Coco Gauff won the U.S. Open at only 19 years old. The young tennis champion has been all over the media, but one video of her praying after her big win has caused a bit of controversy.Coco Gauff, a 19-year-old girl from Delray Beach, Florida, USA, has become the youngest American woman to win the U.S. Open since Serena Williams won at the same age in 2001.
.@CocoGauff took a moment to soak it all in after winning her first Grand Slam title ❤️ pic.twitter.com/elBGm2wQeC
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 9, 2023
Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday, and her win has flooded the media. This was the 19-year-old’s first Grand Slam, after playing only two finals.
The new tennis champion’s reactions to the big win have been circulating on the internet, but there was one that sparked a discussion among internet users.
Gauff was seen going on her knees and saying a little prayer after winning, but when ESPN’s Twitter page posted the video, it was captioned, “@CocoGauff took a moment to soak it all in after winning her first Grand Slam title.”
However, the Super Bowl champion head coach, Tony Dungy, was not too pleased about ESPN’s choice of words. He responded, “I hate to break this to you, SportsCenter, but Coco Gauff was not ‘soaking it all in’ at this moment. She was praying. And added that Gauff had been open about her religious beliefs.
Coco Gauff Responds To the Haters
Gauff was proud of her hard-earned victory and was thankful to her parents and her faith that kept her going. She looked back at her loss at the French Open, said it was part of the ups and downs of life, and expressed how grateful she was for the life she had.
However, she also had a few things to say about those who did not believe in her. “Honestly, to those who thought you were putting water on my fire, you were really adding gas to it – and now I’m really burning so bright right now,” said Gauff.
Although there was negativity surrounding Gauff’s prayer, there were positive comments, too. One commenter said a replacement for Serena Williams had finally been found.
While others said the young tennis champion was an inspiration and admired how thankful she was for victory. Fans also loved to see Gauff grow and become better with each game.