Coco Gauff had a memorable Miami Open. Alongside Jessica Pegula, she overcame Taylor Townsend and Leylah Fernandez to clinch the women’s doubles title in a 7-6(6), 6-2 win. Immediately after the win, Gauff turned her attention to the clash between LSU and Iowa in the NCAA championship. Gauff, a diehard LSU fan, reveled in a hard-fought win for her favorite team, which earned them the title.
Following LSU’s victory, trash-talking became a point of contention among fans across various social media platforms. Gauff provided her own take on the issue and suggested that trash-talking could actually make tennis a more enjoyable sport.
Not taking banter personally is what matters, claims Coco Gauff
Trash-talking in tennis is a rarity compared to other sports, such as basketball. However, while talking to the WTA Insider, Gauff mentioned that professional tennis would profit from having more of it.
American prodigy Gauff stated, “There could be more banter here and there”. However, to keep things from spiraling out of control, she recommended players to not take trash-talking personally.
She also praised basketball players for setting the right example for trash-talking but not letting it affect their personal relationships. “You see in basketball, guys go at each other and then they go out for a drink afterward.”
While focusing on the right time trash-talking should be allowed in tennis, Gauff said, “Like at Tiebreak Tens, that would be a good event to try it out. I would love to trash talk. I think the American mentality is also different. I think it’s a cultural thing.”
Gauff expects trash-talking to make professional tennis more interestingGauff believes that tennis could do with a bit more trash-talking as it “would bring more fans in.” She also mentioned players at college tennis level, who “trash talk a lot.”
However, she pointed to “the culture of tennis”, which isn’t very approving of trash-talking. Her doubles partner Pegula also added her two cents by saying that “the whole crowd, the umpire, and Twitter is going to know” if trash-talking is audible.
Pegula also suggested that trash-talking in tennis “would add more types of fans and not make it so traditional”. Right now, the WTA may not be too keen on encouraging trash-talking in tennis. However, when prominent names like Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula talk about it, some might pay attention and listen.
