Rising tennis player Coco Gauff is ready for the U.S. Open. Not only is the 19-year-old American phenom mentally and physically prepared for this year’s grand slam tennis tournament in New York, which begins August 28, but she’ll also be highly fashionable. Gauff will debut the latest style of the Coco CG1—her own signature tennis shoe from New Balance—when she steps onto the hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The newest pair of sneakers from her collection—called the Coco CG1 City Brights—is the first of its kind and features a shade of high-voltage green contrasting with warm shades of red and brown accented with the shoe’s mid-top, 90’s inspired silhouette that is built with the New Balance’s most innovative technology and design details.
“I really like the neon green and maroon colors. For me, the CG1 in general looks good in any color, but with this new colorway, mixing a bright color with a neutral color is pretty cool,” Gauff told The Knockturnal at Coco’s Court, a special pop-up experience held at the New Balance Flatiron store in New York on Thursday night where she unveiled the new sneakers to guests. “The colors really match with the essence of New York City pretty well, so I’m excited to wear them.”
Gauff worked closely with the New Balance design team during the design process of the Coco CG1 City Brights colorway, and the shoe is full of personal touches. Her signature is featured on the tongue of the sneaker, and her family helped choose the colors. Gauff’s mother and aunt inspired the neutral tones of red and brown for the shoe, as both are colors that complement Gauff’s skin tone and mirror her radiant spirit.
“We have a whole team behind the City Brights, and I told them that for New York, I usually like to wear bright colors,” Gauff said. “I think the city gives off bright lights and bright vibes. When I saw it in person, I really loved it.”
To celebrate the release of the Coco CG1 City Brights, VIP guests, including New York Mets baseball player Francisco Lindor, joined Gauff at the opening night party of Coco’s Court. The intimate crowd enjoyed cut sushi rolls, ice cream by Caffè Panna, macaroons decorated like tennis balls, specialty cocktails and milk tea drinks by Machi Machi while getting a glimpse of the new sneaker and other new merchandise from the New Balance tennis collection. The partygoers also got pampered with manicures that featured tennis themed nail art provided by Chillhouse and participated in live character drawings. Attendees were even gifted with the Coco CG1 City Brights to take home and wear while cheering for Gauff at the U.S. Open.
Gauff is the youngest woman to reach the finals of both singles and doubles at a major since 1999. In 2021, she reached her first major final in women’s doubles at the U.S. Open, and earned a spot in her first major singles final at the 2022 French Open. Gauff is refresh off winning her first WTA 1000 title by beating Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-4 in the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on August 20. She is expected to be a top contender at this year’s U.S. Open.
Coco’s Court is open to the general public at the New Balance Flatiron store (150 5th Avenue, New York) starting August 25 and ends August 30. Guests will be treated to an assortment of treats and live music.