Tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff share an emotional moment after their match at the U.S. Open this past weekend. Osaka was able to defeat Gauff in straight sets (6-3, 6-0) and after the match, Gauff was fighting back tears.
Osaka noticed the upset 15-year old and that led to her consoling her and inviting her to her postmatch interview. Both players were very emotional when talking to Mary Jo Fernandez of ESPN and Gauff said the match was a good learning experience for her.
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“She did amazing, and I’m going to learn a lot from this match,” Gauff said, before looking at Osaka. “She’s been so sweet to me, so thank you for this. Thank you.”
Osaka, 21, actually sent a message to Gauff’s parents to tell them the amazing job they have done raising and training her.
You need to watch this immediately. pic.twitter.com/yG7xjpWr5L
โ Alexis Benveniste (@apbenven) September 1, 2019
“I remember I used to see you guys training in the same place as us, and, for me, the fact that both of us made it, and we’re both still working as hard as we can, it’s incredible,” Osaka said. I think you guys are amazing, and Coco, I think you’re amazing.”
Osaka was in a somewhat similar situation last year when she defeated Serena Williams to win the U.S. Open which was also her first grand slam victory. However, fans were booing when the match was over because they didn’t like how the match was officiated. That led to Williams stepping in and showing support for Osaka.
“I don’t want to do questions,” Williams said via the Undefeated. “I just want to tell you guys she played well. This is her first Grand Slam. โฆ Let’s not boo anymore.”
It was such an awkward moment for Osaka, she had to apologize for winning.
“I know that everyone was cheering for [Williams], and I’m sorry it had to end like this,” Osaka said during her on-court postmatch interview. “I just want to say thank you for watching the match.”
Gauff made a name for herself earlier this year when she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon. Her most notable win was against former Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in the first round of the tournament. Gauff was recently the No. 1 junior tennis player in the world, winning the Junior French Open in 2018 and reaching the Junior U.S. Open Finals in 2017.