No. 1 'Heated Rivalry' fan Gauff invites stars to Australian Open

The smash-hit gay romance series Heated Rivalry has taken pop culture by storm this winter, and the stars of the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz are no exception. Coco Gauff, for example, has professed herself the "No. 1 fan" of the Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams-led drama, which is based on novels by Rachel Reid and chronicles a pair of professionals players who engage in a secret, decade-long affair and fall in love in the process.

But after posting a gushing review of the HBO Max series on social media, Gauff is now taking her fandom up a notch. Not only has she told Jessica Pegula and Giuliana Olmos to watch it, she wants to see Storrie and Williams at a tournament this season -- and has invited the actors to watch her play.

“I just kind of saw people talking about a hockey show, a gay hockey show. That interested me,” she told tennis.com during her pre-Australian Open press conference. “I was like, ‘Oh, six episodes, perfect.’ I just dove right in. Obviously, there’s some nice spicy scenes. It’s such a beautiful love story. I think that was like the main thing.”

Later, speaking to Tennis Channel, Gauff said she understood why the series has resonated with fans.

“The storyline, I think is so relevant, I think a lot of people maybe can relate," she said. "I think that was really cool. The tension, obviously, the sexual tension and then the romantic tension. I love the trope that enemies -- well, they aren’t real enemies -- but enemies to lovers, but they both were denying their feelings. I don’t know. I just eat stuff up like that.”