Coco Gauff kicks off a new season with a win at ASB Classic plus a skydiving trip

To say that Coco Gauff's life is soaring to new heights is not an understatement. The 2023 US Open Champion dazzled American tennis fans last summer with brilliant wins in Washington, DC, Cincinnati, and New York. Gauff is back for the new season feeling revived and ready to pick up where she left off and back where it began in Auckland. The defending ASB Classic Champion opened her 2024 campaign by defeating fellow American Claire Liu in straight sets.

Though the draw is loaded with stars, Gauff is the tournament's top seed and overall favorite. Elina Svitolina, Amanda Anisimova, and Emma Raducanu remain in contention for the title.

Not only is Gauff an outstanding athlete, but she is also an adventure seeker. She rang in the New Year with family by skydiving and captioned a video of it on Instagram by writing "jumping into the new year 2024".

The sky is the limit for Coco Gauff in 2024

Seeded third in the world making her the highest-ranked American, Gauff is now working solely with Brad Gilbert (Pere Riba and Jarmere Jenkins are no longer on her team). Her partnership with Gilbert last summer is believed to be one of the biggest reasons for her success in winning her maiden Grand Slam. In addition, she was named Sportico's highest-earning female athlete in 2023.

Gauff, 19, is now in a similar situation as Aryna Sabalenka but has the advantage of being six years younger. The expectations and pressure of winning a Grand Slam tournament have already been met so she can relax and go about her business of winning more WTA tournaments, Grand Slams, and potentially Olympic medals in 2024.

She is slated to play both singles and doubles (with frequent partner Jessica Pegula) at the Australian Open later this month. It would not be a surprise if she leaves Melbourne with a second consecutive singles Grand Slam (and perhaps her first doubles Grand Slam).

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