Roger Federer posted an adorable old photo with Coco Gauff after the 19-year-old lifted her maiden Grand Slam title on home soil at the US Open. The American is signed to Federer’s TEAM8 management agency and the 20-time Major winner sent Gauff a message after watching and supporting her for “years”.
Gauff lifted the biggest title of her young career on Saturday night, coming from a set down to defeat soon-to-be world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka 2-6 6-3 6-2. There were plenty of A-list stars in attendance, from Nicole Kidman to former champions of the sport like Maria Sharapova.
The messages of congratulations started pouring in for the newly-crowned champion, with former President Barack Obama being one of the first to tweet about Gauff’s triumph. And Federer has now become the latest name to share his own personal tribute to Gauff following her title win.
The former world No 1 shared a photo of himself alongside a young Gauff at what appears to be Indian Wells in 2015, when the American would have been around 11 years old. Federer also posted a snap of Gauff with her US Open trophy alongside another picture of the pair, taken after she joined the tennis tour.
“Inspirational win @cocogauff,” Federer wrote. “Been watching your [tennis emoji] and following you for years. Your hard work and mental toughness is great for our sport. You shine brighter than ever.”
Federer has a unique relationship with Gauff as they share the same agent – Tony Godsick. The Swiss star and Godsick co-founded their own management company TEAM8 in 2013. A New York native, Godsick has worked with the world No 6 since she was just 13 years of age and was in attendance for her title win on Saturday night.
Gauff was quick to respond to Federer’s message on Instagram, commenting: “Thank you so much,” with a goat emoji. The 19-year-old also had a sweet reply to Serena Williams when the 23-time Major winner shared an Instagram story celebrating her title win.
“The queen,” she wrote alongside a crown emoji, adding: “Thank you. Only possible because of you.” It’s something Gauff said immediately following her victory over Sabalenka.
“I mean, they’re the reason why I have this trophy today, to be honest. They have allowed me to believe in this dream, you know, growing up. You know, there wasn’t too many just Black tennis players dominating the sport. It was literally, at that time when I was younger, it was just them that I can remember,” she explained after lifting the trophy.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
