Tennis sensation Coco Gauff under fire for praying after winning U.S. Open

19-year-old Coco Gauff created a name for herself in tennis by winning the US Open at a young age. Serena Williams, who won at the age of 19 in 2001, was the most recent person to do so this year.

Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Because Gauff arrived almost out of nowhere, her victory has catapulted her to international stardom. This was the 19-year-old’s first Grand Slam, and she had only appeared in two finals previously.

Her reaction to winning the competition quickly went viral. However, one particular action she took after realizing she had won drew a lot of ire from internet users.

She was observed crouched down, hands clasped, praying. The video was shared by ESPN’s X (previously known as Twitter) account, with the caption, “@CocoGauff took a moment to soak it all in after winning her first Grand Slam title.”

Tony Dungy, the Super Bowl champion’s head coach, was not thrilled with what ESPN said about Gauff’s celebration. He retweeted their tweet., “I hate to break this to you, SportsCenter but Coco Gauff was not ‘soaking it all in’ at this moment. She was praying. She has been very open about her Christian faith in the past. It seems pretty obvious what she is doing here.”

While on Facebook, a user named T.J. Moe, with a verified account, commented a similar sentiment on Fox News’s post. He wrote, “ESPN tried to say she was “soaking it all in.” Nah, that’s prayer, and it’s fantastic to see a young athlete know where it all came from.”

Others, on the other hand, were not pleased with the remark. People were offended by the suggestion that praying is what affects outcomes. Someone wondered if the other player lost because they didn’t pray hard enough.

Another upset user wondered if the earthquake in Morocco, which killed thousands, proved that God was more interested in sports.

Coco Gauff, on the other hand, already knows how to tune out ‘haters.’ She expressed her delight at her hard-won success. She attributed her perseverance to her parents and her beliefs. She reflected on her loss at the French Open and said it was just part of life’s ups and downs.

She also had a message for people who did not trust in her and wished for her defeat, “Honestly, to those who thought you were putting water on my fire, you were really adding gas to it – and now I’m really burning so bright right now.”

There were people who tried to undermine her success, but there were also those who praised her. People who were thrilled for her victory flocked around the tennis star. One commenter even suggested that another Serena Williams had been discovered.

If you liked this story, you might like to read about how faith saved Chuck Norris’ life.

Coco Gauff is only 19 years old, but she has accomplished incredible things. We wish her the best of luck in the future and are excited to see where she goes next and what accomplishments she brings home.