Coco Gauff is enjoying the best phase of her 2023 season. Last week, she clinched her third title this year and second in the space of three weeks. With his, the American tennis sensation won her first WTA 1000 trophy, her biggest success on the WTA Tour so far. At 19, Gauff is already amongst the top players to play consistently on the WTA Tour. Her brilliant run in Cincinnati invited attention from NBA icon, Jimmy Butler.

Earlier this year, Gauff revealed taking inspiration from Butler as she aimed to clinch her maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open. The latter played a crucial role in Miami Heat reaching the NBA Finals. Here’s how he reacted to Gauff’s big victory before the US Open.

Jimmy Butler reacts to Coco Gauff’s Cincinnati win

The NBA icon, who is active on social media, regularly shares glimpses of his everyday life on platforms such as Instagram. On this occasion, he took to his official Instagram handle to praise the 19-year-old Gauff.

Sharing Gauff’s post via a story on his official Instagram handle, Butler reacted with a couple of ‘hail’ emojis. It was a wonderful tribute for Gauff, getting attention from an icon in the NBA world and someone who had inspired her.

Earlier, while dropping a winning post on Instagram after Cincinnati success, Gauff shared an interesting message. She said, “wow. what a week it has been! I won my biggest title to date two weeks ago and you know I had to double itttt and win a even bigger one this week…” Subsequently, she paid tribute to special ones for being pillars of support during her career.

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Coco Gauff thanks her parents

During the post-match interview after winning the biggest title of her career, Gauff was emotional as she poured gratitude towards her parents. Talking about them, she said, “The biggest thank you to my parents. My mom, I love you so much for being my emotional support. My dad.. he’s the reason I’m here. The reason I play tennis. He’s the reason I believe I can do this.” 

Gauff is in prime form and looking good to win her first Grand Slam title at the upcoming US Open. However, it’ll be interesting to see how she handles the pressure on tennis’ biggest stage.

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