Coco Gauff’s mother, Candi, on Monday sent a heartwarming message to her daughter over the two-time major singles champion’s stunning appearance on the cover of a prominent tennis culture magazine. Candi, a former college heptathlete and gymnast at Florida State University who later pursued a career in teaching, is one of Coco’s strongest pillars of support, frequently attending her daughter’s matches.
On her Instagram Stories, Candi Gauff shared one of the pictures from Coco Gauff’s photoshoot for Dropshot Magazine. The photoshoot was orchestrated by renowned French sports photographer Loic Wacziak, who has made a name for himself thanks to his use of modern digital cameras to recreate 1960s-style double exposure techniques.
Candi Gauff’s post also featured a caption — a sweet message to her World No. 5 daughter to appreciate her and Wacziak’s unique style of photography as well:
“@cocogauff this really captures the journey of tennis and life!!!❤️❤️❤️.”
Coco Gauff recently competed at the China Open in Beijing, and her campaign there was marred by controversy following an incident during her third-round win against a home wild card.
Coco Gauff’s Beijing campaign ended amid racism row; American later withdrew from the Wuhan Open
Gauff locked horns against Chinese wild card Sun Xinran in the third round of the China Open. During the match, the American WTA star stopped a point, citing distraction caused by flickering electronic advertising boards lining the court. The moment stirred controversy, as Gauff’s critics accused her of cheating, and some racially abused her online.
Clearly affected by the developments, Gauff produced a lackluster display in the fourth round against Elise Mertens, with her campaign ending on an underwhelming note. Numerous high-profile figures in the tennis world came out in support of her, including legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.
Later, at a news conference, Gauff said that the relentless online hate had a negative impact on her:
“It has been kind of draining, I’m not going to lie. I just turn off my phone and move on. There’s nothing you can do.”
Subsequently, Gauff announced that she would not be participating in the Wuhan Open despite winning the WTA 1000 event last year. The American has already secured a berth in the year-end WTA Finals, and that’s where she is expected to play next.
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