Coco Gauff has paid tribute to Rafael Nadal after the 22-time Grand Slam champion announced he will retire from tennis, with the American opening up on her memories of the Spaniard.
Coco Gauff spoke about Rafael Nadal at the Wuhan Open
Tennis sensation Coco Gauff confessed to being moved to tears by Rafael Nadal’s retirement announcement video. The 22-time Grand Slam winner made it official that he would be hanging up his racket next month.
Gauff, reacting to the bombshell, disclosed her admiration for Nadal and the moment she jokingly snubbed Carlos Alcaraz for a picture with his fellow Spaniard after trading pins at the Paris Olympics.
The news of Nadal’s departure sent shockwaves through the sport, with the Spanish icon choosing the upcoming Davis Cup Finals as his swan song on his home turf.
Stars like Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer were quick to honor their formidable adversary with touching tributes. Gauff has now opened up about her feelings regarding Nadal’s exit from the game.
“Yeah, he was or is my favourite person to watch. These retirements, we talk about like they’re dead,” she said with a smile.
Rafael Nadal announced his retirement this week
“But he is my favourite person to watch practice honestly. The intensity that he brought on the practice court and obviously on the match court is something that I felt like watching is unmatched.
“Watching the video, [I was] a bit emotional because Rafa is all I’ve known growing up. Yeah, he’s all I’ve known. Pretty sure he’s won Roland Garros for like the majority of my life.”
“Yeah, I guess it’s something that’s unfortunate. It’s going to happen to everybody one day. Hopefully it was completely on his terms. I know maybe this year he didn’t have as many injury-free moments as he wanted to,” Gauff said about Nadal’s career.
Nadal and Alcaraz were teammates at the Paris Olympics
She also shared her memories of Nadal off the court. “Overall, the career he had is something that players and people dream of,” she added.
“Off the court he was always speaking to me, always saying congratulations to me whenever I did well. It’s something that is very rare when you come across top players, especially when they’re not on the women’s side, maybe on the men’s side. I don’t know, I just felt things he would do, he went out of his way.”
“I remember at one point he said congratulations to me the year I went to the finals of the French Open. I kind of did a double take because I couldn’t believe he was speaking to me.”
One of Gauff’s favorite memories came from the recent Olympics, where she snubbed Alcaraz for Nadal because the 38-year-old had a pin to swap with her. “Actually, I don’t think I posted the picture, but we traded pins at the Olympics, which is the one thing I wanted to do,” she explained.
“He was super nice with that. We were both waiting on the shuttle. It was the last shuttle of the day, like 11 pm. I asked him if I could have one of his pins. He gave me one. Carlos was there, too, but Carlos didn’t have any pins. I only took the picture with Rafa there.
“I was like, ‘Carlos, you can’t be in it because you didn’t give me a pin.’ Yeah, just something like that I’ll remember. And something I’ll definitely tell my kids because it meant a lot to me.”
News
Jada Smith PANICS After CNN EXPOSE Her As Diddy’s Minion
In a candid revelation, Jada Pinkett Smith has found herself back in the spotlight, this time amid swirling rumors and explosive claims about her marriage to Will Smith and her connections with other celebrities. The narrative took an unexpected turn…
Beyonce CONFRONTS & Threatens Jaguar Wright For Lying On National TV
In a dramatic turn of events, Beyoncé is reportedly contemplating legal action against Jaguar Wright, who has been vocal about her controversial claims regarding the music superstar and her husband, Jay-Z. For years, Wright has been spilling sensational stories about…
Kourtney Kardashian Finally BREAKS SILENCE On What Diddy Did To Her!
In the glittering world of Hollywood, few names are as synonymous with extravagant parties as Sean “Diddy” Combs. These legendary events have drawn A-listers and socialites alike, with the Kardashian clan often seen among the glamorous guests. However, a recent…
The 5 men with the highest ATP Masters 1000 win percentage: Rafael Nadal returns to top, Novak Djokovic on 81.96%
Rafael Nadal has reclaimed the distinction of having the highest win percentage in matches at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments from Novak Djokovic. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic Masters 1000 Djokovic‘s Masters 1000 win rate had overtaken Nadal’s during his run at…
Six Kings Slam’s staggering prize money that Nadal and Djokovic can earn for two days work
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will compete at this inaugural Six Kings Slam this week. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have a chance to win a record prize money cheque for two matches (Image: Getty) The inaugural Six Kings Slam will…
Novak Djokovic’s results against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz – a small part of a big problem
Almost two decades after the last time it happened, Novak Djokovic finds himself occupying a space in men’s tennis with which he is all too familiar. He is, by a distance, the third-best player in the world. In the summer of 2007,…
End of content
No more pages to load