Coco Gauff‘ has silenced her clay-court doubters! After fans grew worried about her serve on the red surface, the reigning US Open champion shocked everyone with a dominant win 5-7, 6-4, and 6-1 over the former world number two Paula Badosa in Rome. But Gauff’s success goes beyond the court. In a surprising twist, she not only revealed a love for the intense competition of the WTA tour, but also stole hearts with her friendly personality.

In the post-match press conference, Gauff’s response caught more attention as she talked about the transitions in the tour experiences. This 2023 US Open champion started with how watching her peers rise to better WTA ranking is “kind of existential in a way that competition is literally going to be the same for probably the next 10 years.”

This American tennis star further recalls an incident of seeing the photos of her peers from the ITF junior’s tour in New York and felt that she would play around with these colleagues for a longer time. “I saw that photo of Rublev, Ostapenko and Medvedev in New York. I’m like, I don’t know. It kind of put in perspective these people I’m about to be around for the rest of my life, playing each other.”

Speaking of the “competitive” and “tense” nature of the recent tours, Gauff expressed that she likes it. “I really just enjoy being on tour because I know everything can be so tense and competitive. At the end of the day we’re going to play each other 10, 15 times ” she said. However, she mentioned how this increasing competition forces players to be friendlier, changing the environment of the tours. “I think at this point you don’t have to be the best of friends, but everybody should be friendly, which I think that’s the difference also between the WTA before I came and the WTA now. I think everybody is just like more friendlier in general” said Gauff.

Coco Gauff’s interesting take on the WTA tour showcases her humble and friendly characteristics. Gauff who went from a set down to beating Badosa in Rome recently offered her friendship to Badosa by checking up on the former world’s number two last year. The Spaniard was so comforted by the gesture that she revealed it to the media, impressing Coco Gauff.

Sportsmanship shines in Rome!

In a heartwarming twist, Paula Badosa revealed she received a kind message from Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, checking in on her well-being. This friendly exchange adds another layer to the story, as Gauff was previously quoted praising Badosa before their intense round-of-16 clash in Rome. Now, it seems Gauff’s comments weren’t just for show – she genuinely cares about her fellow competitor.

“I think she’s a player that loves to play tennis. Unfortunate with all the injuries she’d had trying to come back. Something else happening…I felt compelled to just send her a message. I do that with most players on tour that I know. I’ll send a message if I have their number or if we follow each other on Instagram,” said the 20-year-old.

“Definitely I think we’re pretty friendly on tour. We aren’t close friends…I feel like that’s a lot of me on tour. I think she’s 25 maybe, so five years’ age gap. We’re never going to be close friends, but I’m definitely friendly with her on tour. I always root for her” said Gauff on her friendship with Badosa.

Coco Gauff’s initial statement about the WTA tour and her gesture towards Badosa explains why this American Grand Slam winner is a favorite tennis player to many. This humble and grounded attitude makes players like Coco Gauff successful in their careers.