At the 2025 French Open, American tennis star Coco Gauff had fans and media cracking up during a press conference when she shared a funny and unexpected story involving Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz. The 20-year-old revealed that she had accidentally been “ghosting” Alcaraz for years — not out of dislike, but purely because of a forgotten Instagram message.
During her post-match interview after a convincing fourth-round win at Roland Garros, Gauff was asked about her relationship with other players on the tour. That’s when she dropped the humorous anecdote that’s since gone viral.
“So this is actually really embarrassing,” Gauff began with a laugh. “Carlos [Alcaraz] apparently messaged me like three years ago congratulating me after one of my matches. I never replied. Not because I was ignoring him, but because I didn’t even see the message until like a month ago!”
The crowd of reporters erupted into laughter as Gauff continued.
“I felt so bad. He messaged me something super nice like ‘Congrats, you played amazing!’ and I just left him on read — unintentionally! I guess Instagram put it in the message requests folder or something,” she explained, adding that she only found it when she was cleaning out old DMs.
The young American admitted she immediately replied once she discovered the message, but joked that the damage was probably already done.
“I was like ‘Oh my God, I’m so sorry for ghosting you for three years!’” she said, smiling. “He just laughed and said it was cool. Thankfully, Carlos is super chill.”
Carlos Alcaraz, the 2022 US Open champion and currently the world No. 2, also responded to the story when asked about it after his own match at the French Open. With a big grin, he confirmed the incident.
“Yeah, I messaged Coco back in 2021 after one of her amazing wins. She never replied, so I thought maybe she didn’t see it or she just didn’t like me,” Alcaraz joked. “But she messaged me last month apologizing and we laughed about it. It’s all good.”
Fans online quickly turned the moment into a light-hearted meme, dubbing Gauff the “Queen of accidental ghosting” and praising both players for their good sense of humor. Many even started shipping a playful “Gauffaraz” friendship duo.
Gauff, who’s aiming for her first French Open title after reaching the final in 2022, seems to be in top form both on and off the court. Meanwhile, Alcaraz continues to impress with his powerful game and calm demeanor, keeping hopes alive for a deep run in the tournament.
While the tennis action heats up in Paris, it’s these kinds of off-court moments that remind fans why they love the sport — the personalities, the laughs, and the unexpected friendships behind the competition.
As for Gauff and Alcaraz, both will return to the clay courts in their upcoming quarterfinal matches — and maybe keep a closer eye on their DMs from now on.
