Coco Gauff Reveals the One Person She Knows ‘Will Always Pick Up’ for Her (Exclusive)

Coco Gauff tells PEOPLE there’s one person she knows will “always pick up” for her in an interview ahead of the 2026 US Open

Gauff says she’s “grateful” to her family, who she’s “been calling a lot lately” for their continued support

The tennis star also shares why she chooses Naked Smoothies for her daily nutrients

Coco Gauff has a strong support system.

The 22-year-old tennis star tells PEOPLE she was “in a tough spot in my game” at last year’s US Open, where she lost in the fourth round to Naomi Osaka. This year, she’s changed her serve and says she’s “really happy I was able to make that change, and just, I don’t know, be happy and normal on the court instead of stressing about something like I was last year.”

In addition to her coaches, Jean-Christophe Faurel and Gavin MacMillan, Gauff says she relies on the support of a therapist, her journal and her family.

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Coco Gauff with her parents Corey and Candi on Sept. 12, 2019
Credit: Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Gauff has “been calling” her family “a lot” these days. “I’ve been calling them a lot, bothering them when I’m bored, and they’ve been picking up the phone, so I’m definitely grateful to them always,” she says.

The tennis star, who also relies on Naked Smoothies for an everyday energy boost, says there’s one person in particular who picks up the phone every time she calls.

“Have you seen those memes where it’s like, ‘Who can you call right now for a billion dollars?'” Gauff asks. “That’s definitely my youngest brother, Cameron. I know he’ll always pick up.”

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Cameron, 13, has always been a big supporter of his older sister. In 2023, the then-9-year-old even designed a colorway for her New Balance sneakers.

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Coco Gauff at the 2023 US Open on September 09, 2023
Credit: Sarah Stier/Getty

But like every teen, Cameron keeps his cool about Coco’s fame. “I think because we’re so apart in age, he was a pretty aware kid, honestly, and I feel like now, he never expresses it to me, but my family always tells me how he is when he’s watching my matches, but he’ll never really say anything more than like, ‘Good job,’ or something,” says the tennis star.

Gauff, who will face Turkey’s Zeynep Sönmez in the first round on Tuesday, Sept. 1, also spoke to PEOPLE about her US Open preparation. She says her partnership with Naked Smoothies is seamless because she prefers drinking her nutrients over eating them. “I drink Naked mainly in between practices or sometimes early in the morning when I don’t have enough time to get a breakfast in, and just try to have constant refuel out the day because I’m not really a snacker,” she says.

“I just find it easier to drink my snack instead of actually physically eating something,” says Gauff. “And it [Naked Blueberry Cheesecake Protein] has 20 grams of protein, no added sugar. So, all the things that I need performance-wise, and it also tastes good, which is crazy that they’re able to make that taste good.”

Read the original article on People