By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, November 25, 2025Photo credit: Jennifer Pottheiser/USTA
Coco Gauff spent part of Thanksgiving week giving back to junior players.
The reigning Roland Garros champion surprised a local tennis clinic in New Orleans East on Monday, visiting the tennis facility that was recently refurbished in her honor.
The 10 courts at Joe Brown Park were refurbished earlier this year as part of the US Open Legacy Initiative, which was launched in recognition of Gauff’s 2023 US Open women’s singles title.
As part of the initiative, the USTA pledged $3 million–equivalent to Gauff’s prize money in 2023–to refurbish public tennis courts across the country. The New Orleans project was hand-picked by the Gauff family due to the family’s extensive ties to the city.
“New Orleans has a super close place in my heart and to be able to be back here is really cool,” said Coco Gauff. “To be able to do this initiative with the USTA is amazing.”
Photo credit: Jennifer Pottheiser/USTA
Photo credit: Jennifer Pottheiser/USTA
Two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff grew up playing on public courts in her hometown of Delray Beach, Florida and understand how transformative public park tennis can be for junior players.
“The US Open Legacy Initiative, and the celebration of our 2023 Women’s Singles Champion Coco Gauff, has allowed us to support more than 100 facilities across the country and connect the highest level of our sport to local communities, said Brian Vahaly, Chairman of the Board and Interim Co-CEO, USTA. “By refurbishing the public courts at Joe W. Brown Park, we are expanding access to the game and giving more players a better place to play.
“We are grateful to partner with New Orleans on this project and proud to support a facility that will benefit the community for years to come.”
Monday’s event featured a clinic run by local non-profit A’s and Aces, which offers programs and events at the Joe W. Brown Park courts. A’s & Aces is a chapter of the USTA Foundation’s National Junior Tennis & Learning network, which features more than 270 organizations nationwide that offer free or low-cost tennis, education, and life-skills programming to young people from under-resourced communities.
Photo credit: Jennifer Pottheiser/USTA
Former WTA Finals champion Gauff hit with the kids at the clinic, encouraged them and spoke to them about impactful experiences she’s had in her tennis career.
In a statement, the USTA said: “The event not only served as a celebration of the New Orleans project, but also marked the conclusion of the US Open Legacy Initiative, which hit its $3 million funding goal this summer. In total, the Legacy Initiative impacted more than 100 facilities, funding improvements for more than 700 tennis courts across the country. Each impacted facility received a plaque noting the courts were refurbished in honor of Gauff’s US Open triumph.”
