Why America’s top-ranked tennis player publicly thanked a Utah family for their ‘human connections’

On Friday night, Coco Gauff, the highest-ranked American tennis player in the world and No. 3 in the Women’s Tennis Association, lost her semifinal match at the BNP Paribas Open in California to world No. 9 Maria Sakkari of Greece.

Then Gauff put a Lehi, Utah, family in the spotlight.

After a duel The Athletic described as “a strange, cold, rainy night in the desert, a match that lasted nearly three hours took five and a half to complete. There were two rain delays at Indian Wells, the second one lasting nearly 90 minutes and requiring leaf blowers, squeegees and dozens of towels to make the court playable,” Gauff went to In-N-Out Burger just before midnight for the first time in her life.

While waiting in the drive-thru, Gauff was approached by the Rowley family of Utah, who were in California for the Open (the father, Shane Rowley, describes himself on X as a “Has-been tennis player”).

As posted on X by Rowley Saturday morning, two Rowley children took a photo with Gauff in the drive-thru, with Shane Rowley writing, “Thank you @CocoGauff for making these kids dreams come true tonight at the ‘In and Out’ drive-thru. You played an incredible match and fought hard!”

As it turns out, though, the family had given Gauff some gifts, as well.

On her Instagram story Friday night, Gauff posted a picture of a note the Rowleys had written her, which read, “Coco, Thanks for being an amazing role model! You were one heck of a fighter tonight. We sure love you! Love the Rowley family from Utah,” and a heart was included.

In her own note on her post, Gauff wrote, “thank you to the Rowley family for giving me this while in the drive thru at in n out ❤️ and they paid for my meal. always positives even in the losses. human connections like this means a lot especially after tough matches so thank you!”

The kids, as one might imagine, were thrilled that Gauff had posted about the note and the interaction on Instagram.

“The kids were so happy when they saw you posted about it on your Insta Stories as well! 💙 Sending much love!” Shane Rowley wrote in his tweet about it.

In addition to Tennis Channel picking up the story, Gauff replied to that tweet, writing, “❤️❤️❤️❤️ thank you!! much love!”