Coco Gauff reveals how Simone Biles inspired her to achieve victory at the US Open.
From the court, Coco Gauff has sent flowers. Just after defeating Donna Vekic in the second round of the 2025 US Open on August 28, the tennis player revealed how Simone Biles, who was present, encouraged her to stay focused.
“She helped me pull it out,” in her post-match interview on the court, 21-year-old Coco clarified. “I thought, ‘If she can go on a six-inch beam with all the pressures in the world, then I can hit the ball into this court.’ It brought me a little bit of calm, just knowing her story with all the things she went through mentally. She is an inspiration, and her presence helped me today.”
The 28-year-old Olympic gymnast was in the audience when Coco commended her skills, and the cameras appropriately captured her response. The 28-year-old Simone grinned and exclaimed, "I love you!" Coco gave her a heart-shaped hand gesture in return.
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The Grand Slam champion said she also chatted with Simone following the difficult match, so her kind words were not over yet.
“She’s one of the greatest athletes,” in another post-match interview, Coco stated to reporters. “Her and Serena [Williams] are on my Mount Rushmore of athletes. To see her there tonight gave me the reminder I needed. I was lucky to just come from talking to her, so I was able to tell her that in person.”
Their reunion was equally as poignant as their previous encounter. In a short video of the encounter, Simone gave Coco her well-earned roses after the two champions hugged.
“Gymnastics is so different, so I just wanted to scream, ‘Go Coco!’ But then they were like, ‘Maybe not right now,’” the gold medalist joked. “But no, congrats! I love watching you, everything you do.”
The tennis player also receives affection from her boyfriend, Jalen Sera, who is one of her biggest supporters when she is not meeting her idols. In fact, Coco revealed that her partner gives her the best motivational speeches following a difficult match.
“He’s always telling me to trust the process,” Coco on Aug. 24 clarified. “Just know that I’ve already accomplished a lot and there’s no need to be so negative. That’s kind of what my whole team, my parents, everybody says. I’m someone that can criticize myself a lot, so I just try to make sure that I stay positive.”
