Delray Beach’s favorite tennis player has put Delray Beach on the map once again, this time through a collaboration with New Balance.
The sneaker brand unveiled the Coco Delray, a tennis shoe that was “influenced by the Florida city where Coco Gauff grew up and trained” and is flexible to a range of surfaces and skill levels.
The ‘90s style sneakers come in two color ways for women—white and navy blue, and parchment with aqua accents. Her signature is stitched into the tongue of the shoe. The men’s line is white with navy blue and navy blue with aqua. They’re priced at $110.
“It represents an opportunity to broaden access to those interested in playing the game and will have a positive cultural impact for generations to come,” Gauff said in a press release. “Delray Beach helped spark my tennis journey, so it’s special to me to tell the story of this community that influenced exactly why I love this sport.”
A campaign video was also released, “Every Place Has a Story to Tell,” narrated by Gauff’s grandmother, Yvonne Lee Odom, telling the story of growing up in Delray Beach and the importance of community centers like Pompey Park. “We’ve made history in a lot of ways and I think we’ve passed that along,” she says. Odom was one of the first Black students to attend the all-white Seacrest High School when Palm Beach County Schools were desegregated; the school is now Atlantic Community High School.
This is Gauff’s second collaboration with New Balance; in August 2024, the Coco CG2 was released. That same month, she shared the iconic Wheaties box with tennis legend Billie Jean King. She is currently ranked No. 3 for singles players in the WTA. During the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, she carried the American flag alongside LeBron James during the opening ceremonies.
