Before starting her campaign at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships, Coco Gauff participated in several thrilling desert adventures. She took time away from tennis and enjoyed her time in the desert with the rest of her team.
Leading up to the WTA 1000 hard-court tournament in Dubai, Gauff competed in the 2026 Qatar Open, where she lost her opening match to lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto, 4-6, 2-6.
Coco Gauff Takes Part in Desert Adventures With Her Team Ahead of WTA 1000 Dubai Tournament
The 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships started on February 15, 2026, and will run until February 21, 2026. The matches are being held on outdoor hard courts at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Gauff achieved her best result at the tournament in Dubai in 2023. She was seeded fifth and began her run in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. Gauff triumphed over Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Elena Rybakina, and compatriot Madison Keys before being eliminated by the eventual runner-up, Iga Świątek.
This year, before her campaign in Dubai, the former World No. 2 participated in various desert adventures with her team, including coach Jean-Christophe Faurel and hitting partner Johan Tatlot.
Tatlot took to social media and shared a series of pictures and videos showcasing their desert adventures, including dune bashing, quad biking, sandboarding, and more.
“some fun in the desert,” Tatlot captioned the Instagram post.
The two-time singles Grand Slam champion also shared Tatlot’s post on her social media page.
Gauff is seeded third at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships and will begin her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She is set to face the winner of the first-round match between Jeļena Ostapenko and Anna Kalinskaya in her opening match.
Gauff and Kalinskaya have faced each other once before on the WTA Tour, in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships, which Kalinskaya won 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
On the other hand, Gauff and Ostapenko have met three times on the WTA Tour, with the American winning two of those match-ups. Their most recent encounter was in the quarterfinals of the 2023 US Open, where Gauff won 6-0, 6-2. She then went on to defeat Aryna Sabalenka in the final to win the tournament, securing her first Grand Slam singles title.
The winner of the second-round match between Gauff and either Ostapenko or Kalinskaya will advance to face either the 14th seed, Emma Navarro, or Elise Mertens in the third round of the tournament.