"Not a Chiefs fan but Patrick Mahomes is just unreal" - Coco Gauff hails NFL quarterback for leading Kansas City Chiefs to Super Bowl 58 victory
Coco Gauff has joined countless sports fans in lavishing praise on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for his spectacular performance during Super Bowl 2024.
On Sunday, February 11, defending champions Kansas City Chiefs took on the San Francisco 49ers in a blockbuster clash at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The game went into overtime with the scores tied at 19-19. In the final seconds of the game, as the 49ers were on the brink of victory with a 22-19 lead, Mahomes connected with Mecole Hardman for the game-winning touchdown, claiming a thrilling 25-22 win.
With the triumph, the Chiefs pulled off their second consecutive Super Bowl win, becoming the first team to achieve back-to-back victories since the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004. Furthermore, Mahomes joined an elite list of quarterbacks, making history as just the seventh quarterback in NFL history to win three or more Super Bowls.
Patrick Mahomes' exceptional performance in the all-important clash prompted even a dedicated Miami Dolphins fan, Coco Gauff, to share her admiration for the Chiefs' star quarterback, labeling him an "unreal" player.
"Not a chiefs fan but Mahomes is just unreal," she posted on her Instagram story.
"The quality of work Coco Gauff did to win US Open 2023, it's not going to win a Major in 2024" - Tennis coach
Renowned tennis coach Eric Riley recently commended Coco Gauff on reaching the 2024 Australian Open semifinals soon after winning her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open.
However, he emphasized that, while the American's rise as an underdog was impressive, she would now face the challenge of living up to expectations as a top contender.
"Now Coco won the US Open, and she followed it up with a Grand Slam semi right? That's exceptional. It's much easier to climb the ranks when you're an underdog than when you're expected to win," he said on the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast.
Nevertheless, Riley expressed confidence in Gauff's coach, Brad Gilbert's ability to prevent any regression in the 19-year-old's game.
"Obviously, Coco Gauff having Brad Gilbert in her corner, who's an experienced coach, that's really going to be good for them because he's not going to let her slip," he said.
Riley also stated that the level of performance the American delivered to win the 2023 US Open title wouldn't suffice for similar results in 2024 and suggested that Gilbert was aware of this scenario.
"Because he understands that what won the US Open, the quality of the work she did to win the US Open [in 2023] is not going to win in 2024, it's not going to win a Major. So, Brad knows that and she's going to have to play better this year and she's going to have to improve," he said.
"Which means she has to, like I said earlier, you gotta work on weaknesses, you gotta build confidence, you have to have purposeful practice where you've got to work your tail off because you've got a target on your back. It doesn't get easy now, it gets harder," Riley added.
Coco Gauff will be in action at the Qatar Open next, vying for the second WTA 1000 title of her career. Following a bye in the first round, the second seed will take on Katerina Siniakova for a place in the Round of 16.