NEW YORK — The tennis star does not know which of her extended family members or friends ticked off her mother.But on the eve of the U.S. Open, the busiest time of year for many players, especially past champions in New York who are also American, someone had worn on Candi Gauff’s nerves enough to make her pick up the phone and start typing.“Dear family and friends,” she wrote on Instagram alongside a picture of her daughter, Coco Gauff, posing with the trophy she’d recently won at the Cincinnati Open.“I apologize in advance for this blunt, but necessary statement. I know you are very excited about Coco playing in the [sic] US Open. Me too!!! Coco’s guest ticket request have already been accounted for. Unfortunately, I will not be able to hook you up with a ticket. Please make arrangements to purchase a ticket. Side note, never ask for more than 2 tickets. Coco is grown now and she has her own friends that she is honoring tickets for the match. Thank you for your continued support.”U.S. Open 2026 previewAva Wallace and Jen KlocknerHer post resonated. “Say it louder for the people in the back,” Jessica Pegula wrote in a comment.“That was the best thing I’ve ever seen,” Frances Tiafoe said when asked about it in a news conference.“There you go, Mrs. Gauff,” Ben Shelton said, nodding, when he was told about the message.Candi Gauff, well known on the tennis circuit and a fixture in her daughter’s cheering section during matches, got a knowing chuckle out of every player who was asked about the post.While U.S. Open ticket prices surging on resale markets has caused fans plenty of angst this year, the allocation dance, and the hangers-on that might accompany it, causes issues for players too. No player truly loses sleep over handling their ticket requests, but it is a universal — and rather icky — experience, getting an out-of-the-blue text from a distant acquaintance or out-of-touch family member asking for Grand Slam tickets.