Before Coco Gauff defeated Venus Williams at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, little did anyone know that she was a star in the making. However, she proved that it wasn’t a one-off victory, as Gauff has gone on to win a couple of Grand Slam titles to date. While she isn’t done yet, Gauff possesses a stellar personality on and off the court, something that gives the vibes of the Williams sisters she is often compared with. Recently, the American sensation singled out one major reason why she continues to amass the love of the fans.
Gauff is currently playing in the China Open and has reached the round of 16 after a tough battle against Leylah Fernandez. The World Number 3 had to dig deep to overcome the challenge of the former US Open champion, but found support in the form of the Chinese fans, who were very vocal in her support. During the post-match interview, Gauff addressed why she has a global fanbase and why her fans love her.
Gauff revealed, “Yes, there are definitely moments like that. Honestly, here, every day, I wake up feeling very grateful to all the people who appreciate me (smiles). I ask them, ‘Why do you like me?’ They say, ‘We like your personality.’ For me, it means a lot when they say that rather than talking about my tennis or the way I play. It makes me feel more like a person. Every day when I wake up here, I really feel that gratitude.”
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Further, she went on to add, “Now, I want to take that with me when I travel. I don’t know if I’ll receive as many gifts anywhere else in the world. I hope Western fans will be as kind as Chinese fans with their gifts, because I love gifts. I love being spoiled. I like receiving things. It’s fun. Yes, I love this place. And I love my life, for sure.”
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Gauff has been showered with gifts during the ongoing China Open by her fans. From stuffed animals to Labubu dolls, the American sensation has received some amazing surprises during her stay at the tournament.
Meanwhile, Gauff has backed Carlos Alcaraz on his complaints that the current situation is a mess in terms of prize money. She called for a major rule change for the players to get a better deal.
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Coco Gauff speaks out on the latest change required in tennis
Recently, Carlos Alcaraz slammed the distribution of prize money from Grand Slam events. While such events draw in a massive response from the fans and generate a huge revenue, Alcaraz felt that there must be a fair distribution of that revenue for the players. Coco Gauff backed Alcaraz’s claim and hoped for the situation to improve.
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She said, “I mean, overall it’s been a long, long process with that. We have a player representative. I like to keep most of the comments for him because they did have a meeting this week. I was not a part of it because I had practice at the same time. I think the goal is just obviously increasing the percentage of prize money, but also making it better, not just for us but throughout the field.”
The top players on the tour even signed a letter in this regard, with the likes of Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek, and others joining in. Do you agree with these claims from Alcaraz and Gauff that the players need to get better deals from Grand Slam tournaments? Let us know your views in the comments below.