Coco Gauff Weighs in on Daniil Medvedev and Jelena Ostapenko’s US Open Drama

Coco Gauff’s 2025 US Open journey has really shown how she handles ups and downs, starting with her emotional second-round win over Donna Vekic and moving on to a steady third-round victory against Magdalena Frech, where she really demonstrated her mental strength and skill adjustments. So, while Gauff has been making her way up, the tournament has also been marked by some off-court drama, especially with Daniil Medvedev’s explosive meltdown and the intense back-and-forth between Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend.

Medvedev’s first-round match against Benjamin Bonzi took a wild turn when he got the crowd riled up, booing the umpire over a controversial call, which led to a six-minute pause in the action. On top of that, he got hit with a hefty $42,500 fine for what he did in court. Simultaneously, Ostapenko’s second-round defeat to Townsend sparked a tense argument where the Latvian accused her opponent of having “no class” and “no education.”

In her third-round press conference, Coco Gauff shared her thoughts on the situation, pointing out that the special vibe of New York and the timing of the event really influenced the drama. She said, “Yeah, I think it’s A, end of the year. B, I mean, we’re in New York and, you know, the fans here, I love them. But you know, they can definitely, if you’re on the wrong side of things can, they just, they’re into the match. They’re passionate tennis fans.”

Coco Gauff pointed out that the atmosphere in the city, with all its big events and passionate fans, really cranks up the controversies. She mentioned that while these kinds of incidents happen often on tour, they seem to blow up even more at the US Open because of how social media works. She stated, “They know what’s going on and they’re used to other events, I think, like major events happening in the city, not that art tennis. And then I don’t know, I think, to be honest, like with some of the drama, I feel like it happens frequently on tour, but because it’s here, it gets more social media clicks.”

The American tennis star’s remarks really highlight something important about the tennis calendar: the US Open being the last Grand Slam, along with all the media buzz in New York, tends to amplify player conflicts that might not get much attention otherwise.

Gauff also touched on how social media can twist these situations, saying, “But some of the players, these are recurring things that us in the tennis world, it’s not surprising. So it’s like, okay, whatever. But because it’s here in New York, and maybe not as many tennis fans or things like that, it gets blown up on social media. But I think for us players, it’s just like another week on tour. But these things happen, I would say, more frequently than maybe the ones who just tune in to the Grand Slams, I think.”

In the end, Gauff’s thoughts remind us that the US Open is truly one-of-a-kind, but the feelings and struggles it brings to light are a big part of what makes the sport so real—showing just how much pressure athletes deal with under the constant gaze of the world. Looking ahead to the US Open, it seems Gauff is gearing up for a definite rematch.

Coco Gauff’s chance for revenge after six years

Coco Gauff is moving on, and now she’s gearing up for an exciting match against four-time major champion Naomi Osaka, who just made it through a nail-biting three-setter against 15th seed Daria Kasatkina. This matchup really brings back some strong memories, especially their first clash at the 2019 US Open. Remember when 15-year-old Gauff faced off against a powerful Osaka?

It was tough to watch as Gauff lost 6-3, 6-0 in the third round. Looking ahead to the US Open, it seems Gauff is all set for a rematch. Since then, Gauff has picked up a few wins against Osaka, and their head-to-head record is quite close at 3-2, with Gauff having a slight edge over her rival. But you know, Osaka is already feeling the pressure.

After winning her third-round match, she said in the on-court interview, “Um, I hope, can somebody come to the match and cheer for me? Because, I mean, it’s kind of tough playing an American here, but I hope you guys kind of adopted me as well. So I don’t know, I kind of also see her as a little sister, so it’s really cool to be playing her here again.” For Gauff, this is a great opportunity to rewrite her career narrative, moving on from the memories of 2019 and highlighting her current skills. We’ll just have to wait and see what unfolds in this much-anticipated match.