Just days after winning her first French open title, CocoGough received a standing ovation at the Barclays Center, and New York Liberty hosted the Chicago Sky on Tuesday. When that happened, she was sitting courtside with the family of the late Kobe Bryant. That “mamba mentality” often serves as an inspiration for young tennis stars.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter of Liberty’s dominant 85-66 victory, Gouf was screened at Jumbotron, and the crowd quickly erupted. In addition to the enthusiastic cheers, she was also visited by Ellie Elephant Elephant, the beloved mascot of freedom. After the match, Gauff greeted Sky Forward Angel Reese before celebrating at the Liberty Locker Room.
Goff appreciated the love she received from the New York crowd.
Coco Gough drew inspiration from Kobe Bryant
Gouf won this celebration by upsetting the world’s No. 1 Arena Sabalenka to win the second grand slam of her career. Despite losing the first set in the tiebreak, Gauff didn’t become a rattle and instead was attacked to win 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-4. In the process, she became the first American woman to win a Roland Garos since Serena Williams in 2015.
Tuesday was the perfect full circular moment with a mix of basketball and tennis. Golf sat with Bryant’s wife Vanessa and her daughters Natalia, Bianca and Capri. Kobe, who died in a helicopter crash in 2020, was a tennis fan, but was unable to attend many games while still in the NBA. When Lakers legend retired, he reached the US Open in 2019 and spoke about how impressed he was with the calm he showed at just 15 years old.
2025 French Open: Everything All Coco Gouf said after rimming world No. 1 Alina Sabalenka with a Grand Slam title
Brad Crawford
One of the biggest advice he gave her was to understand what she wanted to achieve by the end of her career and map out how she wanted to get there. After winning the place at the 2023 US Open Finals, Gouf revealed how much Kobe had an impact on her, using the quote “The Job is not finished yet.” She continued to focus on the goal and defeated Sabalenka to lift her first major trophy.
Gauff will be able to chase another Grand Slam title in a few weeks at Wimbledon, which will take place from June 30th to July 13th.
