US Open: "You are wonderful, Coco!" - Osaka and Gauff with touching scenes
It was not the sporting highlight that was hoped for, emotionally it was even more so: Naomi Osaka showed greatness with a special campaign in the victory over crowd favorite Cori Gauff.
by SID
last edit: Jan 15, 2020, 01:23 pm
Naomi Osaka knew exactly the emotional scope of the moment. After all, she had already shed bitter tears at this very spot, under the floodlights of the Arthur Ashe Stadium. That was a year ago when her sporty hour was overshadowed by Serena Williams and her scandalous freaking out. So now she was back there - but this time the tears flowed on the other side of the net.
Disappeared, struck by the pressure of expectations and struck by the pressure of her opponent, stood there Cori Gauff, this 15-year-old hyped as a child prodigy. A large number of the 23,771 spectators in the largest tennis arena in the world and millions in front of the TV screens wanted their "Coco" to win against the defending champion in the third round of the US Open.
In the end, she had no chance. And when the 3: 6, 0: 6 was certain after only 65 minutes and all the tension gave way to disappointment, tears rolled down Gauff's face. Osaka registered this precisely and showed sensitivity.
Instead of chatting as the winner in the court interview reserved for her about the efficiency of the service, the precision of the backhand or the special nature of the fans, the 21-year-old left the limelight to Gauff. This initially resisted, but then went to the microphone on the center court under the roaring cheers of the fans.
"I learned so much here, she was so sweet to me. I thank her so much," said the teenager in a tearful voice. When she hugged the net right after the game, Osaka asked her if she wanted to speak on the court despite the defeat. "I said no," said Gauff, "because I knew I was going to cry all the time. But she encouraged me to do that."
Osaka: "You are wonderful, Coco!"
The Japanese woman was moved next to her, tears welling up in her eyes before she spoke and addressed Gauff's parents in the box. "You raised a great player," Osaka called, then turned to Gauff: "You are wonderful, Coco."
A circle closed for Osaka that evening. In last September's final, Williams' savage attacks against the referee had downgraded their biggest win to triviality. The most beautiful moment of her career turned into a painful experience among the audience's boos.
# # BETATHOMEUSWIN
"Reminds you how young she is"
Well, said Gauff, Osaka "has proven that she is a true athlete." By that she describes "someone who treats you like the worst enemy on the court and like your best friend next to the court," said Gauff: "And that's exactly what she did tonight." Osaka said she acted "instinctively". "When I shook her hand, I saw that she was in tears," said the world number one: "It reminded me how young she actually is."
The two players have a lot in common. They trained for a long time in the same academy in Florida and their fathers are friends. And Gauff looks up at Osaka, today even more than before. "She is the number one in the world," said the American, "so I know what else I have to do to get to this level."
She couldn't have a better role model than Osaka. Both on and off the field.