"Haha, I'm actually crying" - Coco Gauff after City Girls post a video from her US Open press conference
Although Coco Gauff lost 6-3, 6-4 to Caroline Garcia in the quarterfinals of the 2022 US Open, the 18-year-old seems to be on the path of ascendency on the back of some solid performances so far this season.
In her fourth-round match, Gauff beat Zhang Shuai of China 7-5, 7-5 in one hour and 56 minutes at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. The American had to play out of her skin to pull off the win as she found herself down a break in both sets. However, she bounced back to break Shuai a total of five times, while saving six break points herself to take the match. Gauff finished with 33 winners and five aces, compared to 26 winners and two aces from 33-year-old Shuai.
Gauff was at her animated best during the match, for which she received mixed reactions from fans. After hitting a winner, she looked over at her player's box and used a hand gesture that some people thought was a throat-slash signal. However, in her press conference, the youngster set the record straight that it was a dance move by the City Girls' hip hop duo of JT and Yung Miami, saying 'period'.
On Thursday, Citi Girls shared a particular clip of Gauff's press conference on their official Instagram account, in which the 12th-ranked player was seen explaining to a 53-year-old journalist her move.
"That was supposed to be a 'period', like City Girls 'period'. It's a City Girls Summer period. That's what it is. JT, Yung Miami, you don't know? It's like 'period' (laughs). I got my long nails. It's supposed to be like that," Gauff said.
Gauff, who is a big fan of Citi Girls, shared the post on her Instagram stories and wrote:
"Hahaha, I'm actually crying."
"Just continue to be your authentic self" - Coco Gauff's message for kids
In a press conference after crashing out of the 2022 US Open, Coco Gauff was asked to send a message to black kids who might be looking at her for inspiration. Citing the Williams sisters as her inspiration, the 18-year-old American instructed the kids to be authentic and stay clear of society's stereotypes.
"For any kid, but especially ones that look like me, just continue to do what you want to do, no matter what people say," Gauff said. "I think for me, the Williams sisters definitely inspired me to play tennis because I saw someone like me playing in a sport with not a lot of people looking like me. I hope I can be that for other kids. That's all I can say. Just continue to be your authentic self. Don't try to feed into any stereotypes, just be you."
Coco Gauff has a lot to celebrate:
- She will make her top 10 debut on Monday (between #8 and #10);
- Top 5 in the WTA Race to the Finals;
- Best career result at the #USOpen. https://t.co/l6klkhPZKl