Coco Gauff has grabbed attention with her amusing remarks after triumphing over Marta Kostyuk to reach the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open. The American’s comments were inadvertently perceived by tennis fans as a subtle reference to Nick Kyrgios, who has been provisionally suspended from professional tennis after testing positive for cocaine at the Mallorca Championships in June.
How Tennis Fans Reacted to Coco Gauff’s Cincinnati Open Remarks
After Gauff won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open, she was asked at her press conference whether she would have liked O.T. Genasis’ song “CoCo” to be played during her moment of triumph, given its famous lyrics, “I’m in Love with the Coco.”
The American quickly dismissed the idea, pointing out that the lyrics did not refer to her name but were rather a euphemism for cocaine. She also made it clear that she would prefer fans not to sing the song in the stands.
“No, I did not want them to play that because it does not mean my name. It means something else. (Laughter.) But sometimes people in the crowd do say that, and I’m, like, yeah, that’s cute, but please no,” Gauff said.
However, Gauff appears to have gained a newfound appreciation for the chant during her dominant 6-2, 6-2 win over Marta Kostyuk in the 2026 Cincinnati Open quarterfinals. In her on-court interview, the 22-year-old welcomed the “right” use of the lyrics before bursting into laughter and moving on.
“I don’t know who was saying ‘I’m in love with the Coco,’ but I like that one. That was a good one. And it’s the right Coco!” Gauff said in her on-court interview.
Coco Gauff to the crowd after beating Kostyuk in Cincinnati
“I don’t know who was saying ‘I’m in love with the Coco,’ but I like that one. That was a good one. And it’s the right Coco!”
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/Wp0cjVzCgD
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 22, 2026
With the remarks coming just days after news broke that Nick Kyrgios had tested positive for cocaine, and the meaning behind the lyrics, fans interpreted Gauff’s words as an unintentional potshot at the Australian.
“I know this was unintentional but i still love her for it, all coco haters will go to hell,” one fan commented.
“Coco realized too late that she’d just taken a shot at Nick Kyrgios ⛄,” another fan posted.
Fans continued to joke about the world No. 4 throwing shade at Kyrgios with her choice of words.
“”The right Coco” made me laugh so hard. Kyrgios caught a stray,” a fan wrote.
“The way she said “its the right coco” with zero hesitation and full eye contact with the crowd is sending me she knows exactly what shes doing,” said another.
MORE: Marta Kostyuk Hurls Her Racket in Frustration As Coco Gauff Dominates Cincinnati Open Showdown
On the tennis front, Coco Gauff is set to lock horns with Sára Bejlek in the semifinals of the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati, marking their first tour-level encounter. While Gauff brings greater experience on the biggest stages, Bejlek is riding high on momentum after beating Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys, setting the stage for a highly anticipated semifinal.
