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Coco Gauff reveals she left Carlos Alcaraz on read in 2019 before he won the US Open

Awkward DMs aside, it’s safe to say they definitely remember each other now

MAY 28, 2025 8:50 PM EDTMAY 28, 2025, 8:50 PM EDT

Coco Gauff just shared the kind of confession that’ll make anyone double-check their DMs. Gauff is one of the biggest names on the women's side when it comes to tennis, and on the men's side, one of the biggest is Carlos Alcaraz. But before he won the US Open in 2022, he was just a dude she didn't remember.

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates with the championship trophy after defeating Casper Ruud of Norway during the US Open

In a recent interview with the Bleacher Report, the 20-year-old tennis star opened up about ghosting Alcaraz years before he became globally recognized. The outlet asked her what the funniest DM she has ever received was when she revealed, “I think I did well at Wimbledon in 2019, and Alcaraz actually DMed me saying ‘Hey Coco, do you remember me?’” she said. “Because we apparently won the Junior Fed Cup at the same time, both our countries. And I didn’t remember him, so I didn’t respond.”

Cori Gauff celebrates her win against Venus Williams on day one of the Wimbledon Championships 2019

At the time, Gauff had just burst onto the scene at Wimbledon, famously defeating Venus Williams at just 15 years old. Alcaraz, meanwhile, was still relatively unknown outside of the junior circuit. But that changed in a big way in 2022 when he was a powerhouse at the US Open and beat Casper Ruud in four sets to win his first Grand Slam title.

At 19, he became the youngest man to win the tournament since Pete Sampras in 1990 and the youngest-ever world No. 1 in ATP history. Once Alcaraz made headlines worldwide, Gauff remembered the missed DM. “I DMed him congratulations,” she said, laughing. “But if you look at our DMs, our spread is like, ‘Hey, do you remember me?’ and me DMing him congratulations. I felt bad that I didn’t respond.”