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Coco Gauff had to plead with tennis fans to stop using a nickname she didn't like at last year's Italian Open. Gauff played her first match at this year's Italian Open on Thursday against Tereza Valentova.

The world No. 4 didn't enter the doubles draw in Rome this year, however, despite her relative success at the tournament in 2025. Last year, the 22-year-old teamed up with Alexandra Eala for the first time. The young pairing enjoyed an impressive run to the quarter-finals, gaining attention for their chemistry off the court as well as on it throughout the tournament. Fans even came up with the nickname 'Team Coachella' for the duo, given the happy-go-lucky vibe they gave off and the manner in which they teamed up.

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But Gauff was not impressed by the tag, urging her fans to choose a better nickname. In a joint social media message addressing their supporters, Eala began by saying: "Hi everybody, it's Alex and Coco here. Thank you so much for all the support that you've been giving us this week, and hopefully in our next match, a lot of you will come out and watch."

Gauff echoed Eala's sentiments but added: "Thank you guys for all the support. Super happy to be playing with Alex and hope you guys keep supporting us. And we don't like Team Coachella, so pick a new name."

Eala continued: "Okay, so another name. Maybe another name. Okay, bye." Gauff had described her playing partner as a 'killer' while explaining how she decided to join forces with her at the Italian Open.

The American said: "She slid into my DMs and asked me to play. And I was like: 'Sure, why not?'. We really didn't know each other, honestly. Before in Madrid, I said hi to her for the first time.

"I was just hoping she would be nice, and you know, obviously she's such a nice person. And obviously she's a killer in doubles, two junior Slams and probably future ones too. I'm super happy to play with her."

The Italian Open was the last time they paired up for doubles, having both been focused on their singles careers since. However, Gauff and Eala have faced each other as opponents in 2026, with the former winning their meeting at the Dubai Tennis Championships while Eala emerged victorious at Indian Wells in March.