Who is Peggy Gou and why was she in Carlos Alcaraz’s Australian Open player box?

Oli Dickson Jefford 29 Jan 2026 10:04 AM

Tennis star Carlos Alcaraz and DJ Peggy Gou.

Carlos Alcaraz is one of the biggest names in tennis, and the reigning world No 1 is not exactly lacking in fans across the globe.

However, the six-time Grand Slam champion had a special supporter sitting courtside during his Australian Open quarter-final win over Alex de Minaur on Tuesday, with acclaimed DJ Peggy Gou cheering the Spaniard on.

Here, we look at the friendship between Alcaraz and Gou — and why the Spaniard has extra motivation to still be competing in Melbourne at the very end of the tournament.

Who is Peggy Gou?

One of the most famous DJs in the world, Gou may be a name people are more than familiar with.

The 34-year-old, who is from South Korea, started DJing in her late teens and has become one of the most recognisable faces in dance music in recent years.

Gou was a prominent name in dance music for several years but achieved widespread success in 2023 following the release of ‘(It Goes Like) Nanana’ in 2023.

The song became a huge international hit, topping the charts in several countries and hitting the top 10 of both the UK official charts and US Billboard Dance charts.

Why was Gou in Alcaraz’s players’ box?

The reason Gou is in Melbourne is directly connected to the Australian Open, with the star set to headline the AO Live event inside the John Cain Arena on Sunday afternoon — just hours before the men’s singles final.

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However, her friendship with Alcaraz was established prior to this year’s Australian Open.

Gou and Alcaraz were spotted together in Seoul earlier this year, whilst the Spaniard was in South Korea for his high-profile exhibition match against Jannik Sinner in January.

The DJ put a picture of the world No 1 on her Instagram story, while the two were part of a group dinner in the city.

She arrived in Melbourne this week and was watching courtside in the Spaniard’s box for his clinical quarter-final win over de Minaur on Tuesday.

Alcaraz was asked about his friendship with Gou after the match, and revealed his wish to still be in Melbourne on Sunday while she was performing.

“Yeah, she’s a friend,” said Alcaraz.

“Yeah, I mean she’s really, really cool and, I mean, I better win next round if I want to see her playing. I’m just happy to see her around and, yeah. I’ve got great support from her which is really, really cool.

“Hopefully, I’ll watch her playing on Sunday.”

Alcaraz will have to beat third seed Alexander Zverev on Friday if he wants to reach Sunday’s Australian Open men’s singles final, with either Sinner or Djokovic potentially waiting in the final.

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