BEIJING -- China Open champion Coco Gauff is feeling the love as she works her way through a title defense this week. The 22-year-old American has been flooded with thoughtful gifts from fans, from adorable soft plushies to intricate crafts and homemade signs.
"Every day I've woken up here feeling so much grateful for the amount of people that like me here," Gauff said after her third-round win. "I ask them, 'Why do you guys like me?' They're like, 'We love the personality.'
"For me it means a lot when they say that instead of my tennis or the way I played. It makes me seen more as a person."
Gauff's effervescent personality and earnest appreciation for Chinese culture and her annual trip to Beijing have boosted her local popularity to new heights. Fans have given her the nickname "Fruit Salad Queen", referring to her favorite changeover snack, and "Ambassador of Beijing, given her public affection for the city.
"If it wasn't for tennis, I don't think I would financially be able to afford my way to China," Gauff said. "I definitely would have had the want to come here.
"I will say the Chinese fans have been the nicest fans on tour by far. Just the gifts and everything. I'm going to post a picture at the end of this tournament of all the gifts. It's more gifts than I've gotten on Christmas, and I was a pretty spoiled kid. It's just insane."
Gauff says she's committed to reciprocating that love and loyalty to her Chinese fans.
"Every time someone gives me a gift, it's so personalized. You can tell they've been thinking about this thing or got something made for a couple weeks before I came here. It makes me want to come to this tournament because I don't want someone to make something for me and I don't show up.
"Every time, unless I'm injured, I'm going to definitely come here to Beijing because I love it."
Fans may have spoiled Gauff with their generosity, but the reigning Roland Garros champion still has one more request. After hearing that one of Jessica Pegula's Chinese nicknames is "Capybara", Gauff is looking for an equivalent. After her opening win, Gauff put out an call for a new animal-related nickname.
"There was a fan, his name is Hans," Gauff said. "He told me I'm the wolf. I need to ask him why he chose that. I don't see myself as a wolf. I feel like a wolf is a little bit more serious.
"Maybe I'm like that on the court. Wolves are pretty animals. It's my boyfriend's favorite animal, I'm pretty sure. I'll take it."
"If I had to choose an animal, I really love Orcas, killer whales. I think they're really cool."
-- Courtney Nguyen
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