Coco Gauff 'has to flex' as she gushes about basketball-inspired signature New Balance shoes

While Coco Gauff's custom New Balance match kit at the Australian Open pays homage to one of her favorite hobbies, the latest iteration of Gauff's signature shoe, the Coco CG2, is a nod to one of her dad's.

"My dad played basketball, and he always wanted me to play basketball, and he put me in unwillingly," Gauff joked with Jelena Dokic after a three-set comeback against Belinda Bencic in Saturday's fourth round in Melbourne. "These shoes are inspired by basketball shoes, which is why they look kind of higher. I wanted them to look like basketball shoes."

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Gauff launched her signature CG1 in the summer of 2022, with the second installment unveiling last summer and taking inspiration from the New Balance 550 line that has its roots in '90s-era hoops. In that time, she's expiremented with a variety of bold colorways on her high-top sneaker, including a design by her younger brother Cameron; an off-court version inspired by a tennis ball; and red, white and blue pairs when she's played for her country.

She's added to the catalogue with a white and marsh green version of the CG2s, dubbed the AO Colorway, for the year's first Grand Slam tournament that also wouldn't look out of place on the hardwood.

"New Balance and I, we're always looking to do things that haven't been done in tennis before, and I think this is one of the first shoes of its kind," she said.

"Also, I have to flex, but I am the only current active player with a signature shoe on tour, so I'm really happy and proud of that."

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Gauff signed with New Balance at 14 years old, and the American's latest on-court style capsule represents how her collaboration with the brand continues to push the boundaries of what's possible in athletic wear.

"They are really like family to me," she told *Essence* magazine last year. "Over the last six years, I’ve grown so much as an athlete and person, both on and off the tennis court. The New Balance team has been there for every step of my journey and truly let me be myself when it comes to product and design."