Coco Gauff and her dad both broke their own personal rule at US Open

Coco Gauff has revealed that she and her father broke their personal crying rule after winning the US Open in 2023.

The American tennis star overcame Aryna Sabalenka in three sets at Flushing Meadows last year to claim her maiden Grand Slam title.

After the victory, a 19-year-old Gauff was understandably emotional having won her home Grand Slam.

But in an Instagram live video after the final, Gauff revealed she wasn’t expecting to shed tears.

Gauff went on to explain her outpouring of emotion, pointing to a video of when she was just nine years old busting some moves inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“If you’ve been following me for a while you just know this has been something the world has put on me at a young age,” Gauff said.

“I’m just happy that I was finally able to overcome all that to do it.

“So that’s where the tears came from and just a little bit of a shock when I finished the match. Y’all saw the video where I was nine years old, I think that girl was crying, to be honest.

“I don’t think I was crying, to be honest, I think that girl in the video was crying because I don’t like to cry. Not in front of people. I’ll cry alone, I’ll cry over a movie or a TV show but in front of people, no.”

Gauff’s father, Corey, was also in tears after her groundbreaking victory.

But, like his daughter, Corey is normally stone-faced and is not one to show much emotion.

It’s why his reaction to Gauff’s win over Sabalenka was so surprising, at least for her.

“I’m like my dad though, for real,” Gauff said.

“Today was the first time I’ve ever seen my dad cry. He doesn’t want me to tell y’all that but he got caught in 4K. He thinks he’s so hard, but he’s not.”

Gauff’s US Open victory in 2023 remains her only Grand Slam singles trophy to date, with her next best performance being a run to the French Open final in 2022.

She did manage to go one better at Roland Garros this year albeit in the women’s doubles, teaming up with Katerina Siniakova.