Fresh off a whirlwind stretch on tour, Coco Gauff offered fans a glimpse into her off-court personality, sharing her fascination with space travel. In the early hours of the morning, the American star found herself wide awake due to jet lag and tuned in to watch the historic Artemis II splashdown.
A Closer Look at Coco Gauff’s Rollercoaster 2026 Sunshine Double Campaign
Gauff recently wrapped up her 2026 Sunshine Double campaign after a stretch of high-pressure matches. Her run got off to a rocky start at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where she was forced to retire during her third-round clash against Alexandra Eala.
Despite opening with a straight-sets win over Kamilla Rakhimova, Gauff found herself in trouble against Eala, managing just over a set before withdrawing due to a nerve issue in her left arm. Although the initial reaction from her camp raised concerns, an MRI later confirmed there was no structural damage, allowing her to quickly regroup ahead of Miami.
Competing in Miami, Gauff made a breakthrough by reaching the final of her home tournament for the first time, where she was beaten by world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Following her standout run in Miami, Gauff spent some time recovering at home in Florida before traveling to Germany, where she will begin her clay season at the Stuttgart Open (April 13-19).
Days later, still adjusting her body clock after travel, she stayed up until 2:45 a.m. watching the Artemis II splashdown. The mission, which concluded on April 10, 2026, saw astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen safely return after a 10-day journey around the Moon, marking humanity’s first such return in more than 50 years.
MORE: Coco Gauff, Iga Świątek Enjoy Bonding With Eva Lys After Arriving in Stuttgart
How Did Gauff Blend Space Fascination With Pop Culture in Her Post?
Gauff shared a picture on Instagram Stories of herself watching the broadcast. She added a pop culture twist in her caption, referencing Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and its iconic “David and Lucy” moon promise, tying her fascination with space to pop culture. She wrote, “Jet lag chronicles but this was really cool to watch. I want to go to the moon like lucy and david but you’re not nerdy enough to understand that.”
Looking ahead, Gauff will be making her fifth appearance in the WTA 500 event in Stuttgart. The American’s history at the Stuttgart Open reflects a steady evolution on indoor clay. After early exits in 2022 and 2023, she reached consecutive quarterfinals in 2024 and 2025. Her 2024 run was highlighted by a narrow three-set loss to Marta Kostyuk, while her 2025 performance served as a vital warm-up for her subsequent French Open title.
In doubles, Gauff found immediate success by reaching the final in her 2022 debut alongside Zhang Shuai, eventually losing to Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs.
