Sports
Coco Gauff assists Naomi Osaka off the pitch after a back injury forces her to miss the match
The competition couldn’t stop Coco Gauff from helping her opponent who had to withdraw from a tennis match.
According to , he was a young tennis phenomenon involved in a match against Naomi Osaka, when her opponent had to withdraw from the match due to a back injury she suffered. When the match was awarded to Gauff, after she sat on the bench on her side of the court, Gauff was seen hugging and talking to Osaka as they each approached the referee. Instead of returning to her bench, Gauff offers to help Osaka carry her bag and belongings to the locker room.
Osaka looked surprised that she offered and accepted, while Gauff grabbed one in all her bags and started walking side by side with her opponent off the tennis court.
Give me a helping hand 💜@CocoGauff helps an opponent off the field after Naomi Osaka is forced to withdraw from the game with a lower back injury.
Gauff advances to #ChinaOpen quarterfinals with the rating 3-6, 6-4, RET. pic.twitter.com/ahm3pavauj
— wta (@WTA) October 1, 2024
It took place on October 1 during the China Open. The submission allows Gauff to advance to the quarterfinals. The match was nearing the end of the third set when Osaka had to leave the court due to an injury. Osaka won the first set by a rating of 6–3, and Gauff rebounded to win the second set by a rating of 6–4.
reported that Gauff addressed media, wished Osaka a speedy recovery and admitted that her play was not her “best tennis”.
“I wish Naomi a speedy recovery. Nobody wants to win a match like that, especially after one set. Overall, I attempted my best. It wasn’t my best tennis. I do not know, it was just one in all those games where you are attempting to give your all at every point.
After the match, Osaka addressed her fans via social media explained what happened on the court.
“Hi everyone. I just wanted to say that I’m extremely grateful and comfortable to have been able to play in Beijing. With that said, I feel like I owe a little back story about today. So I locked my back in training earlier and truthfully, I wasn’t unsure if I’d give you the option to play in any respect but I just wanted to try, unfortunately as the match went on it step by step got worse. Totally value it lol 😅.”