"Female Slim Shady and her hype woman" - Coco Gauff on her friendship with Billie Jean King Cup teammate Caty McNally
Coco Gauff took to social media to share an Instagram story from teammate Caty McNally's series of pictures that she posted after the United States was knocked out of the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Gauff and her teammates could not reach the knockout stage, losing to the Czech Republic in a must-win contest.
In the original Instagram post, Caty McNally shared various moments from the Billie Jean Cup with her team. McNally reflected on the tournament and asserted that playing for her country is the most significant honor, writing:
"No greater honor."
Gauff reposted one of her photos with McNally, calling herself the 20-year-old's "hype woman” and referring to McNally as the "female Slim Shady."
"Female Slim Shady and her DJ/hype woman."
Coco Gauff completes the 2022 season with the lengthiest losing streak of her career
The season in which Coco Gauff achieved some of the finest achievements of her professional career to date was brought to an end with the lengthiest losing run of her short career, recording five defeats on the trot. Up until this point, including her time competing on the junior circuit, Gauff had never lost more than three straight matches.
Gauff's current string of losses started after Victoria Azarenka defeated her in a tense quarterfinal match at the Guadalajara Open, 6-7(2), 6-4, 3-6. The 18-year-old then went on to lose every match in her first WTA Finals appearance.
Gauff lost to Daria Kasatkina in the opening round of the 2022 ATP Finals by scores of 6-7(6), 3-6, before falling to eventual winner Caroline Garcia by scores of 4-6, 3-6. In the final group fixture, the teenger lost against Iga Swiatek 3-6, 0-6 to conclude her campaign, which meant that she did not win a set all tournament.
Gauff chose to represent the United States of America in this week's Billie Jean King Cup Finals despite a demanding year that saw her play both singles and doubles at the majority of her events. The 18-year-old suffered her sole singles setback at the event, falling to Katerina Siniakova 6-7(1), 1-6 and concluding her season with five straight defeats.
Gauff had a memorable season despite her challenging run, earning her Top-10 ranking breakthrough in 2022. She also rose to World No. 1 in the doubles rankings earlier this year and qualified for both season-ending tournaments.
The main contributing factor to Coco Gauff's disappointing run towards the end of the season has likely been fatigue. Gauff has competed in 104 tour-level singles and doubles matches in 2022, which is a lot for any player, especially for a teenager who is not used to the WTA Tour yet.