Coco Gauff reached a maiden Miami Open final and paid tribute to those who work behind-the-scenes (Image: Getty)
Coco Gauff finished runner-up at her home tournament, the Miami Open, on Saturday, but was still in great spirits despite losing to Aryna Sabalenka. The 22-year-old almost skipped the event altogether after retiring mid-match in Indian Wells with an arm injury, but refused to pass up the opportunity to compete in Florida, and made it all the way to the Miami Open finals for the very first time.
It was well worth the risk for Gauff, who had previously never been beyond the fourth round. Although she narrowly missed out on the trophy, suffering a 6-2 4-6 6-4 defeat in a hard-fought championship match, the No. 4 seed had plenty to be grateful for.
It’s no surprise that the fans at the Miami Open throw their full support behind Gauff, who lives roughly 50 miles away in Delray Beach. But the two-time Grand Slam champion also felt the love from tournament staff throughout the fortnight at the Hard Rock Stadium.
“I think the crowd has been great for me this week. Not even the crowd, just the staff around the grounds. That amount of people… Janitors, locker room attendees, the people who make my pasta,” Gauff said.
“The amount of support I have gotten throughout this week is something that makes this tournament special. Just even people coming up to me saying, I prayed for you and things like that, I don’t get that anywhere else in the world.”
And Gauff has made sure to show her appreciation in return. While it’s against the rules for tournament staff to ask players for selfies or autographs, the world No. 4 admitted she was happy to break protocol for them.
Aryna Sabalenka beat Coco Gauff in three sets to defend her Miami Open title (Image: Getty)
She continued: “Just even people coming up to me saying, ‘I prayed for you’, and things like that, I don’t get that anywhere else in the world. These are real people, hard workers. Just seeing also how much joy they have from seeing me.
“Like, there’s a couple of them that… Well, I won’t name any, but they asked me to sign their balls and take pictures. They say they’re not supposed to, and I say, ‘Let’s go in the closet somewhere and take it’, because it doesn’t bother me personally.
“Seeing how excited they got just from that is what makes this experience all worth it. I think that’s also what I was feeling post-match. Even now, when I was walking over here, just again, staff just being so kind to me and saying, ‘We were proud of you’, and things like that. You walk away and say, ‘How can I not be proud of this experience when hundreds of people are telling me this?’ I’m grateful for this tournament.”
After spending a couple of weeks sleeping in her own bed, a rarity for tennis players given the relentless tennis schedule, Gauff will now turn her attention to the clay swing. And the world No. 4 is feeling positive after gaining some momentum in Miami.
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