What Coco Gauff Enterprises With WME Signals About the Future of Athlete Entrepreneurs

Coco Gauff has taken fearless swings on the tennis court. Now, she is doing the same off it.

The 21-year-old tennis phenom, currently ranked No. 3 in the world and the highest-paid female athlete globally, is launching Coco Gauff Enterprises in partnership with WME, signaling a decisive step into athlete-led entrepreneurship.

She calls it “a major move” that will allow her to “take greater ownership” of her career.

The announcement marks the end of Coco Gauff’s long-standing representation with Team 8, the boutique agency co-founded by Roger Federer and Tony Godsick. “I will always be grateful for everything they have done for me and my family,” she wrote in a social post. But the pivot to WME comes with a clear vision: expansion, not just in endorsement deals, but in direction.

She described it as “a venture that reflects my passion for making an impact, not just in tennis, but in business, philanthropy, and beyond.”

Athlete First, CEO in the Making

The creation of Coco Gauff Enterprises aligns with what she has quietly been building over the past few years: not just a personal brand, but a business portfolio. Already partnered with industry heavyweights like New Balance, Rolex, Head, Fanatics, Carol’s Daughter, and Naked Juice, Gauff has curated a dozen brand alignments that do more than leverage her image; they reflect a calculated approach to long-term value.

“I am definitely more involved when it comes to making decisions and working with brands,” Coco Gauff said in an interview last year, referencing how her father initially limited her participation in business matters. 

That dynamic has since shifted. 

“I think for me, I have learned a lot about contracts in general and the wording in them,” she explained. “My dad loves to teach me about that, and how you have to be very literal. Everything has to be in writing. I am just learning about the legal side of it all.”

It’s the kind of education few 21-year-olds have access to, let alone apply with this level of visibility.

“I am trying to maximize as much as possible when doing partnerships like this,” Coco Gauff says, describing her efforts to secure equity where possible. Her aim is legacy, not just visibility. “Something that I can invest in and stay in for any future children or grandchildren.”

The decision to launch her own enterprise with WME may be her most telling move yet. It situates her not only among a new generation of athletes owning their narrative but within a more elite circle of those shaping industries around their platforms.

The WME Playbook

The timing could not be better for WME either. The agency, now under the consolidated WME Group following Silver Lake’s acquisition of Endeavor, continues expanding its sports and entertainment verticals. It also represents top-tier tennis players like Serena Williams, Iga Świątek, and Carlos Alcaraz. But Coco Gauff brings a different kind of energy, one rooted in cultural fluency, generational influence, and intentional impact.

“I am excited to build something that allows me to take greater ownership of my career while also creating opportunities that extend beyond myself as I continue to grow as an athlete, entrepreneur, and changemaker,” she said.

Still, the core remains the same: tennis comes first.

“Tennis is the number-one priority, and it is crucial to work with brands who recognize that and work with that,” she emphasized. “They know tennis is what I love and what I do, and everything else is an added plus. Tennis is my DNA, so there have been times things have not worked out [with a brand] because I could not guarantee the amount of time they wanted.”

The vision for Coco Gauff Enterprises is still being defined, but the foundation is clear: intentional growth, long-term ownership, and purpose-led influence.

“This is just the beginning of an exciting new era for me,” she writes, “and there is much more to come, which I will be excited to share in due time.”

She has taken control of the story. The rest is hers to write. And it won’t be surprising if she reshapes how athlete brands are built in the years ahead.