Coco Gauff enjoys herself on Christmas Eve before defending WTA title in New Zealand

Christmas is officially over, and for those who celebrate the holiday, it was hopefully, full of fun. Tennis star Coco Gauff made sure that she enjoyed herself before getting back on the court in New Zealand and Australia. On Christmas Eve, she attended a Dolphins game at Hard Rock Stadium with her supportive family. The tennis professional shared a gallery of photos and videos of the experience, which looked epic.

“Christmas Eve + dolphins W = a good ole jolly time” she captioned the gallery. In the mix of memories were adorable selfies and videos with her parents and siblings as they watched the game on the field. The 19-year-old happily smiled with her two younger brothers, Cody and Cameron.

After the game, Gauff, who recently visited Disney World, went straight to her suitcase and packed for a big trip to Australia and New Zealand. The athlete will be defending her ASB Classic and aims to take home the Australian Open title.

On Monday, the highest-paid female athlete of 2023, reposted a hilarious meme to her Instagram story apologizing to those she did not text on a Merry Christmas. “If I didn’t text you saying Merry Christmas we still gang I’m just lazy,” it said. Gauff wrote over the pic, “basically packed for 3-4 hours on Christmas day for this Australia/New Zealand trip. Love y’all lol just got lazy,” with a crying face emoji.

This will be the third time the teenager plays the classic in Auckland, New Zealand, and she will defend her 2023 title. The women’s classic will run January 1-7, followed by the men’s tournament from January 8-13.

© Getty

But it won’t be the only country she plays in because she will be participating in the 2024 Australian Open. Last year, she was eliminated from the singles draw in the fourth round after Jeļena Ostapenko beat her 7–5, 6–3.

This year, Gauff enters the tournaments as the game’s newest major champion after winning the U.S. Open for her first Grand Slam title. The fan favorite is ranked number three in the world in both singles and doubles and may find herself with another victory. The tournamen runs from Sun, Jan 14, 2024 – Sun, Jan 28, 2024.