Coco Gauff shares rare insight into her "first real relationship," her mother Candi reveals special connection to daughter's mystery boyfriend

In a rare turn of events, Coco Gauff has shared an insight into her relationship with her mystery boyfriend.

Gauff disclosed that she had a boyfriend after her triumph at the 2023 US Open, casually mentioning that she had spoken to him for hours at length before the final to avoid getting consumed by the overwhelming thoughts of winning her maiden Grand Slam title.

"Honestly, I didn't have any of those visions till last night. You know, I thought about it, but I told myself to get it out of my head, because that's what I did at French. I was envisioning, you know, what would happen if I would win. I think I wanted it too much," Gauff said during her post-match press conference.

"Last night, I started a little bit, but honestly, I just called my boyfriend, and I told him let's talk until it's time to go to sleep so we spoke until 1:00 a.m. and then I went to sleep," she added.

Despite acknowledging her boyfriend's existence, the American opted to keep his identity under wraps from the public, refraining from even sharing glimpses of him on social media.

However, Coco Gauff recently provided a rare insight into her personal life in an exclusive interview with Time magazine. The American opened up about transitioning into adulthood, admitting that she was initially scared to grow up.

While the 20-year-old shared that she intends to stop living with her parents at some point in her 20s, she emphasized that she doesn't have a timeline set in stone.

"At first I was scared to grow up, but now I’m embracing adulthood and womanhood," Coco Gauff said. "I don’t have a timeline on that. I always say it’ll happen in my 20s at some point."

She also opened up about being in her first real relationship, disclosing that having a confidant who was completely removed from the tennis world allowed her to gain fresh perspectives.

"This is my first real relationship. To just have someone to talk to who is not involved in tennis at all gives me a fresh perspective," she said.

Meanwhile, Coco Gauff's mother, Candi, shed light on her special connection with her daughter's boyfriend, revealing that he had once been a fourth-grade student of hers.

She recalled the World No. 3's boyfriend being a model student, describing him as a "smart, nice" kid in school.

"My mom always said, if they’re bad in school, they’re probably bad as adults. He’s always been a smart, nice kid," Candi said.

Coco Gauff on the identity of her mystery boyfriend: "People on Twitter found him, I won’t confirm if it’s him or not but they caught me"

Coco Gauff recently disclosed some more details about her mystery boyfriend, sharing that he's an aspiring actor with plans to apply to music school.

"He’s a very nice guy. He’s in school now. He’s about to apply for music school. He wants to be an actor and he plays the guitar. He’s not from Delray. He’s actually from Atlanta," Coco Gauff said.

The World No. 3 also humorously admitted that fans uncovered his identity by combing through her social media activity. However, she still refused to confirm his identity or reveal his name.

"And actually, um, I will say this: People on Twitter found him two or three days ago. I won’t respond and confirm if it’s him or not, but they caught me in the comments, so they know. Some people thought it was someone in tennis and that couldn’t be further from the truth,"

Coco Gauff is set to commence her 2024 Madrid Open campaign against Arantxa Rus in the second round.