Even if you aren’t a tennis fan, you’ve likely seen news about the US Open over the past week. The name Coco Gauff was on everyone’s lips. A 19-year-old star player, Coco Gauff took the title, becoming the youngest to win this category since Serena Williams in the ’90s. In her final match, Gauff went up against Aryna Sabalenka and won 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 over three sets. Since then, Gauff has been enjoying her win off the court, posting TikToks and showing off her trophy and belt.
A little background
Coco Gauff arrived on the professional tennis scene four years ago at age 15. That summer, Gauff would go on to defeat Venus Williams at Wimbledon. The win put immense pressure on her plate and garnered a lot of attention for the teen. Featured in the TIME Next 100 with a blurb written by the legend Billie Jean King, Gauff quickly made a name for herself.
If you’ve watched even just a clip of a match, Gauff makes tennis look effortless. It isn’t, obviously, but her speed and agility make you think you could dominate the court the way she does. She’s inspiring to watch. But the road to the big win wasn’t without its issues.
Gauff vs. Siegemund
During her match against veteran Laura Siegemund, things got a little tense for Gauff. Her opponent was taking a significant amount of time between shots, effectively stalling the game. At first, this went unchecked by the umpire. Then Gauff spoke up. As The Guardian writes:
As Gauff led 3-0 in the third set, Siegemund put up her hand, forcing the American to serve again and prompting Gauff to firmly explain her frustrations to the umpire, Marijana Veljovic. Her arguments appeared to be convincing as, later in the third set, Siegemund received a second time violation and a point penalty. As she left the court, Siegemund refused to shake Veljovic’s hand.
People in the tennis world, fans and players alike, were split. Some called Gauff out of line and arrogant, while others sided with her and criticized Seigemund’s play. After winning the Grand Slam title, Gauff said she is aware of the negative tweets being posted about her. “I’m very aware of tennis Twitter. I know y’all’s usernames, so I know who’s talking trash and I can’t wait to look on Twitter right now!” she laughed.
Meanwhile, Siegemund cried in a post-game press conference about how people responded to her game, and her refusal to shake the umpire’s hand after. Siegemund felt she was shown a lack of respect during and after the game, lamenting that fans “treated her like a bad person.”
Why the controversy still matters
Black athletes are often subjected to unfair treatment by their opponents, umpires and referees, sports commentators, and fans alike. Gauff’s comments about tennis Twitter are a reflection of that. When you’re Black, it’s not enough to be great, you also have to be humble, almost to a fault.
It’s not that Siegemund is a bad person or necessarily did any of this intentionally, but it’s clear she expected a different reception from the crowd. As a white player, the shoe is usually on the other foot, with the Black player being lambasted and hounded by fans. Siegemund felt that because of her seniority (and likely her race), she was entitled to better treatment. She didn’t expect the crowd to side with Gauff.
After her US Open win, Gauff thanked those who doubted her, a defiant message to those who wished to humble her.
(featured image: Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
