Tearful teen Coco ready for a break
After stealing the show at the last two Slams, Coco Gauff is expected to melt into the background and not play again until next season in Australia.
It was slightly reassuring to hear that from her father, Corey, in the wake of the emotional scenes at the end of her crunching third-round US Open defeat at the hands of Naomi Osaka.
the humanity of the defending champion in comforting her tearful opponent and asking her to join the on-court interview was touching.
Yet it was also a reminder of the pressures facing a 15-yearold girl when she competes in a gladiatorial sport in an Arthur Ashe Stadium packed with 24,000 people and before a primetime television audience.
At least Gauff, whose 16th birthday is not until March, will have time to digest the dizzying events of Wimbledon and flushing Meadows. Corey Gauff reckoned that age restrictions will see her out of the spotlight for a while, though she was due to play in the doubles yesterday.
‘We have a significant break for her to work on her game,’ he said. He said the whole evening’s experience had been demanding enough for the family. ‘My wife did a good job of holding it together,’ he said after Osaka won 6-3, 6-0.
‘It was an emotional moment for me watching my little girl go out on the court with so much pressure. It felt a little bit overwhelming for her. It’s hard to go on Ashe with so many people out there, but I thought Wimbledon was very good prep.
‘She is not happy about the way she played today, because she is a competitor, but she will have learned.’