FILE PHOTO: Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 29, 2022 Coco Gauff of the U.S. during her fourth round match against Belgium's Elise Mertens
(Reuters) -Coco Gauff launched her own management company to take greater control of her career including her business and philanthropic ventures after leaving her long-time agency, the world number three said.
The 21-year-old was managed by Team8 - the firm founded by Swiss great Roger Federer and his agent Tony Godsick - but will now represent herself through Coco Gauff Enterprises with the support of talent agency WME.
"This is just the beginning of an exciting new era for me, and there is much more to come, which I'll be excited to share in due time," Gauff wrote on social media.
"As always, tennis will continue to be my main priority."
Former world number two Gauff was the top-earning female athlete last year at $30.4 million, according to sports industry news website Sportico, and has collected more than $23 million in prize money alone during her young career.
Gauff made her Grand Slam breakthrough as a 15-year-old qualifier at Wimbledon in 2019, when she reached the fourth round after stunning Venus Williams.
She won her maiden singles Grand Slam title on home soil at the 2023 U.S. Open.
The 2024 French Open doubles champion has frequently used her platform to draw attention to social issues, including gun violence and racism.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
