Coco Gauff believes her title win at the 2024 China Open was enhanced by a stroke of good luck stemming from her sightseeing trip with Carlos Alcaraz ahead of the tournament. Both players enjoyed a successful outing, with Alcaraz clinching the men’s singles title in Beijing.

The duo explored the historic Forbidden City, the former royal palace that housed numerous emperors. Dressed in traditional clothing, they posed for photos outside the palace and even practiced hitting tennis balls in the courtyard. Alcaraz also took the opportunity to snap pictures with Gauff’s mother, Candi.

During a press conference after reaching the final, Gauff shared her conviction that their visit to the Forbidden City brought them “luck.” She expressed her desire to follow in Alcaraz’s footsteps, aiming to reign supreme in her future tournaments.

“We both made the final. We both went to the Forbidden City together. Somebody asked me in the beginning of the week if that would give us luck. So far it’s working. Hopefully, I can follow in Carlos’ footsteps,” she said.

Coco Gauff’s dreams have come true as she lifted the China Open trophy after a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Karolina Muchova. During her victory speech, she again brought up her sightseeing adventure with the 21-year-old, saying:

“Carlos and I both went to the Forbidden City earlier this week. Someone in press asked me if it was gonna bring luck. I was like I don’t know I don’t want to jinx it. Then Carlos won. At that time it was only Round of 16 for me. But I guess the Imperial Palace brought us luck.”