"Kudos to her for speaking out about it, I hope that her message reaches somebody who might have gone through the same situation" - Coco Gauff on Fiona Ferro's sexual assault case
Coco Gauff has commended fellow tennis player Fiona Ferro for speaking out against her sexual assault and expressed hope that her actions will help others who have experienced the same thing.
Fiona Ferro has accused her former coach, Pierre Bouteyre, of rape and sexual assault. On social media, the French tennis star addressed the allegations and stated that the sexual assault, which occurred between 2012 and 2015 when she was still a teenager, was not consensual.
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In light of this, Coco Gauff was asked to comment on the matter during a press conference following her fourth-round victory at the US Open over Zhang Shuai. The American said that Fiona Ferro's willingness to open up took a lot of guts and helped raise more awareness about the issue.
"I want to say it takes a lot of courage to speak out about something like that for something so personal," Gauff said, adding, "I think the reason why she spoke out, I feel like she probably had to process it herself, get through it herself. I think by her speaking out creates more awareness of it."
Gauff praised Ferro for making a stand and hoped her message would reach others who have gone through something similar.
"I hope that the situation doesn't repeat, you know, because I feel like it's a lot in tennis sometimes that it happens. I hope she's doing well now, and I want to say kudos to her for speaking out about it. I always say you never know what somebody else is going through. I hope that her message reaches somebody who might have gone through the same situation," Coco Gauff said.
"She's obviously a great player, it's going to be a challenge" - Coco Gauff on her quarterfinal opponent Caroline Garcia
After her fourth-round victory over Zhang Shuai, 7-5, 7-5, Coco Gauff will lock horns with Caroline Garcia in the quarterfinals of the US Open.
Coco Gauff's #USOpen breakthrough has come. https://t.co/L0UO3vZq6X
Reflecting on her next opponent, Gauff said that the match is going to be very challenging as Garcia is currently playing some of her best tennis.
"I think right now she's playing probably the best tennis," Gauff said, adding, "It's going to be a challenge. When you play these players that are hot, I think it's more of a mental challenge. You just got to accept she's going to hit some great shots, because I know she will."
She hit em with the Mutombo 🥶
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The 18-year-old was happy with her mental attitude and hopes to keep it up in the next match.
"I think my mentality has been great. I played I feel like two similar opponents, Maddie Keys, who can hit some unbelievable shots from the wings. Same with Shuai today. She was hitting some great shots. I think I was doing a good job of accepting it, clapping my hands, moving on to the next point. I think I'm going to have to do that for the next match," she added.