Coco Gauff joins Florida Flamingos as player-owner for World Team Tennis return

Coco Gauff will be a player-owner for the Florida franchise in the new season of World Team Tennis, with the two-time Grand Slam singles champion set to feature in the Florida Flamingos Racquet Club's home matches on December 14 and 15.

The league will return in December with teams based in Florida, New York and Toronto. Gauff, who grew up in Delray Beach, Florida, will play the Flamingos' home ties at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, the home venue of the NHL's Florida Panthers.

"I'm looking forward to playing at home in front of my family and friends in South Florida," Gauff said in a statement on Thursday. "It's not often, as a tennis player, that we get to compete as part of a team, so I'm excited for the new experience, not only for myself but, even more importantly, for the fans."

The Flamingos were one of the original franchises when World Team Tennis began in 1974 as a mixed-gender team competition, with Hall of Famer Billie Jean King among its founders.

Gauff's teammates will include Tommy Paul, Learner Tien, Iva Jovic, Brandon Nakashima and Eva Lys. U.S. Open semi-finalists Frances Tiafoe and Jessica Pegula will play together for New York Empire Racquet Club, while Toronto North Racquet Club will feature Canadian players Denis Shapovalov, Leylah Fernandez, Victoria Mboko and Gabriel Diallo.

The league will use a new format with four singles sets, featuring the men's and women's No. 1 and No. 2 players, along with a mixed doubles super tie-break. Each team will start two men and two women, with Gauff's return to home competition one of the headline attractions of the new season.