Ahead of the start of the WTA 1000 China Open this week, Hologic WTA Tour stars Coco Gauff, Marta Kostyuk and Naomi Osaka took time out of their tournament preparations to visit two of Beijing’s most famous landmarks: the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China.

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Gauff, along with ATP superstar Carlos Alcaraz, visited the Forbidden City in central Beijing, a historic palace that was once the residence of Chinese emperors for five centuries.

The two Grand Slam winners dressed in traditional Chinese clothing for the photo op and played tennis in the courtyard. Gauff also toured the Forbidden City Museum and learned more about the artifacts housed there.

“It was really cool to see the architecture and people’s lives at that time,” Gauff told WTA Insider, “and realize how big a place only the emperor could live. I would do it again. I’ll probably come back next year.

“I laughed so hard when Carlos was putting it on because he had this huge smile and was just standing there while people were putting it on him,” Gauff said with a laugh. “Mine had red and white, so I liked my outfit better. I wasn’t jealous.”

Gauff made her debut at the China Open a year ago, where she reached the semifinals, and upon arrival also immersed herself in Chinese culture by sampling tea, writing calligraphy and playing the guzheng, a plucked string instrument.

“I’ve only seen shots like this on TV and in movies,” Gauff said at the time, expressing her appreciation for the locals who showed her the sights.

Meanwhile, Kostyuk and Osaka walked along the more than 21,000-mile-long Great Wall of China, which stretches across the country’s historic northern borders.

Former world No. 1 Osaka, the 2019 China Open champion, is back in Beijing for the first time since then and wasted no time sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses of her visit with her social media followers – including a TikTok video of your ride on the attraction’s sleighs, which offer visitors a relaxing way to get from one of the watchtowers to the base.

Kostyuk and her trainer Sandra Zaniewska looked cool in their gym clothes and meanwhile opted to take in the scenic views entirely on foot.

“Just hanging out with some rocks,” Kostyuk cheekily captioned her photos on Instagram.

The unseeded Osaka, currently ranked 73rd, opened her tournament with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti in the first round on Wednesday – her first game under the tutelage of new coach Patrick Mouratoglou. Meanwhile, No. 4 seed Gauff and No. 14 seed Kostyuk will play their second-round matches against France’s Clara Burel and American Katie Volynets, respectively.