American tennis is having a moment. With Madison Keys’ recent triumph at the Australian Open, the resurgence has only intensified. The bond between players like Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, and Coco Gauff has also strengthened, especially after their stint together at the Paris Olympics. The team kicked off the year with a United Cup victory, proving their collective strength. But with any tight-knit group, there has to be some trash talk, right?
In an interview with the WTA Tour, Coco Gauff revealed, “Honestly, on the women’s side, I don’t think anyone trash-talks, but that would have to be probably lowkey me. Lowkey talking to the American guys. On the women’s side, everyone’s nice.” However, Madison Keys had a slightly different perspective. “I feel like Coco. I saw her, and she kind of went pretty hard at Jess (Jessica Pegula),” Keys said. “I know there was some sort of… they were supposed to go to the movies, and then they don’t go to the movies. Yeah, just walked in and was like, ‘Oh, you.’ Funny to watch though.”
Turns out that the 21-year-old tennis star has playfully called out Pegula before. In a previous WTA Tour interview, she crashed the 31-year-old’s segment with a hilarious accusation. “You never responded to my texts. This girl invited me to go to the movies. I said, ‘Let me know when you wanna go,’ and she never responded, so she’s fake,” Gauff said. Pegula, caught off guard, burst into laughter. But Gauff wasn’t done. Later, she took to Instagram to double down on her playful rant. “She texted me on Friday, and it is now Sunday and still no response… smh @jpegula gonna go watch the movie by myself now,” she posted.
And she did just that. Later, the World No.3 shared another post, this time showing off her solo movie night. “Lol @jpegula I made it without you,” she wrote, posing with a bucket of popcorn and a Captain America-themed shield. Pegula isn’t the only one who’s been on the receiving end of Gauff’s callouts. The US Open champion even roped in fellow American Ben Shelton, joking that he and Pegula both were the worst at responding to texts.
But Gauff had her own take on the situation. She defended herself and said, “That’s not trash talk, that’s just being real. She ignored my text, so maybe Jess should be the trash talker because she ignored my text.” Despite the friendly jabs, Gauff and Pegula share a strong bond. The two have played doubles together, winning five titles, including three WTA 1000 trophies. Last season, they decided to prioritize their singles careers and went their separate ways on the doubles circuit. But their friendship? Strong as ever.
And when it comes to praise, the former US Open champion is just as vocal. After Keys’ stunning run at the Australian Open, Gauff had nothing but admiration for her fellow American.
Coco Gauff calls Madison Keys’ victory at the Australian Open ‘inspring’
Coco Gauff is leading the American charge. She advanced to the fourth round after a dominant win over two-time finalist Maria Sakkari. Meanwhile, Pegula and Navarro exited in the third and fourth rounds, respectively. Madison Keys, fresh off her Australian Open victory, is also still in the mix.
And the 21-year-old is all praise for her fellow tennis player. “Yeah, definitely inspiring just because I’m in that process, and the fact that she committed to it maybe what people consider later in her career,” Gauff said in her post-match press conference at Indian Wells. “I wasn’t surprised by her winning. I think she’s one of those players you play and she’s just so good and she has the capability of beating anyone on any given day.” Gauff continued, “It’s great to see her finding her—I don’t even want to say finding her game because she’s been playing great tennis for so long, but I guess finally having the trophy that she deserves with the level of her game. She has one of the highest levels on tour. She just looks a lot happier lately. So it’s good to see her win and also be kind of happy while doing it.”
As for their performances at Indian Wells, Madison Keys will face Donna Vekic on Thursday, while Gauff is set to battle Belinda Bencic on Wednesday for a spot in the quarterfinals. American tennis is thriving, and the camaraderie among these players makes it all the more exciting. But do you think one of them can bring the Indian Wells trophy home this year?
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