Reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff has returned to the prestigious tournament to defend her title, facing off in the first round on Tuesday against fellow American player Taylor Townsend at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris. Naturally, Gauff was ready to play with her signature New Balance tennis shoes on her feet.
Gauff laced up her New Balance Coco CG2 sneakers — her second signature shoe with the Boston-based athletic brand she first partnered with in 2018 when she was only 14. Evolving from the debut signature model, the CG2 features an unconventional mid-cut silhouette to shake things up. It also includes a dual-density FuelCell midsole equipped with a carbon fiber plate — offering comfort, the feeling of energy return, and stability. Gauff debuted the new faded black, sea salt, off-line grey, and light raspberry colorway, which accented her gray ruffled socks and custom dress featuring a pleated skirt and mesh overlay in a palette of grays accented by pink.
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The full New Balance look is completed with a walk-on asymmetric zip jacket outfitted with zipper cuffs and shoulder pads in homage to Paris, the world’s fashion capital.
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“As everyone knows, Paris is my favorite city and this kit captures everything I love about it — elegance and sophistication with a little bit of edge,” Gauff said in a statement. “Returning to Paris after winning here last year is really special. We wanted to create something that lets me feel confident, while honoring the fashion and culture that makes the city so iconic.”
Alongside the release of the new CG2 colorway is a new Coco Delray tennis shoe available in a pink salt with black colorway.
Gauff’s CG2 was released in August 2024, following the launch of the first signature shoe in August 2022. The athlete’s long-term relationship with New Balance has also overlapped into a collaboration with Miu Miu, which earned the Footwear News Achievement Award for Collaboration of the Year in 2025.
When presenting the brands with the award at the event, she said as part of her remarks, “I am so lucky to have been able to work closely with both of these brands individually and also collectively. So thank you to New Balance and Miu Miu for allowing me to be a small part of their vision.”
Meanwhile, Guaff was honored as Style Influencer of the Year.