Cameron Gauff: The 9-Year-Old Designer Behind Coco Gauff's Latest Tennis Shoe

| by Alfredo Bassanelli

Coco Gauff is making headlines again, but this time it's not just for her incredible performances on the court.

The 18-year-old tennis prodigy, who is set to compete at the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami, has recently revealed that her younger brother, Cameron, designed her latest New Balance tennis shoe. Yes, you read that right! A 9-year-old boy designed a tennis shoe for one of the world's most promising young athletes.

Cameron Gauff's love for drawing and art led to his involvement in creating his sister's latest footwear. According to Coco, her little brother had always asked for art-related presents for Christmas, and his love for drawing eventually led to the creation of the Coco CG1 Kids shoe. Speaking to the PEOPLE, Coco Gauff said:

"We always poke fun that Cameron is the favorite because he's the youngest. But no, he just goes on his own path. He's a true youngest sibling. For every Christmas, he would ask for something art related. Now, on my door in my room, I have one of his drawings up there."

Coco Gauff can reach new career high after Sunshine Double
Coco Gauff can reach new career high after Sunshine Double

Cameron's design concept was completely random, according to his sister, but it caught the eye of the New Balance design team. They decided to produce the style, and it became the first New Balance kids performance tennis shoe. Cameron's design features unique colors and drawings, which is a perfect representation of his artistic abilities.

"He was really excited. I think he kind of sensed it in a way because they asked him to draw on this shoe and then for the paper, so he's young, but he kind of put two and two together."

Not only did Cameron's design become a reality, but it's also on sale now. Coco suspects that her younger brother "probably brags about it to his classmates," and she even has one of his drawings hanging up on her bedroom door.

"He probably brags about it to his classmate. He wears the shoes all the time. I think that's just like what's fun about being a kid in general. As you get older, you tend to overthink things. But I feel like kids really trust their first instinct and that's kind of what he did. He just said he just thought the colors look cool together."

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