Coco Gauff's Diet For Peak U.S. Open Performance

The U.S. Open has begun and Coco Gauff is already off to an impressive start. The 19-year-old drew an A-list crowd with former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama cheering her on in her first-round matchup with Laura Siegemund. Gauff defeated her German opponent with a 6-4 win and will now face 16-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva in the second round. Gauff is a favorite to win it all at the tournament this year but doesn't let the pressure get to her. "I'm really trusting the way that I play,” she told Women's Health. “Usually I do go into this tournament with more nerves than the others, but right now, today I'm feeling really confident." While she's been prepping for the event, she hasn't switched up her regime. “I don't do anything different on match day,” she told the outlet. “When I go to practice, I'm not doing anything intense to get in the zone. So I think in the match there's no reason for me to try to do the same. I try to make the matches practice.” To help perform on the court, Gauff stays fueled up with a healthy diet and shared with Women's Health what she’s been eating leading up to the Open. Read on.

1. She Has a Balanced Breakfast of Protein and Carbs

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Gauff starts her day off with a hearty breakfast that includes protein and carbs. “Today, I had eggs, potatoes, sausage, and fruit,” she says. “That's usually what [breakfast] looks like,” she said.

What the Expert Says: "The trifecta of nutrients to keep your energy level up and to keep you feeling satisfied is a combo of protein, whole grain carbohydrates, and healthy fat," Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, media dietitian and creator of BetterThanDieting.com, author of Read It Before You Eat It - Taking You from Label to Table tells us. "Her breakfast of “eggs, potatoes, sausage, and fruit,” is an example of that combo."

2. She Eats Pasta for Lunch

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When the tennis superstar is training for a tournament, pasta is her go-to lunch. “I just love pasta, and I feel like it's an easy way to fuel,” she shared.

What the Expert Says: "Pasta, often shunned by carb-complainers, is a food that provides energy and gets digested easily, but not as easily as more refined carbs," Taub-Dix says. "These days you’ll find lots of pasta made from chickpeas, lentils, and other beans and legumes that provide more protein than plain pasta. In my opinion, beans, and pulses are the most undervalued foods in the store since they provide a wealth of nutrients and fall into a variety of categories including carbs, protein, and veggies."

3. She Eats Protein and Veggies for Dinner

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For dinner, Gauff always has a protein like chicken or salmon and vegetables. She rarely eats red meat, “but every now and then” she will have a steak.

What the Expert Says: "Regular intake of vegetables can give you the energy you need to get through the day and perform physical activity due to the nutrients contained in these foods that fuel your body," Destini Moody, RD, CSSD, LD says. "Also, veggies are high in fiber, which breaks down slowly in the stomach. This keeps you fuller for longer and reduces the chances you’ll overeat or snack unnecessarily."

Sarah Williams, MS, RD Founder of Sweet Balance Nutrition adds, "Eating lean protein and veggies is low in calories and contains two things that help you stay full: protein and fiber. Without adequate protein and fiber, people may experience increased hunger and have difficulty hitting their nutrient targets for weight loss. By including these foods, you'll be more likely to reach your calorie goal and get results."

4. She Drinks Pedialyte to Stay Hydrated

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To stay at the top of her game, Gauff trains hard and drinks Pedialyte because she’s “never had problems with cramping or dehydration." However, when it's match time, she only drinks water.

What the Expert Says: "Healthy hydration is essential to keep your energy levels up and to replace the fluid you lose from sweat," Taub-Dix explains. "Most people don’t realize that even being mildly dehydrated can negatively impact your concentration, energy level, and your mood. Pedialyte helps her to replace the electrolytes that get lost from perspiration, but before chugging down electrolyte-enhanced beverages the average consumer should check with a healthcare professional." She continues, "One thing we definitely know is that loading up on sugary beverages will more likely lead to a rollercoaster type of effect rather than sustained energy."

Amy Beney MS RD CDCES with Nutrition Insights adds, "Water is essential for maintaining energy levels and optimizing physical performance. Dehydration can lead to feelings of fatigue, reduced endurance, and decreased athletic performance. By staying hydrated, you can enhance your energy levels and support better physical output during exercise or daily activities."

5. She Doesn't Deny Her Sweet Tooth

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Gauff admits she has a sweet tooth and gives in to her cravings. “After I won in Cincinnati, I had a hamburger, and after the hamburger I had ice cream,” she said. “So I like ice cream a lot, but I think brownies are probably my favorite right now.”

What the Expert Says: According to Taub-Dix, "The word, 'diet' actually means a way of life — it doesn’t mean not allowing yourself to enjoy the foods you love. Coco needs to be disciplined in the way she eats and exercises to be at the top of her game — but that doesn’t mean that her taste buds have to wait in the stands until she retires! I love that she enjoys indulgences — no matter what you do or what you weigh…this is an important practice — you just have to know your own limits."

Sunisa Lee is training for the Olympics – in her leotard. In a new social media post the gymnast shows off her impressive skills on the bar – and her beauty body – while executing some nearly impossible moves. “Podiumm 🤍🤍#wintercup,” she captioned the Instagram video with her followers. How does the athlete, 21, keep her body fueled for competition? Here is everything you need to know about what she eats in a day.

1. Fueling Her Body with Healthy Food

Sunisa stresses the importance of eating the right food. "We are working out so much and then we're competing every week,” she told Women's Health. “[So] it's important to keep my body fueled and strong and healthy because it's easier to get injured now that I'm just competing every single weekend."

2. Post Meet Cheat Meals

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Sunisa eats healthy most of the time, especially before competing. However, afterward she allows herself to cheat. "I always have a pizza after every meet," she told Women’s Health. She also has a go-to dessert. “I love ice cream. That's my go-to. Or like a milkshake,” she says. “I don't really like chocolate, so I won't eat a chocolate cake or anything like that.” Her favorite flavor is strawberry. “I like to think that it's healthier because it's strawberry, right?”

3. Here Is What She Eats in a Day

Sunisa starts her day eggs and sausage or eggs and bacon for breakfast. It “usually ranges because I can't eat the same thing every single day,” she says. Sometimes she will have a strawberry banana smoothie with vanilla protein powder. For lunch she pairs a protein with a salad or quinoa. “I pretty much eat anything,” she adds. “I'm not a really picky eater.” She also snacks throughout the day. “When I'm in practice, we have like a really big snack bar,” she says. Pita chips and hummus, cheesesticks, banana chips, and almonds are one of her faves. Protein wafers and cheese with salami and crackers are another snack she enjoys. For dinner, she will have a steak with a side of greens.

4. Minimal Carbs, Fried Foods, and Sweets

Sunisa doesn’t adhere to a super restrictive diet. However, she does try to stay away from carbs, fried foods, and sweets. Protein is also a priority as it helps aid muscle recovery.

5. Coffee or Matcha

Sunisa enjoys the perks of caffeine. "I get Starbucks in the morning and I always have to get my two drinks," Lee told POPSUGAR. One is usually either coffee or matcha, "Usually, I get a venti iced matcha latte with coconut milk and two pumps of vanilla," she says. "It's so good, I get it every single time." The other? "I always have to get my strawberry lemonade refresher."

Serena Williams is throwing it back in her swimsuit. In one of her most recent social media posts, the tennis champ shares a glimpse of her body in a bathing suit long before having kids. The Instagram Story was part of challenge, sharing a photo of yourself from a “verryyy different time.” How does the professional athlete keep herself fit and healthy? Celebwell rounded up her top lifestyle habits.

1. “Eat to Live,” Not “Live to Eat”

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"My philosophy is eat to live. Don't live to eat,” Serena told Women's Health. "You need it to survive. And [that's] very hard to live by, cause I definitely love to snack, but this is what I want. These are my goals."

2. Fasted Exercise

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Serena exercises on an empty stomach. "I often don't make breakfast because I just forget or I'm running around getting Olympia ready. And then I go work out,” she told Women’s Health. "When I roll out of bed, I'm just not hungry."

3. Plant-Based Foods

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Serena tries to fill her diet with plants. “I want to have a healthy lifestyle and, so you know, [I'm eating] a lot of greens and mostly plant-based lately, just super healthy stuff,” she told Women’s Health. "I had a bean burger the other day today…[Today] I had a gluten-free bean burrito.”

4. Carbohydrates for Fuel

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Serena uses complex carbs as fuel. "The only time I eat pasta is when I'm playing/training. Usually, you'll never see me eating pasta otherwise," she told Women’s Health. "I usually like to have lots of greens before my match and then fruit actually, and a little carbs and some sort of a protein.”

5. Cheat Mealsl

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Serena’s cheat meal of choice? "I love Moon Pies. If 'Moon Pie' sponsored me, I'd be bigger than any house on this planet!" she joked to Women’s Health.

6. Moody Eating

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"I can have a smoothie for six months. And then I'll be like, I never want to see a smoothie again for the next six months. And then I'll be like, okay, I'm back on the smoothie. My eating is very moody,” she told Women’s Health.

Sloane Stephens is making a racquet on social media – in her workout gear. In a new post the tennis star shows off her strong arms in a sleeveless top and tennis skirt. “Spring into it 🌸🌼🌺,” she captioned the post. How does the athlete approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.

1. Fiber

Sloane doesn't have a lot of "rules" or restrictions when it comes to eating. "The main thing is that I try to eat a lot of roughage," she told Well + Good about the importance of fiber. "When I was a kid, I didn't like salads, but as I've gotten older I try to have something green with every meal."

2. Hydration

Sloane makes sure to hydrate, drinking plenty of water prior to hitting the court.

3. Here Is What She Eats in a Day

Sloane starts the day with Greek yogurt. "I'll put some fruit, granola, and honey on top to make it a little fancy," she says. She might also have plain oatmeal with raisins. For lunch, sometimes she'll make a quick protein packed smoothie. "I'll make a smoothie with oat milk, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla protein powder," she says. "It's so delicious that it seriously tastes like dessert." Or she might cook homemade salmon and a salad. "I cook my salmon with lots of lemon juice and add plenty of avocado [to the salad]," she says. "I probably eat that for lunch three to four times a week. Living in Florida, I'm lucky to be able to get fresh fish really easily." Dinner might be a big Greek-style salad with lamb chops or chicken and veggies. "I'm a picky eater, so I keep it pretty basic," she says.

4. Hours of Exercise

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When she's prepping for tournaments, she’ll start training around 8 a.m, playing two hours before lunch. She then will play from 1:00 to 2:30, and then hit the gym for conditioning from 3:00 to 4:00, doing treadmill and bike sprints along with dynamic movement and loading and transferring power. "These movements directly correlate to tennis and best positioning myself on the court to hit the most powerful shot and run down balls," she tells Women’s Health.

5. Off-Season Training

During the off-season, she also trains “so I'm making sure I'm not gaining weight, I'm not eating crazy, things like that—just monitoring,” she told Women’s Health. She does training blocks so she’s not “rusty” when competition resumes. “So that when I start playing tennis, I'm not, like, literally dying,” she says. She does a lot of pure cardio — sprints, intervals, and steady state — and strength training. "The strength work is all focused on dynamic movement and incorporates a lot of bodyweight [moves] and resistance bands," she says.

Discover the fascinating and diverse wellness routines of 20 tennis stars. From Grand Slam champions like Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic to rising talents like Ashleigh Barty and Dominic Thiem, these athletes reveal their diet and fitness secrets. Learn how they fuel their bodies for intense matches and recover from injuries. From nutrient-packed smoothies to rigorous training sessions, these players offer insights into what it takes to maintain peak physical condition while excelling in one of the world's most demanding sports. Get inspired by their dedication and commitment to their craft.

1. Belinda Bencic

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Belinda Bencic shared some of her wellness secrets with Women Fitness. “I don’t have a key diet that I follow,” she admits. “But of course I’m watching what I eat. I need to stay fit, of course, and healthy and of course, watch my weight all the time. So I’m just trying to eat healthy and just see what works best for me. I have like a routine before the match. I eat rice with olive oil and salt. I think it’s the best for me.”

2. Coco Vandeweghe

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In 2015, Coco Vandeweghe opened up about her tennis career to Wimbledon.com. “I think it's more just finding comfortability with just who I am. I think early on, especially when I was starting full time on the tour, I was more concerned with, you know, watching how my peers were doing and seeing how well that they were doing and how I wasn't doing as well. That was kind of definitely getting to me a little bit where I was getting very frustrated at that, because I felt like, you know, I can beat these girls that are my peers and I beat them on practice, even in matches sometimes.”

3. Naomi Osaka

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Naomi Osaka shared her favorite foods in an interview with PureWow.com. “Typically, when I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is drink a smoothie that my trainer Yutaka [Nakamura] makes me. It has kale, spinach, Coconut BODYARMOR LYTE…I feel like it has kiwi in it. It’s a guessing game for me but that’s the first thing I drink and then normally I have rye bread with smoked salmon and avocado.”

4. Rafael Nadal

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In order to play tennis, Rafaal Nadal has to prioritize his recovery. He told GQ in 2012 that he works with physio Rafael Maymo to help him prevent injuries. "Normally I have massage on my quadriceps and the other muscles that lift the knees," he says. "If I'm more relaxed at the knees it takes the pressure off them. If there is pain, I'll use ice."

5. Novak Djokovic

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Novak Djokovic wrote about his wellness routine in his book, Serve To Win. "Every morning I wake up ... I drink a glass of water and do my stretching, maybe mixed with some yoga or tai chi, for 20 minutes. I eat a breakfast perfectly calibrated to my body for the day ahead - the same breakfast almost every day of my life.”

6. Venus Williams

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In a 2017 interview with StyleCaster, Venus Williams talked about her favorite wellness products and foods. Williams is a big fan of kale. She says that the foods she keeps in her kitchen are,

“Himalayan pink salt, organic butter, and kale.” Williams also says that one of her favorite meals is, “Warm roasted kale salad with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh peppercorn.”

7. Serena Williams

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Serena Williams’ trainer, Patrick Mouratoglou, tells Shape Magazine that he has her do workouts that will help her on the court. "I'll have her do technical runs side to side, and randomly determine where she's going to run… We can make an exercise where she has to run right, right, left, right, left, left, right, left. Something like that, but she'll go when I signal and they're not in the same time intervals so she doesn't know when it's going to happen."

8. Maria Sharapova

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Maria Sharapova shared some of her fitness secrets with Harper’s Bazaar. “I train five or six times a week for six hours a day with my trainer, Yutaka Nakamura, or one of my coaches. Playing professional tennis requires major dedication. If you take more than three days off, you can start to lose lean muscle.”

9. Marketa Vondrousova

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After winning Wimbledon, Marketa Vondrousova opened up to ABC News about recovering from wrist surgery. “I couldn’t watch tennis. I was really sad. I was playing good tennis before, and then (the wrist problems) happened, so I was like, ‘Oh, my God. I’m not going to stay healthy,’ you know? ... And when you're coming back, you never know what to expect.”

10. Simona Halep

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In an interview, Simona Halep talked about how she stays in shape. “I go running because that is my job and I need to keep fit. After that, I do my body exercises: abs, back, legs, everything I can inside the house. I run around 20-25 minutes, but progressively, I want to run for an hour in one go.”

11. Ashleigh Barty

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Ashleigh Barty opened up about her wellness secrets to Body + Soul. She says that when it comes to her diet, she believes in moderation. “Everything in moderation and listen to your body. If I’m feeling run-down, I make sure I’m eating well and looking after myself by having plenty of fresh fruit and veg. A steak or red meat usually helps when I’m run-down, too.”

12. Petra Kvitova

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In December 2016, Petra Kvitova experienced a knife attack. She opened up about her recovery from this on Instagram. “Three whole months already since the attack – and let you know that I’m working really hard on my recovery. I still can’t tell you when I will be back, but I can tell you that tennis is a huge motivation for me and I realized while I’ve been away how much I like challenges! My perspective on life has changed a lot and I am doing everything to give myself a second chance to be back on the court. I thank you for staying with me through this.”

13. Dominic Thiem

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Dominic Thiem makes sure to workout on a regular basis. He shared his favorite exercises in an interview with Men’s Journal. “I try to do something every day. When there are no tournaments, I do a pretty tough program—even twice a day. When I'm in the tournament, I reduce it a little bit, but still, I try to do something every day. My routine is very intense, but it’s normal exercises that many people probably do, too: a lot of strength work, speed work, and a little bit of endurance with lots of core work. I like crunches and Supermans. I really love to do core exercises because they don’t only make you fit, they also make you look good.”

14. Ons Jabeur

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In an interview with Muscle and Fitness, Ons Jabeur opened up about how she gets ready for tennis season. “At the end of the year, usually around November or December, I do 10 days of just fitness. It’s a lot of running and cardio to get my body ready for what’s coming next. After those 10 days, usually the loads of fitness training are more than tennis [training]. I try to concentrate more on strength. When we’re going toward the tournaments in January, I train more on tennis and the fitness aspect becomes more specific to what I need on the court, such as my specific movements.”

15. Stan Wawrinka

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Stan Wawrinka opened up about his diet in an interview with GQ. He says that because of his schedule, he can’t really have a set diet. “Sometimes we have a match at 11 in the morning, sometimes at 9 p.m. We need to always be adapting, we don’t have a match at the same time every week so it’s important to be open with everything.”

16. Johanna Konta

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Johanna Konta likes to workout at home sometimes. She shared her tips for doing so in an interview with Grazia Daily. “You don't need access to a lot of equipment at home to get a great workout done,” Konta says. “Use your own body weight with classic exercises such as press-ups, sit-ups and planks, or get creative using tinned foods or bottles of water to add some weight. It's amazing how heavy a backpack can get if you fill it.''

17. Caroline Wozniacki

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Caroline Wozniacki revealed how she stays fit in an interview with GQ. “For me, it was always more cardio, and then a little bit of lifting. But now that I’m older, I’d say it’s 50-50. That’s to make sure that my body stays strong and I can prevent injuries. I’m a big runner, but my body can’t take as much of the pounding, so I’ve had to cut down on that a little bit. Now I use the elliptical, the bike, the StairMaster—all sorts of things to get my heart rate up and save my body.”

18. Victoria Azarenka

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In a 2015 interview with ESPN, Victoria Azarenka shared her favorite morning smoothie recipe. “A smoothie with raspberry, banana, mint, almond milk and almond butter. And a bit of granola on top…It's gluten-free and vegan. It's healthy and has all-natural nutrients to start the day. It gives me lots of energy and is naturally sweet!”

19. Eugenie Bouchard

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In an interview with ELLE Canada, Eugenie Bouchard talked about her diet and exercise routine. “I spend most of my time on the tennis court. I wake up at 8 and eat eggs for the protein, fruits, and orange juice. Then I hit the tennis court for two hours working mainly on my technique. After lunch, I spend about another two hours on the tennis court before heading to the gym. As a tennis player, I have to work on my strength and cardio. I find the game of tennis has become more physical, and players are spending more time at the gym.”

20. Katie Boulter

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Katie Boulter shared her approach to dieting in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar. “Nutrition is one of the most important things as an athlete,” she says. “And luckily I have a really good nutritionist to help me with that. I spend a lot of my time just trying to eat a good handful of protein and carbs with a lot of vitamins and vegetables."