By: Al Wes
September 9, 2023
We have reached the time of year where baseball is ending and football is beginning.
There is not a shortage of manly sports to watch on TV no matter what time of day you watch it. But, did you know, women are also playing sports at an elite level, right now in the year of our Lord 2023?
American tennis star Coco Gauff capped off an incredible US Open run on Saturday by winning her first Grand Slam and upsetting the number one ranked player in the world. Gauff, 19, becomes the first teenager to win the tournament since Serena Williams won at 17 in 1999.
Now, what you might remember about Gauff and her US Open run was her iconic quote from her match against Laura Siegemund. Siegemund repeatedly broke or ignored rules during the match and was eventually given a point penalty. When interviewed after the win, Gauff was asked to describe what it was like to play against Siegemund. Gauff responded, “Slow.”
There was a mixed response to this on the internet, but at the end of the day, Laura Siegemund turned pro in 2006. Coco Gauff was born in 2004. What does this have to do with anything? The German Pro has been playing tennis longer than the now champion has been alive. She knew the rules and she was trying to screw with Gauff to throw her off her game. But it back-fired terribly, and so the two players had a terribly uncomfortable post-match press conference.
This all happened in the first round of the tournament. DRAMA. Gauff could have let this kill the vibe of the rest of her tournament, but instead she dominated and came out on top. Just 11 years ago Gauff was a fan dancing in the stands and now she stands atop the pack.
Even cooler still, Billie Jean King presented Gauff with her trophy. Why is this cool? King famously competed and won the Battle of the Sexes match against Bobby Riggs in 1973. She paved the way for women’s equality in the sport and continues to be an outspoken advocate. Also, she’s a gay icon, nbd.
When I was 19, I was a freshman in college trying to navigate being on my own for the first time and probably figuring out how to obtain alcohol for a crappy basement frat party. I was playing D3 softball on a field that has since been demolished. I also lived in a dorm room with no air conditioning and a girl that I have not talked to since. I really thought I was kind of cool at 19, but now I look at Coco Gauff and I know that she is cool. Me and my thick eyeliner were merely average.
Congrats to Coco! We look forward to watching her continue to dominate the sport for years to come!
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