Winning the US Open at the young age of 19 years old is a big feat for anyone. By doing so, Coco Gauff made history. But her actions after winning the title resulted in much criticism directed towards her.
Keep reading to learn more…
19-year-old Coco Gauff made her mark in the sport of tennis by winning the U.S. Open at a young age. The last person to accomplish this feat was Serena Williams when she won in 2001 at the age of 19 years old as well.
Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Her win has catapulted her to international fame because Gauff has steadily risen to prominence in her career after turning pro in 2018. This was the 19-year-old’s first Grand Slam, and she has only played two finals.
Her reaction to her winning the tournament went viral. But one particular action that she did when she realized she won has garnered a lot of ire directed her way from internet users.
She was seen knelt down, with her hands together, praying. ESPN’s X (formerly known as Twitter) handle posted the video, with text reading, “@CocoGauff took a moment to soak it all in after winning her first Grand Slam title.”
Super Bowl champion head coach Tony Dungy was not pleased with what ESPN had to say about Gauff’s celebration. He replied to their tweet, “I hate to break this to you, SportsCenter but Coco Gauff was not ‘soaking it all in’ at this moment. She was praying. She has been very open about her Christian faith in the past. It seems pretty obvious what she is doing here.”
While on Facebook, a user named T.J. Moe, with a verified account, commented a similar sentiment on Fox News’s post. He wrote, “ESPN tried to say she was “soaking it all in.” Nah, that’s prayer, and it’s fantastic to see a young athlete know where it all came from.”
Others, however, did not take too kindly to the comment. People did not like the insinuation that praying is what determines results. One person asked whether the other player lost because they did not pray hard enough.
Another outraged user asked about the earthquake in Morrocco that took thousands of lives and whether it meant that God was more interested in sports.