Style Guide: Coco Gauff forgets her racquets, but brings Parisian style, in Roland Garros win

PARIS, France — Coco Gauff brought all her firepower, and her best clay-court tennis, to her opening match at Roland Garros. But she forgot one important thing: her racquets.

The 2022 finalist experienced a hilarious mishap that delayed the start of her first-round match against Olivia Gadecki—as she walked out onto Court Philippe-Chatrier and got to her chair before she quickly realized that something was missing.

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The American shot her team—led by coaches Jean Christophe Faurel and Matt Daly, and mom Candi Gauff—a few concerned looks before picking up her Head racquet bag, opening it and showing them it was empty.

The move triggered chuckles from Gauff’s opponent, as well as from fans in the stands, before a ball kid finally delivered the racquets a few minutes later.

“The most important thing is to play with a racquet. So I was getting through the first step!” Gauff joked in her post-match press conference.

“After that, maybe it probably relaxed me going into the match, because it was just such a funny thing. I'm just happy to get through today—and I will remember my racquets for next time.”

Thankfully that was the only blip for Gauff in an otherwise flawless opening match, as she broke Gadecki six times in two sets to secure the 6-2, 6-2 victory. The No. 2 seed will next face qualifier Tereza Valentova of the Czech Republic.

The rest of Gauff’s pre-match moment on Tuesday was just as memorable—but this time, for much more stylish reasons.

The American turned heads as she wore a chic Vanson Leathers bomber-style jacket during her walk-on to Chatrier, before shedding it to reveal another layer for her warm-up. Gauff’s matching dark gray and blue metallic manicure added to the edgy look.

“Honestly, that was all up to New Balance,” Gauff told Tennis.com afterward. “I knew the kit that I was wearing because we tried it on, obviously. But they gave me the leather jacket.

“I saw it this week and I was like, Oh, wow, that's fire… I think it's cool.

“I feel like it matches the Parisian vibe here, and it just makes me feel super powerful going onto the court.”

The 2023 US Open champion’s tennis dress kept the blue-gray theme going, featuring a fitted racerback bodice and a flowing, asymmetrical pleated skirt. The dark blue, marble-esque print felt reminiscent of clay-court marks, coordinating perfectly with her familiar headband.

To complete the look, Gauff wore a cream and blue-gray colorway of her signature Coco CG2 sneakers in honor of New Balance’s “Grey Days”—a brand-wide homage to the Boston-based sportswear giant’s favorite color.

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The world No. 2 says that there will be more walk-on fashion moments to come, as she taps the creative minds at New Balance for ways to “spice” up her on-court looks.

“I talked to them (about) how I always wanted to spice up my walk-on outfits,” Gauff explained. “I feel you can do a lot because you're not playing.

“We talked about doing a leather jacket and we talked about doing other stuff… I don't want to say 'cause in case we actually do it.”