Coco Gauff has received a special honour from the US Senate after winning the US Open in September. The teenager raised her game to battle through the field and win a grand slam for the first time in her career.
The American battled the expectation and pressure on her shoulders which intensified after she put fans on notice with a run to the last 16 at Wimbledon in 2019 – when she was just 15 years old. Now aged 19, she joined the elite group of major winners in style and there was no more fitting venue for her crowning achievement to take place than inside a raucous Arthur Ashe Stadium on home soil.
A month after her maiden Grand Slam tennis triumph, Gauff is still being praised. On Tuesday, the offices of four U.S. senators announced a special congratulations would be issued to the tennis star. Gauff was born in Atlanta, Georgia but currently lives in Delray Beach, Florida.
Four senators represent the player’s two home states and it was their idea to recognise Gauff and her achievement in this manner. “Coco Gauff is an inspiration to millions of young girls and boys across the country with her passion for the sport, faith and victories,” their message read. “Resolved, That the Senate congratulates Coco Gauff for her inspiring victory at this year’s US Open Tennis Championships.”
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One of the senators later tweeted: “Game, Set, Match: Sen. Ossoff, @SenMarcoRubio, @SenatorWarnock, and @SenRickScott passed a bipartisan U.S. Senate resolution congratulating Coco Gauff on her historic @usopen championship last month. Congratulations, @CocoGauff!” Warnock added: “Coco Gauff has brought pride to the state of Georgia and the country. Now it’s officially on the congressional record. Congratulations once again on your historic, incredible win, @CocoGauff! We’re so proud of all that you’ve accomplished.”
Gauff, who is currently competing at the WTA Finals in both singles and doubles, commented on the number of messages she received after winning the US Open, in addition to receiving a gift from one of the world’s finest actresses. “The messages are crazy, that you get from celebrities that you watch,” she said in a Tennis Channel interview after her opening singles win over Ons Jabeur.
“The coolest thing that happened to me was Zendaya sent me flowers to my house. It was a huge bouquet of flowers, and my brother and I struggled to lift it up on the table. I think it weighed at least 50 pounds. It was so heavy!” After beating Jabeur in her opening group match in Cancun, Gauff suffered her ninth loss to Iga Swiatek.
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The Polish star stormed through the opening set without losing a game, while Gauff’s serving woes saw her fail to serve out the second set and succumbed to a 6-0, 7-5 defeat. Despite the loss, Gauff can qualify for the last four if she defeats Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova. Things have not gone according to plan in the doubles competition, however, as Gauff and partner Jessica Pegula, who is also playing in singles, have lost their opening two matches together.
The American duo lost to Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe 6–7(2), 3–6, before also losing to Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova 6–3, 5–7, 6–10. However, if they were to win their final group match against Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva, they would still have a chance of reaching the semi-finals.
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