The kids gathered in Joe Brown Park in New Orleans East, tennis shoes laced tight and rackets in hand, unaware they’d soon get a chance to share the court with a champion.

Coco Gauff, the world No. 3 ranked women's tennis player and winner of the 2023 U.S. Open and 2025 French Open, arrived at the park on Monday afternoon.

She surprised dozens of players from A’s & Aces, a year-round tennis and tutoring program that partners with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission, as she worked with them in a tennis clinic and celebrated the refurbishment of the courts through a U.S. Tennis Association program created after her 2023 U.S. Open victory.

“If it bounces, you’re safe,” Gauff told the younger kids during a game where they tried to catch a ball hit from the other side of the ne

See Full Page