WATCH: Coco Gauff wins a fun rally against Frances Tiafoe leaving out Marta Kostyuk forcing her to sit on the court
The pair engaged in friendly banter as they went back and forth on the court, much to the amusement of the crowd at a charity event
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Coco Gauff and Frances Tiafoe
Coco Gauff and Frances Tiafoe enjoyed a hilarious taunting match while having a rally during their doubles match at the Tennis Plays for Peace charity event in Melbourne. The rally started with Tiafoe telling Gauff,” I’ll break you down.” Receiving Tiafoe’s forehand return, Gauff took him up to the challenge, saying,” My backhand against your forehand, I’ll take this all day.” Tiafoe then attempted to distract Gauff with sudden screams as the crowd erupted into laughter. The rally ended with Tiafoe hitting his shot straight into the net, leading to clapping and further laughter from the crowd.
Tiafoe’s doubles partner, Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, saw where the rally was going and decided to join the spectators. The World No.57 sat down and watched the rally unfold, leading to laughter from the crowd. Tiafoe and Kostyuk were playing for the yellow team at the charity event.
The Australian Open organized Tennis Plays for Peace in support of Ukraine during the ongoing war in the country. The star-studded event featured Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Maria Sakkari, amongst others. Wheelchair tennis player Dylan Alcott hosted the event. The exciting line-up and nobility of the cause saw the Rod Laver Arena filled with fans.
The fundraiser also saw the players meet the oldest tennis player, Ukraine’s Leonid Stanislavskyi. He played some shots with Tiafoe and Nadal, which resulted in the American asking,” Is it too late for a wildcard?”
The event was an enormous success and bought further awareness of the plight of Ukrainians. There was a particularly emotional moment as the crowd stood up for the Ukrainian national anthem before the matches. Tennis Plays for Peace is a great initiative and an exemplary example of superstars bringing attention to prominent issues.
Lindsay Davenport expresses belief in Coco Gauff’s potential
Former World No.1 Lindsay Davenport believes the “sky is the limit” for American teen Coco Gauff. She is impressed with the steady progress of the player and pointed out multiple technical improvements Gauff has made. Davenport said that Gauff’s serves have gotten much better, and she has drastically reduced double faults.
She also praised Gauff’s other technical capabilities, saying,” Her backhand is one of the best in the business. You know what she does better than anyone else? Finish points at net. If she sees a short ball, she never back pedals. So many players get in the mid-court, they don’t trust themselves or have that experience. This is a huge advantage for her, that ability. Seamless.”
Such praise from a legend must be vindication for Gauff. The 18-year-old’s skills were fully displayed as she clinched the ASB Classic this week. She hopes to continue her momentum at the Australian Open starting next week.
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