Coco Gauff Named Player-Owner of Florida Flamingos in Revived League

Coco Gauff was named player-owner of the Florida Flamingos Racquet Club on Sept. 24, 2026, as World Team Tennis returns for its 47th edition. The 22-year-old two-time Grand Slam singles champion, raised in Delray Beach, Florida, is set to play home matches Dec. 14 and 15 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, home of the NHL's Florida Panthers. The league will run only that month with six matches total, two each in Florida, New York and Toronto for the Empire Racquet Club and North Racquet Club. The format is four singles sets plus a mixed doubles super tiebreaker. In a statement Thursday, Gauff said, "Growing the sport through team competition and making it more accessible are two things I love, and WTT does both. I'm looking forward to playing at home in front of my family and friends in South Florida. It's not often, as a tennis player, that we get to compete as part of a team, so I'm excited for the new experience, not only for myself but, even more importantly, for the fans." Sources differ on the founding year: one says 1973 and another 1974, with Billie Jean King listed as a co-founder.