Coco Gauff is certainly not making things easy for her mother, Candi, in her player’s box at the 2026 Italian Open. The world No. 4’s mother revealed how she has been relying on her faith amid the nerve-wracking moments of her daughter’s campaign, which is made easier by being in Rome, a city known for having more churches than anywhere else in the world.
Coco Gauff’s Mother Has Been ‘Praying a Lot’ During the Italian Open
Although Gauff has reached the semifinals of the Italian Open, her journey at the WTA 1000 event has been very tumultuous. Apart from her dominant 6-3, 6-4 win over Tereza Valentová in her opening match, the No. 3 seed has had to battle back from a set down against both Solana Sierra and Iva Jovic while also saving a match point against her fellow American.
This pattern continued in her blockbuster quarterfinal clash against No. 8 seed Mirra Andreeva. After dropping the opening set, the 22-year-old squandered four match points before finally capitalizing on her fifth opportunity to secure a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory and advance to the semifinals.
Following her win, a tennis analyst shared a thorough breakdown of Gauff’s performance while giving full props to the world No. 4’s mother for her unwavering composure on the sidelines. The post was captioned, “Need Mama Gauff to start her own meditation practice at this point.”
“We all know Coco Gauff is mentally strong, but we don’t talk enough about how strong Mama Gauff is. Because if my daughter kept playing all these titanic, tussling type of matches, they’d need to send me to the ER,” @christianscourt said.
MORE: ‘I’ve Been a Little On Edge’: Coco Gauff Reveals Secret for Calming Her Nerves Before Rome Matches
In response, Candi Gauff humorously revealed that although she does not pray for wins, she has visited several churches in Rome to seek blessings for her daughter during her chaotic campaign while also praying for her two sons.
“There are a lot of churches in Rome. Just say I have visited several. I do pray a lot. A mom’s job is never done, including for my two sons. (BTW I don’t pray for wins)🙏🏾,” she commented.
In addition to praying for her daughter, Gauff’s mother has also been welcome company for the 22-year-old in Rome. Amid her campaign, the two-time Grand Slam champion shed light on how they celebrated Mother’s Day with a fun dinner outing together.
“I also do like having some days, I was able to walk around and take my mom to dinner for Mother’s Day. It is nice to have the days in between,” Gauff said in a press conference at the Italian Open.
“I’m not afraid of trying new things. I’m someone that will do new things. I don’t know, if I really like a place, I’ll go back. I already went back to this one restaurant twice. I was going to go again yesterday, but my mom was like, Let’s change it up.”
Both Coco Gauff and her mother will now be hoping for a more straightforward win against Sorana Cîrstea in the semifinals of the WTA 1000 event. However, that may be easier said than done since the pair’s recent encounters in Miami and Madrid both stretched to three sets. Nevertheless, the American can take confidence from her 3-0 winning record against Cîrstea.
