Coco Gauff’s Equipment Blunder Draws Attention as She Reaches French Open Quarterfinals
PARIS — Coco Gauff may have secured her fifth consecutive trip to the French Open quarterfinals with a straight-set win, but she’s still facing criticism for forgetting her rackets during an earlier match in the tournament. The No. 2 seed, who lifted the trophy at the 2023 U.S. Open and finished as the runner-up in Paris in 2022, has found herself in a light-hearted back-and-forth with fellow American and Roland-Garros quarterfinalist, Frances Tiafoe, regarding her equipment mishap.
Tiafoe playfully dubbed the 21-year-old Gauff “Mrs. Mature.” In response, Gauff said, “I feel like maybe just playing tennis forces you to grow up faster for some people. Maybe not him.” Interestingly, it was Tiafoe who initially made a similar mistake, arriving at a match in March at the Indian Wells tournament in California without his rackets. He faced considerable teasing on social media and from fellow players, including Gauff herself legit online sabong.
So when Gauff arrived at Court Philippe-Chatrier for her first-round match, only to discover her bag was empty of rackets, the 27-year-old Tiafoe was quick to call her out. 20 jili casino online
“She was shaking her whole bag like it was an empty cookie jar on Chatrier. I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ … I’m going to keep ribbing her for a long time. I’ve never seen someone (ranked No. 2) in the world have zero things in her bag. That was incredible,” Tiafoe remarked, as he prepared for his own quarterfinal match.
Tiafoe emphasized the significance of such blunders, stating, “That kind of thing is so big because it just makes everyone realize we’re all human. People make mistakes, whether it’s the team or her or whatever.” He added with a smile, “That was a funny moment, especially because she tries to be Mrs. Mature. I’m happy it happened to her. Hopefully, it happens again.”
Gauff admitted she found it difficult to counter Tiafoe’s teasing. “I literally told him: ‘From you, I expected it. From you, it’s OK, but the fact that it happened to me…’ Because I feel like I’m a professional person, and usually, I am someone that can find the comeback real quick. Even if I’m wrong, I’m one of those people that will still defend myself. I don’t like losing arguments,” Gauff shared after defeating No. 20 Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-0, 7-5 in the fourth round.
“But that one, I just had to take it. I learned that I had nothing to say, especially because I teased him a lot for it,” she reflected. “Not even six months later, I did the same thing on an even bigger stage. 777mini casino login But I have learned my lesson, and hopefully it won’t happen again 60 jili login.”
When addressing Tiafoe’s nickname for her, “Mrs. Mature,” which stems from her demeanor on and off the court following her breakthrough at Wimbledon at 15 and winning her first Grand Slam title at 19, Gauff mentioned she often receives similar remarks. “I definitely feel like, especially when I was a junior, I was sometimes more mature than some of my peers. I don’t know why. I think I’ve always been that way. When I was in school, I would always be the first one to class. I remember getting a yellow for the behavior chart once, and that was like the worst day of my life,” she revealed. “I pride myself on being a good example. I think it’s because I have two younger brothers, and I feel like I have to be that example.”
Do you think such incidents can positively impact athletes and their character development?