“The summer after George Floyd…,” Coco Gauff and grandmother inspire take ESPN journalist’s love for tennis to a new level

Coco Gauff has emerged as an inspiration for everyone in America.

“The summer after George Floyd…,” Coco Gauff and grandmother inspire take ESPN journalist’s love for tennis to a new level

Coco Gauff and Robin Roberts (Images via Imago/Screengrab/X)

American tennis ace Coco Gauff is not only inspiring young girls in America to pick up the racket and dream about winning a Grand Slam title but also people much older than her. An ESPN journalist has revealed how Gauff and her grandmother helped her produce the best moment of her career.

Robin Roberts, a renowned ESPN journalist, talked about her love of tennis and mentioned that covering Gauff when the American was on the cusp of breaking onto the scene is one of the memorable moments of her career. She said that looking at Gauff talking during the unrest after George Floyd made her feel proud of the young.

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During a recent interview byte shared by Tennis Channel on X, Roberts revealed that while people know her from basketball, she has been associated with tennis for a long time. When she was asked about her most memorable moment in covering women’s tennis, she named Gauff.

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Coco Gauff, I went down after she made the national scene, and going down to her home in Delray, meeting her grandmother during the unrest that summer after George Floyd that we heard Coco Gauff speak up. And I was just so proud of her.
Robin Roberts said.

Coco Gauff managing the weight of expectations

Ever since her maiden Grand Slam title win at the 2023 US Open, Coco Gauff has been managing the weight of expectations. The 19-year-old has managed only one title since her US Open win. She won the title at ASB Classics. Although she made the semifinals at the Australian Open, Gauff was disappointed.

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Coco Gauff (Image via Imago)

Now, as the 19-year-old had an early exit at the Qatar Open, she is feeling the heat. Gauff was stunned by World No. 42 Katerina Siniakova in the second round, with the Czech outplaying her to record a 6-2, 6-4 victory. This meant that her aim of closing the gap in the ranking points received a serious hit.

However, she is advised to not hit the panic button and focus on the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami. Former World No. 9 and current tennis analyst CoCo Vandeweghe says despite the defeat, Gauff needs to focus on the bigger picture. 

There is nothing better than coming into the US swing of Indian Wells and Miami for Coco Gauff right now. It is going to be really important for her to manage the expectations going forward into the rest of the year. It’s a long year, it’s a marathon not a sprint so I definitely agree that there is no reason to hit the panic button.
Coco Vandeweghe said. (H/T: Tennis 365)

It is to be seen how the 19-year-old manages the weight of expectations when she takes the court in Indian Wells.

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