Coco Gauff showed her class after missing out on receiving a huge accolade.
Caitlin Clark was named TIME’s Athlete of the Year for 2024 after being named the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year and setting a NCAA Division 1 women’s basketball scoring record.
While Gauff has never received the title, she has been named on TIME’s Women of the Year list in the past. And the world No. 3 was delighted to see Clark honoured by the magazine.
Gauff also enjoyed another successful year on tour. The 20-year-old started the season by reaching the Australian Open semi-final and capped it off by lifting the trophy at the WTA Finals for the first time.
The world No. 3 also won two other titles in Beijing and Auckland, and she made her Olympic debut over the summer. Gauff was selected as Team USA’s flag bearer for the opening ceremony alongside LeBron James.
However, her achievements weren’t enough to claim the coveted title of TIME Athlete of the Year, with Clark receiving the honour instead. The 22-year-old has revolutionised women’s basketball, bringing record viewerships to the WNBA.
So it’s no surprise Gauff was more than happy to see Clark get the recognition she deserved. The Indiana Fever Guard took to Instagram to share a snap of her magazine cover on TIME.
Former US Open champion Gauff was quick to respond, commenting three heart-eye emojis on the post. The nine-time title winner also played basketball when she was younger and has been following Clark’s career since her Iowa Hawkeyes days.
Back in April, the 20-year-old told the WTA: “I will say if I could go in another life I would love to play at the same time as Caitlin Clark just to see if I could guard her.
“Obviously, now I definitely couldn’t, but I don’t know, if I trained for it, [I] just [want] to see.”
Gauff even set alarms to make sure she could follow NCAA women’s basketball during the European clay-court season earlier in the year.
Even then, she had been looking forward to seeing Clark’s WNBA debut and started speaking with the 22-year-old on social media.
“I’m just really excited to see Caitlin Clark’s first game, and Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. I’m really excited to see them on the same team too,” she said.
“It’s very exciting to see the women’s game especially in basketball getting as much traction now. They definitely deserve it.
“I’ve been Instagram mutuals with some of the girls. Cameron Brink just signed with New Balance. And Angel Reese, had some DMs with her, and same with Caitlin and Paige Bueckers.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk