Coco Gauff enjoys overdue In-N-Out, connects with fans after Indian Wells exit

INDIAN WELLS, Calif.—Coco Gauff shared an unforgettable trip to In-N-Out and subsequent encounter with a family of Coco superfans after a disappointing exit from the BNP Paribas Open on her social media on Saturday.

Gauff endured a 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-2 defeat to 2022 finalist Maria Sakkari, snapping a 20-match winning streak on U.S. that saw her win titles in Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, and the US Open. All that winning, Gauff revealed on Daria Kasatkina’s *What The Vlog?* YouTube series, meant she had never found time to try the famous west-coast burger chain.

“Solid 8/10 burger was good!” was Gauff’s official review. “I think the fries could be more crispy.”

However, the culinary adventure paled in comparison to the company: Gauff got a chance to meet the Rowley family, who wrote the 20-year-old a heartfelt note in addition to picking up the tab on her meal.

“Thanks for being an amazing role model,” the note reads. “You were one heck of a fighter tonight. We sure love you!”

“Human connections like this means a lot, expecially after a tough loss,” Gauff wrote on her stories, having addressed the importance of drawing strength from positive voices—both off-court and online.

“I started on tour at 15, and, you know, went from overwhelming positive response to, now there's pressure that you have to win and to where every loss was negative comments,” Gauff explained after reaching the semifinals at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

“It's just like you either use it to help you or use it to hurt you or completely ignore it, and ignoring it wasn't an option. You see it, so I just use it to help me. I think you just have to make that choice for yourself and see what works best for you.”

Gauff will doubtless find similarly strong support—and her beloved Shake Shack—when she arrives for what is effectively her home tournament at the Miami Open next week.