The match between World No. 1 and defending US Open champion Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff on Saturday was like any other, for the most part. However, the post-match sportsmanship between the two literally transcended tennis, leaving everyone watching in tears.
Naomi's looked comfortable on the court and her game was spot on, even after a time violation warning. Coco, on the other hand, played more tentatively, struggling to find her game. After losing the first set (the score was not indicative of the play), Coco's usual second set come-back confidence failed her. Errors started piling up, and before we knew it, the match was over in straight sets, 6-3, 6-0, and the most hyped American player was once again a 15-year old girl with some growing up left to do.
Naomi recognized the transformation immediately, as she herself had recently been there, done that.
"It reminded me how young she was," said Naomi, still her senior at only 21 years old.
Class. Act. 👏
After defeating Coco Gauff in straight sets, Naomi Osaka asked the 15-year-old to join her for the encore interview. pic.twitter.com/kcat7fRggr
- espnW (@espnW) September 1, 2019
And I'm still crying.
