Coco Gauff, the newly crowned WTA Finals champ and Angel Reese call each other "Queens" as the latter applauds Gauff's achievement
Coco Gauff received praise and encouragement from WNBA star Angel Reese for her epic WTA Final win. On November 9, Gauff came back from a set down against Olympic Gold medalist Zheng Qinwin to eventually emerge victorious 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) in a match that lasted 3 hours and 4 minutes.
In her third consecutive appearance at the event, 20-year-old Gauff became the youngest WTA Finals champion since Maria Sharapova (aged 17) in 2004. The win also makes her the fourth American woman after Chris Evert, Tracy Austin, and Serena Williams to win the WTA Finals.
Gauff took to X to share a few pictures from the presentation ceremony and captioned them:
"Muah. Also, I know tend to focus on “doubters/haters” but this one is really for all of my supporters! Ya’ll held it down for me win or lose! I thank you for that. I see you and I appreciate you. And I know some of you are a little bit petty like me so it does feel nice to silence them for a bit."
The post caught the attention of Chicago Sky's Angel Reese, who reshared Guaff's post with a set of emojis and wrote:
"QUEEN!!! CONGRATSSSS."
Gauff nodded back to the WNBA star with purple hearts and wrote:
"thank you queen."
Gauff and Reese share mutual admiration and often interact with each other via social media.
Coco Gauff gave words of encouragement to Angel Reese before latter underwent wrist surgery
Coco Gauff offered words of encouragement to WNBA's Angel Reese after the latter announced her decision to undergo season-ending wrist surgery in September.
A top athlete herself, the 2023 US Open champion is no stranger to the physical grind and injuries that come with competing at the highest level. Gauff suffered from an ankle injury during the 2022 Cincinnati Open and also withdrew from the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup and China Open due to a shoulder injury.
Reese made the announcement and reflected on her season via her Instagram handle, writing:
"I’m filled with emotions right now that I have a season ending injury, but also filled with so much gratitude for what is next. Although this is God’s timing and not mine, I am finally able to give myself a physical and mental break. “God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers,” read an excerpt from Reese's post on Instagram.
Gauff reacted to Reese's post as she wrote in the comments section:
"So proud of you!!!"
After the year-end WTA Finals, Coco Gauff is likely to be seen participating in the United Cup, marking her maiden appearance at the tournament.