Coco Gauff is Team Ilya Rozanov after "Heated Rivalry" binge at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia—Move over, Challengers: Heated Rivalry has become the hot new sports drama lighting up streams the world over.

And Coco Gauff wants you to watch it.

“I'm their number one fan, I think,” Gauff said after I asked about her enthusiastic review of the series on social media.

Debuting at the start of the November off-season, Heated Rivalry is the wildly successful adaptation of the Rachel Reid romance novel of the same name, one that follows fictional hockey stars Shane Hollandar and Illya Rozanov through a torrid love affair spanning almost a decade across six episodes.

“I just kind of saw people talking about a hockey show, a gay hockey show. That interested me,” Gauff recalled during her Australian Open Media Day press conference. “I was like, ‘Oh, six episodes, perfect.’ I just dove, like, right in.

“Obviously, there's some nice spicy scenes. It's such a beautiful love story, I think. I think that was like the main thing.”

Gauff is part of a growing chorus of fans within the tennis world voraciously consuming the series, including Morgan Riddle—girlfriend of Gauff’s United Cup teammate Taylor Fritz—former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, and even Candi Gauff, who watched it on her daughter’s recommendation.

“She gave it an 8 out of a 10, which is really high because she watches a bunch of shows.

“Yeah, I wanted the world to know about this show. I've been telling everyone. I told Jess Pegula and [Giuliana Olmos] to watch it today. We'll see how much of the WTA I can convince to watch the show.”

In what has quickly become Gen Z’s answer to the Twilight film series’ “Team Edward or Team Jacob” debate, Gauff came down firmly on Team Rozanov, played by Connor Storrie.

“My favorite is Ilya on the show, for sure.”

Fresh off a successful United Cup campaign, Gauff arrives in Melbourne looking to avoid the high drama on offer in Heated Rivalry while still taking home a cup of her own in the form of the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy. Her first step towards that goal will come against Kamilla Rakhimova on Monday.