The American defeated Uzbekistan’s Rakhimova in the first round and took to the court with a new look in tribute to Jannik

There was little doubt that Jannik Sinner had become an icon in the world of tennis. But given the Italian’s understated style, it was quite unexpected that some of his colleagues would go so far as to imitate his look. Instead, in Melbourne, on the courts of the Women’s Australian Open, here’s the surprise: Coco Gauff, winner of the last Roland Garros and the 2023 US Open, former tennis prodigy, took the court for her first-round match against Uzbek Rakhimova with her hair dyed red.

Coco Gauff’s red hair—  “I thought it was a good idea since there’s a guy with red hair on the tour who’s doing pretty well,” she joked later at the press conference. “Jannik has a great winning record here, whereas I don’t.” The Italian, on the other hand, heads into the Australian Open tomorrow on the back of two consecutive titles, while the American has never gone past the semifinals, which she reached in 2024. Will the new look be enough to change her story in Australia?