‘He’s More Scared of Us’ – Coco Gauff Details Alligator Encounter During Bold Florida Trip With Boyfriend Jalen Sera
Coco Gauff recently gave fans a peek into her adventurous side, recalling a close encounter with an alligator during a serene canoe ride in Florida. Following her Wimbledon heartbreak, the 21-year-old enjoyed a nature-filled trip with her boyfriend, Jalen Sera.
What Wild Twist Surprised Coco Gauff and Jalen Sera on Their Florida Trip?
The break came after a tough early exit at Wimbledon, where Gauff suffered a first-round loss to Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska. With her grass-court season cut short, the World No. 2 opted to recharge before the North American hard-court swing.
READ: Coco Gauff still alive in Montreal despite
Her time off included a star-studded date night with boyfriend at Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour in Atlanta and a quiet escape to Central Florida’s springs. The latter, however, brought an unexpected thrill in the form of an alligator sighting during a canoe ride.
The trip allowed her to unwind before key tournaments in Montreal, Cincinnati, and the US Open. Speaking to Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj after her second-round win over Wang Xinyu at the ongoing Cincinnati Open, Gauff shared highlights from her time away. “It was great. I was home, so I was able to get my life organized from being in Europe basically two months. So, I just felt organized,” she said.
“But then, I got to go see Beyoncé, which was really cool. Got to meet Miss Tina, her mom, which was awesome. And we were up there watching, I was in the same area as Tyler Perry and Summer Walker. So, that was also really cool for me.”
Her Florida getaway turned into an unforgettable experience. “We went kayaking. I was out there with the gators. I was swimming in the springs and it was great. I saw a gator like while we were in the kayak,” Gauff recalled.
When asked if she was afraid, she explained, “No. I trusted our guide, and he was like, ‘If you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you.’ And we were swimming in the same direction, and then the gator kind of saw that, and then he turned around and went the other way. I think he’s more scared of us. But I was on the kayak, so I felt okay.”
She added: “Now, if I was swimming, which I did, but it was in a different spring where gators are less common, it was cool. It was good to reconnect with nature and yeah, I would do it again.”
Gauff advanced to the third round in Cincinnati, where she will take on 32nd seed Yastremska in a rematch of their Wimbledon clash. The winner of this match will face either Lucia Bronzetti or 23rd seed Jeļena Ostapenko in the Round of 16.
