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Coco Gauff after defeating Karolina Muchova in the semifinals of the 2026 Miami Open
Credit: Rich Storry/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Coco Gauff revealed the reason why she's wearing a rare hat at the 2026 Miami Open after winning the semifinals on Thursday, March 26
- The tennis star, 22, explained how the accessory is strategic in her success as she advances to the finals even though she doesn't like it herself
- She will take on Miami Open defending champ and current world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the women's finals on Saturday, March 28
Coco Gauff is trying something new.
The two-time Grand Slam champion, 22, is locked into a style-specific, superstitious habit at the 2026 Miami Open, rocking an accessory foreign to the typical fashion she sports on the court during tournaments — a hat.
Gauff explained her decision to wear a baseball cap — specifically, the same baseball cap — for each match played throughout the Florida-based competition, revealing that it's something she's not necessarily a fan of doing despite the style streak that's been going strong since practice.
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Coco Gauff plays a match againt Karolina Muchova in the semifinals of the 2026 Miami Open.
Credit: Rich Storry/Getty
"I actually don't like it at all," the tennis star said when asked by the Tennis Channel about her newly-entered "hat era" during her post-match interview following her win against Karolína Muchová of Czechia during their semi-final match at the Miami Open on Thursday, March 26.
"It started because I was practicing with it because I didn't feel like doing my hair that day. I just kept with it, and then I won my first round and I was like, well, I have to keep this... keep the same look the whole tournament, but I don't think it's coming back to be honest," Gauff explained of her black hat.
Given the superstitious nature of the cap, the Tennis Channel host questioned the athlete's decision to nix the hat at future tournaments if the hat is in part the reason why she wins this tournament.
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Coco Gauff of the United States.
Credit: Rich Storry/Getty
"The crazy thing is, I only have one hat so I've been washing it every day at home," the tennis star revealed with a laugh. "New Balance never thought to send me hats because I don't wear hats, and I told them to stop sending me hats actually — but I think this is one and done."
She added, "This hat has been through it this week... also I don't like how the photos look, I just don't like it. But you know — it got the job done this week and yeah, it's retired after this."
Instead of wearing the hat at future tournaments if she wins the Miami Open, Gauff suggested the idea of retiring the accessory the way LeBron James did with the protective mask he debuted on the court after breaking his nose in February 2014.
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Coco Gauff celebrates after defeating Sorana Cirstea on March 23, 2026.
Credit: Rich Storry/Getty
The NBA star, who quickly became known as "Masked LeBron" during that dominant era, wore a carbon-fiber mask for four games that season. Like Gauff, his performance was notable, averaging 35 points and recording a career-high 61 points in one of those games.
"If I win this tournament... you know how they have LeBron with the mask? It can be Coco with the hat, just be retired and left like that," she said with a laugh.
Next, Gauff will take on world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Miami Open Finals on Saturday, March 28 at Hard Rock Stadium. The Belarusian tennis player, who is the tournament's defending champion, advances after defeating Elena Rybakina 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals.
While Gauff hasn't been known to be very superstitious herself, her dad, Corey Gauff, has admitted to being habitual while spectating his daughter's matches. In June 2025, he revealed his own strategy for how he "watches" her play.
Corey was notably missing in the player's box during his daughter's victorious French Open match last year, telling the Today show that he's typically wandering the hallways of various stadiums listening to music to suppress the nerves he gets when watching.
For the father of three, his method is working, Coco said in an interview on TNT during her French Open run.
"So after Wimbledon I lost first round [in 2023] and was like, ‘Okay dad, we both agreed that you shouldn’t sit in the box. We can go at it, because I just can’t with the reactions', " she said at the time. "He is a kind of superstitious guy so he was like, 'Okay whatever!’ " she added.
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