Coco Gauff has revealed that she’s no longer single ahead of Wimbledon next month as she gave away her summer plans with her mysterious boyfriend.
The 20-year-old American, who’s never managed to make an appearance past the fourth round on grass, is planning to keep herself busy with a childhood hobby that she shares with her special someone over the next couple of months.
‘It started because I loved reading as a kid and I kind of lost it when I got older,’ Gauff said during her media day at the German Open in Berlin this week.
‘So at first my goal was to read 12 books, one per month. Then my boyfriend has this thing where he reads the amount of books as the year we’re in, so 24 in 2024, 23 in 2023.’
Naturally, Gauff, who’s only major title involves the US Open in 2023, saw her man’s daily activity as a challenge she needed.
‘So when he said he was going to read 24, I got super competitive and I doubled my goal to match his and I like trying to finish faster than him,’ she continued. ‘I’m two books ahead, so I’m winning right now.’
Gauff’s reading list includes books like ‘Daisy Jones & the Six’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid; ‘The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness’ by Michelle Alexander; ‘After Dark’ by Haruki Murakami; and Viola Davis’ memoir ‘Finding Me’.
Little is known about Gauff’s boyfriend, other than his name being Jalen and that he lives in Atlanta.
In April, Gauff told Time magazine that she and Jalen have been dating for roughly a year.
‘This is my first real relationship,’ the tennis star pointed out, adding: ‘To just have someone to talk to who is not involved in tennis at all gives me a fresh perspective.’
Jalen’s managed to impress one very important person who’s close to his girlfriend: her mom, Candi.
‘My mom always said, if they’re bad in school, they’re probably bad adults,’ Candi told Time. ‘He’s always been a smart, nice kid.’
Gauff, however, doesn’t plan on moving in with her partner anytime soon, as she still lives with her parents at their Florida home.
‘I don’t have a timeline on that,’ the World’s No. 2 admitted. ‘I always say it’ll happen in my 20s at some point.’
