Coco Gauff gets real on pocketing historically massive amount for WTA Finals victory
On Saturday, the top-ranked American female tennis player endured an absolute marathon against Zheng Qinwen in Riyadh. After over three hours of play and hanging by a thread a couple of times, the 20-year-old managed to come out on top and secure a 3-6 6-4 7-6 (2).
For Gauff, the win meant two things – she is now a WTA Finals champion but also the player who bagged the biggest tournament prize money in WTA history, $4,805.000. Previously, the record was held by former three-time Grand Slam champion Ashleigh Barty, who collected around $4.4 million for winning the 2019 WTA Finals in Shenzhen.
“I didn’t know, like I knew it was some money, but I didn’t know that much,” the world No. 3 remarked following her Riyadh triumph.
Then, Gauff proceeded to acknowledge that it was “a lot of money” and noted that while she is not a big money spender, she will definitely treat herself in some ways, like going to a music festival
Gauff on surviving an absolute drama
After losing the first set, it only got worse for the world No. 3 after she also dropped her serve early in the second set and found herself down by a set and a break. But then, the 20-year-old finally started converting her break point chances and it happened big time after she registered three consecutive breaks to overturn the deficit and send the match three sets.
“Oh it means a lot to me… I have bought a house… I’m going to a music festival next week. So, I don’t know, I’m not someone who likes to spend a lot of money to be honest. I don’t know what I’ll do with it. That’s a lot of money… Oh gosh, I hope I’m like one of the highest-paid female tennis players this year or athletes so that’ll be exciting. Honestly, I wanted to win this for myself I didn’t know that it was the biggest prize check on this tour, I didn’t know anything about that. I knew there was money, but I try not to never play for this, but that’s cool,” the American added.
At that point, some probably thought that Gauff would easily go on to complete her comeback. But it turned was the exact opposite as Zheng started the third set with an early break and later also led 5-3 and had a chance to serve out for the title. However, the American refused to quit – she managed to get the break back and force a tie-break – where she opened a 6-0 lead before realizing her fifth championship point.
“Just staying resilient, fighting for every point. I know I was like a couple points away from losing, but, you know, I just tried to stay in the moment, honestly, and I’m really proud of myself,” the Riyadh champion said.
Gauff on her celebration
Moments after sealing the win, the 20-year-old fell on the floor and celebrated vividly. Later, she revealed that that particular celebration was reserved for a Grand Slam victory – but considering how the WTA Finals final went – she felt it was suitable to pull it off in Riyadh
