American star Coco Gauff has joined the list of stars to receive a warm welcome and a heartwarming gift in Perth as she arrived for the 2026 United Cup outdoor mixed-gender hard court tournament, which will be held across Perth and Sydney in the RAC Arena and the Ken Rosewall Arena.
Gauff also headlined the 2025 United Cup tournament with Taylor Fritz and others, and lifted the trophy after defeating Poland in the final.
Coco Gauff Receives Her Plushie As She Arrives at Perth To Defend Team USA’s Title
The current World No. 3 is coming off a notable 2025 season, during which she captured the French Open by defeating World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. She also won the doubles title at the Canadian Open with partner McCartney Kessler, posting a 48-16 win-loss record for the season.
Apart from these feats, she reached the finals of the Madrid Open, the Wuhan Open, and the Italian Open; the semifinals of the China Open; and the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters and the Boss Open.
Before starting with the first Grand Slam of the year, Gauff is gearing up for the 2026 United Cup, as she returns with Taylor Fritz, along with Varvara Lepchenko, Nicole Melichar-Martinez, Mackenzie McDonald, and Christian Harrison, to defend her country’s title.
The tournament will feature 18 countries and will be held from January 2 to 11, with Team USA being the two-time champions. Upon arriving at the airport, Gauff received a plush koala bear, accompanied by Arnott’s TimTams and a small American flag. The WTA star, who was admirably surprised by the gesture, donned athletic wear with a light pink New Balance t-shirt and lowers.
Through their Instagram post, the United Cup shared the heartwarming moment with the caption, “Queen @cocogauff back to defend Team USA’s title 🇺🇸.”
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Through her recent Instagram story, Gauff also shared a glimpse of the expansive tennis arena, featuring a stunning blue-coloured court. The bright spotlights illuminated the area, highlighted by the light purple racquet and balls on a purple table with Gauff’s caption, “PM 6️⃣ 1️⃣1️⃣ straight to the courts 😄”
Along with Team USA, Canada, Italy, Australia, Great Britain, Germany, Belgium, France, Poland, Spain, Czechia, Greece, Japan, Argentina, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, and China will participate in the tournament.
