and with these additions she will be knocking on that number one door.”
Although she has acknowledged that becoming World No.1 is a dream, Gauff recently reiterated a focus on major titles.
“I prefer another Grand Slam, I’ve always said that,” Gauff said. “I don’t know, I feel like people remember you more for the titles you’ve won than for your world No. 1 ranking.”
She added: “Now, if I had already won four and still hadn’t reached No. 1, then maybe the story would be different.
“But having only one, I would like to have another to strengthen my record a little more.”
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