Coco Gauff talks about playing with Rafa Nadal

Coco Gauff is talking about her mixed doubles dreams partner. Gauff is currently playing at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, a beloved tennis tournament with some of the greats in attendance. She was asked about her dream mixed double partners, sharing some names, including Rafa Nadal.

Gauff shared that she’d love to play with Ben Shelton, the 21 year old American player who’s slowly become an exciting contestant to watch. “I mean for fun I would just say Ben Shelton,” she said. “But he’s not a dream. That could easily happen.” The comment sparked laughs from the room, with Gauff clarifying that she’s already talked about that opportunity with Shelton himself.

Since the match with Shelton is no longer a dream, she revealed her true answer: “Probably Rafa then.”

Players like Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, and Angelique Keber shared that their dream mixed doubles partner would also be Rafa, making him a very popular choice. It makes sense though; aside from his incredible career in singles, Nadal has a great record with doubles, winning gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016. The win made him the first male player to complete a Career Golden Slam, winning gold in both doubles and singles at the Olympics.

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Nadal’s announcement that he would be dropping out of the Indian Wells tournament

Last week, Rafael Nadal announced he’d be dropping out of the Indian Wells tournament. He didn’t provide much context for the decision, but he’s been plagued with injuries over the past year that have complicated his tennis comeback. “I have been working hard and practicing and you all know I took a test this weekend but I don’t find myself ready to play at the highest level at such an important event,” he said in an Instagram statement.