- American tennis star Coco Gauff paid a visit to streaming convention TwitchCon on Sunday.
- While there, she said she was continually mistaken for a streamer.
Coco Gauff may be one of the most famous stars in tennis these days, but when she visited streaming convention TwitchCon on Sunday, she was but a face in the crowd.
"A lot of people were looking at my badge and were like, 'Are you a streamer?'," Gauff, who is an avid fan of Twitch and YouTube, told WTA Tennis.
"I said was here for a tennis tournament, but I saw this next door and was like, 'I want to go.'"
Despite not being recognized, however, she still had a whirl at the event in San Diego.
"I got to see some of the people I've been watching online for years in person," said the 18-year-old. "I got to meet some of my favorite creators.
"I had a great time and I was glad I was able to go."
—Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) October 9, 2022
Gauff credits watching Twitch and YouTube with her recent fine form on the court.
"I'm more stress-free," the American, who is at a career-high World No. 8 following her run to the French Open final and US Open quarters, told WTA Tennis.
"It was a big transition for me because I felt like I was surrounding my life with tennis.
"I realized that I have other interests and it's OK to embrace it," she added. "I started doing that in Paris, that's where it all started for me, and I found my results were much better. I realized it was the complete opposite of what I needed to do."
At TwitchCon, Gauff got to meet her favorite streamers, including Valkyrae – a prominent Fortnite player who was named on Forbes' 30 Under 30 List 2022.
Gauff shared a photo with Valkyrae on Twitter, calling the meet one of her "top three favorite moments" ever.
"Thank you for being so sweet and spreading so much positivity in the world," she said of Valkyrae, real name Rachell Hofstetter. "You are such a light."