World No. 3 Coco Gauff shared her thoughts on Chinese tennis fans after her third-round victory over Leylah Fernandez (6/4, 4/6, 7/5) at the Beijing tournament.
On Sport Bridging Cultures
Interviewer: Can you discuss the power of sport in bridging cultural differences and how proud you are to contribute to this at such a young age?
Coco Gauff: I truly love sport. The opportunity to travel the world and experience different cultures is my favorite aspect of it. Without tennis, I likely wouldn`t have the financial means to visit China, which is something I definitely would want to do. So, I`m incredibly grateful for that.
Appreciation for Chinese Fans and Their Gifts
Chinese fans are absolutely the sweetest on tour. The gifts they give, and everything else… I plan to post a photo of all the presents at the end of this tournament. There are more gifts than I ever received for Christmas as a child – and I was quite a spoiled kid, believe me (smiles). It’s just wild.
They are so kind. Every single gift I receive is incredibly personal. You can tell that people put a lot of thought into them, or even prepared something weeks in advance of my arrival. This makes me want to keep coming back to this tournament – to avoid any situation where someone has made something for me, and I wasn’t there. I`ll definitely come here every time, as long as injuries don`t prevent me, because I absolutely adore it.
On Her Animal Nickname
Interviewer: At your last press conference, you mentioned asking fans to come up with an animal nickname for you.
Coco Gauff: Yes.
Interviewer: Have they come up with anything that you liked?
Coco Gauff: Yes, one fan named Hans suggested `wolf.` I need to ask him why he chose that. I don`t really see myself as a wolf; I think wolves are more serious. Maybe on the court I`m like that. Wolves are beautiful animals, and as far as I know, it`s my boyfriend`s favorite animal. So, I`m okay with it.
If I were to choose myself, I really like orcas, killer whales. I think they are incredibly cool. I`ve watched many documentaries about them.
I`ve started rambling, so I`ll stop now. Thanks, guys (laughs),” Gauff concluded at the press conference.
