Coco Gauff has something to confess: She’s been nervous.
But the 22-year-old tennis phenom, speaking over the phone after an early August training session, isn’t referring to the National Bank Open in Toronto, where in a few days she would begin a run to the semifinal. Nor is she talking about the U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, a tournament that will eventually pit her against Mirra Andreeva in a highly anticipated quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
In 2025, Gauff launched a production company called iROC Media Group and shortly thereafter partnered with Religion of Sports, the Los Angeles-based studio founded by Tom Brady, Michael Strahan and Gotham Chopra, to produce a range of projects. The joint venture a few weeks ago released its first original offering: a pair of shortform documentaries for the Tennis Channel covering the history of fashion in the sport and the story of Zina Garrison, the first Black woman to reach a Grand Slam singles final in the Open era.
The addition of “executive producer” to Gauff’s résumé — alongside two-time Grand Slam singles champion, U.S. flag-bearer at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the youngest player to ever qualify for the Wimbledon main draw at just 15 years old — has caused some jitters.
