Coco Gauff shakes off reading slump with French lessons on Duolingo

Last year Coco Gauff celebrated her high school graduation in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and now she’s hitting the books again to add “French speaker” to her growing resume. 

Well, maybe not ‘hitting the books’—as the American has recently said she’s been losing motivation to get through her ambitious reading list this summer. “I’ve been in a reading slump since Wimbledon, to be honest.

So I’m trying to figure that out,” she smiled during a pre-tournament press conference at the Western & Southern Open. “I have a lot of books that I’ve bought, but I haven’t read them. I’m behind on my reading goal for the year, so I don’t know if I’ve just kind of given up on it… “I’ve just been focused on Duolingo lately!”

The American has been learning French in what she called “a slow, very slow process”. She flexed her budding language skills in Paris, where she delighted the crowd with a few French phrases, and recently greeted fans in Montreal in both languages. “I have my longest streak on Duolingo today, which is only 26 days,” she joked in Canada. 

“Yeah, it's not that great. I'm really trying.” It also probably helps her connect with her multilingual team: New coach Pere Riba is Spanish, while her fitness coach is French. Meanwhile, Brad Gilbert, who is working with Gauff as a consultant during a trial through the US Open, seems to speak a language all on his own. 

“Now my team with Pere and Maria, they're trying to teach me Spanish, so my brain is just scrambled,” she explained. “Then Brad is teaching me all of these quirky, I don't even know, Californian '80s sayings? And he is trying to get me to listen to the Eagles. I don't even… I was, like, the Philadelphia Eagles?” Gauff has been racking up new experiences this summer, like winning her biggest title to date at the 500-level Mubadala Citi DC Open two weeks ago. 

But she’s also found time to make even more unforgettable memories off the court, as she recently saw Beyonce in concert for the first time during the artist’s Renaissance World Tour. “It was really cool, I was so excited,” she told Tennis Channel. “I teared up a little bit when she came out. 

I’ve been wanting to go forever. “I’m actually going to another show later this year—I think it’s one of her last stops on the tour.” Gauff, the No. 7 seed in Cincinnati, is into the second round with a bye, where she awaits the winner of qualifier Wang Xiyu and Mayar Sherif.