Who Is The Girl In The New Balance Commercial?
It may not have the clout of sportswear behemoths like Nike and Adidas, but in the last few years, New Balance has graduated from its reputation as the de facto dad shoe to the upper echelons of cool footwear. For proof, look no further than its roster of athlete sponsors, which includes the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Francisco Lindor.
New Balance continues to solidify its reputation as a tastemaker for young consumers, and in 2018, the company secured a sponsorship contract with then-14-year-old tennis prodigy Coco Gauff. The company was quick to point out Gauff as the face of the next generation of athletes. A 2020 Gauff-starring New Balance ad included the subtitles, "She's not just here to climb the rankings. She's here to lead the next generation."
In her latest TV spot for New Balance, Gauff can be seen warming up with the hurdler and sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Decked out in New Balance gear, the pair does some drills on the tennis court before heading out for a jog as "Hey You" by Experience Unlimited plays in the background. Gauff shines in the New Balance ads, but there's no better advertisement than the matches themselves, in which the young player dominates in her New Balance threads.
Coco Gauff won the US Open in her signature shoes
Coco Gauff's rise to the top is something out of a sports movie, and it began when she was barely a teenager. As a 14-year-old at the Wimbledon junior tournament in 2018, Gauff served a ball at 120 miles per hour. The only women who served the ball faster at Wimbledon that year? Venus and Serena Williams.
Indeed, Gauff has been nipping at the Williams sisters' heels for years, and in 2019, she faced off against Venus at Wimbledon and beat her idol in the opening round. In 2023, Gauff won her first US Open title, becoming the first American teenager to do so since Serena in 1999. She did so in her signature sneakers, the New Balance Coco CG1, which debuted in July 2022.
During the final against Aryna Sabalenka, Gauff wore her "City Brights" colorway, a combination of muted rust and highlighter yellow that recalls clay courts and, of course, tennis balls. The colors were suggested by Gauff's mother and aunt. The CG1s are available in a number of fun colorways that range from $79.99 to $169.99 on the New Balance website.
"It's been amazing to see so many fans, especially kids, rock my shoes all over the world," Gauff told Forbes. "It brings me so much joy to see people wearing them. I always offer to sign them."