Coco's World: US Open championship will make Gauff's marketability, stature in sport grow
Mary Joe Fernandez sat courtside Saturday during the Coco Gauff/Aryna Sabalenka U.S. Open Final as ESPN’s sideline reporter at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Usually Fernandez keeps one earpiece in and one out so she can hear the broadcast and also any player or crowd chatter. Not Saturday in Queens.
“It was so loud I had to put two earpieces in,’’ said Fernandez, who recently moved to Delray Beach. “I couldn’t hear them talking in the booth. It was that loud. That just shows the fan support and it definitely helped Coco in the three-set matches. Everytime she hit a passing shot or made a defensive play, the crowd would erupt and it felt she won five points.’’
Fernandez, whose husband Tony Godsick is Coco’s agent, emceed the trophy presentation when Gauff accepted her first championship chalice at a Grand Slam.
It was a historic moment for the 19-year-old from Delray Beach and her life will never be the same. She was to return from New York to South Florida Monday night and will be in town for a little while.
For 2023, Gauff reportedly will make close to $10 million in endorsements because of bonuses she had in her contracts for winning a major. She already has sponsorship deals with New Balance, Barilla, UPS, Bose, Baker Tilly accounting and Rolex.
And now her marketability should rise after winning the US Open.
“Yes, the sky is the limit,’ Fernandez said. “She’s literally the perfect package. No. 1 for me is she’s such a good person, treats everyone well and with respect. That comes across. People want to join forces with her just for that. Now she’s winning and has the marketability where you’ll see her at the end of tournaments.’’
President Biden and Barack Obama tweeted congratulations to Coco. Actresses Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron and Madelyn Cline were at Ashe rooting her on. As were Kevin Durant, Spike Lee, Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick.
No one will forget the scene of Coco racing up the bleachers to the first concourse to hug her father, Corey, who refuses to sit in the player’s box because of nerves. He often paces the stadium’s hallways.
“I was really moved when she hugged her parents,’ Fernandez said. “It’s been such a journey for them. And give so much credit to the parents not just for her tennis but of the quality person she is. I talked to a lot of people after, including Andy Roddick. He said, “Oh my gosh I just started crying I got so emotional ... It really touched a lot of people.’’
More: More than major: Champion Coco Gauff's 8 most quotable moments from 2023 U.S. Open
Of her seven Open match wins, Gauff went three sets in four, including the 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 rally over Sabalenka, who hits the hardest ball in women’s tennis if not always between the lines.
The Open championship earned Coco a new level of respect for her defense and stamina, especially after getting back all of Sabalenka’s bombs.
"The speed (Sabalenka) was moving her corner to corner and Coco kept getting her racket on it and not just getting the racket on it, but putting a defensive lob or slicing it low,’’ Fernandez said. “It really showed off her tremendous speed and agility. It was good to learn offense does win a lot of matches but it’s great to have a great defense when you play someone like Sabalenka.’’
The big theme across the summer as Gauff captured titles in Open tuneups in Washington and Cincinnati was her squeaking out matches when not playing well. That is perhaps the largest benefit new coaching consultant Brad Gilbert brought to her arsenal.
Gilbert joined the team after her first-round Wimbledon loss. Fernandez expects the longtime coach and former top 10 player to make visits to work with Coco in Delray.
“She had so many 3-set matches,’’ Fernandez said. “And she figured it out, problem-solved and was mentally strong.’’
“My thing was how will she do against the big hitters – beating Iga (Swiatek) in Cincinnati, Sabalenka in The Final and handling Jelena Ostapenko whom she lost to in Australia, that’s a really good sign for her. And I still think she’s going to get so much better.’’
South Florida heat helped Gauff deal with New York heat
In her championship press conference, Gauff noted her South Florida upbringing helped deal with a New York heat wave, especially in her fourth-round victory over Caroline Wozniacki and quarterfinal over Ostapenko.
"The endurance is there,’’ Coco said. “I can last as long as anybody in the women's side of the tournament. Probably even maybe some of the men.’’
More: Coco Gauff's grandmother was the first Black student at a Delray Beach school. How'd she do it?
Gauff smiled. “Yeah, the heat means nothing to me,’’ Gauff added. “I was a little bit, like,(I was upset) the roof was closed. I knew it was raining but I kind of wanted it to be hot.
"Especially in that (quarterfinal), it helped a lot because it was smoking hot that day. South Florida has helped me a lot prepare for these moments.''
Nobody is more smoking hot in sport than Gauff. There’s been nine Open women’s champions in the last 10 Opens. Parity like that has never been seen before. Can women’s tennis become Coco’s World?
“When she starts to convert her forehand into more of a weapon, I feel like it’s going to be super hard to beat her,’’ Fernandez said. “ Where do you go? There’s no weaknesses. I do believe she can be more dominant and separate herself.’’
Fernandez doesn’t think she can win as many as 23 majors like fellow Palm Beach County resident Serena Williams but can be as popular. She cited Coco appearing at the pre-tournament 50th anniversary gala for equal prize money and giving a compelling speech. None of the other top players showed.
“She will take on that role, carry and lead the sport,’’ Fernandez said.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Coco Gauff's US Open win will lead to more fame, leadership role
