‘RIP’—Coco Gauff’s Emotional Tribute to Jimmy Carter Reveals an Unexpected Georgia Story with Her Dad

2024 WTA Tour Finals champion Coco Gauff might be in Sydney, but she knows how to stay connected to events back home. Representing her country at the 2025 United Cup, this former US Open champion has teamed up with Taylor Fritz in a quest for victory. After a strong start to the tournament, she took a moment to pay tribute to her country’s former president. Sharing a heartfelt story, Gauff highlighted how even the simplest, most humble gestures can reveal the greatness in legends.

Yesterday afternoon, former US President Jimmy Carter passed away in his Georgia-based hospice care home, where he had been for a while. He was aged 100, which made him the oldest living president of the country before his death. His son Chip Carter shared the news with the media. The titan’s death has saddened the whole nation, including former US Open champion Coco Gauff – who, as it turns out, had quite the run-in with him once upon a time.

Gauff took to her IG story to share a post from the Associated Press about Jimmy Carter’s legacy. There she shared an interesting story of meeting the former president. “very random but I met Mr. Carter when I was a kid. We were on a road trip and stopped in the middle of nowhere at Georgia at a McDonald’s to get some food. And randomly he was using the urinal next to my dad lol. We kept seeing people suited up and armed but just assumed it was because we were in the middle of nowhere Georgia around Valdosta area and if yor’re from the South you know how they get down out there but turns out they were just secret service agents. Eating out food with my mom and my dad walks out the bathroom with the former President like they were long time friends. He was extremely nice to us and a memory I will never forget. RIP,” she wrote. Her words highlighted what a great gentleman Carter was and how he touched the lives of many people with his humble personality.

Interestingly, Coco Gauff might be keeping track of the events in her country but she is in Sydney for the 2025 United Cup. She kicked off her 2025 season in style with a successful partnership with Taylor Fritz and showed that she is ready to surprise her followers with impressive progress this season.

But while Coco Gauff may be away from home, other tennis stars also paid tribute to the former US President. Along with the WTA young gun, legends Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King also dropped heartfelt messages remembering Carter’s legacy. Their words echoed the former President’s humility, highlighting why people loved him so much.

Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, and Boris Becker remember Jimmy Carter

As soon as the news of Jimmy Carter’s passing broke, many, including tennis legends, expressed their gratitude and hailed the legacy Carter has left behind. Navratilova dropped a short yet meaningful gratitude tweet that read, “RIP Mr. President- a life amazingly lived…” She also hailed the Nobel Peace Prize-winning former President as “A truly good man…”Alongside her, Billie Jean King also paid tribute to him. “A champion of peace and democracy, Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, has passed away. He was a former Naval officer, a Noble Peace Prize winner, and a true humanitarian. We will miss him. May he rest in peace,” she wrote.

King’s words resonated with Boris Becker’s feelings who retweeted King’s words and wrote, “Word BJK.” From the emotions of the statements, it felt like Carter truly was able to touch the lives of the people in his country and beyond. His legacy is truly irreplaceable, transcending the barriers of time, as his character and service are remembered in fond admiration.