Congratulations are in order for 2023 U.S. Open women’s singles champion Coco Gauff, who, at 19, proved victorious over Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday, Sept. 9, at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, Queens.
Watching Gauff’s journey from the first game to the championship was a lesson in how talent, determination and self-advocacy can take someone to the top.
There’s no denying Gauff is talented and determined. She’s been garnering attention for years. The tennis star turned pro in 2018. At 15, she famously beat Venus Williams in straight sets in her main draw debut at the 2019 Wimbledon, where her four matches were most-watched on ESPN in the first week of their coverage of the tournament.
In her match during this year’s U.S. Open, in a now-viral video, Gauff can be seen advocating for herself with an umpire, who she said had unfairly disregarded her opponent Laura Siegemund. Gauff said Siegemund, 35, had not been adhering to the 25 seconds rule– the time players can take to initiate a play or a serve.
In the third set, Gauff was even required to serve again after Siegemund put her hand up to say she wasn’t ready.
The player was patient, until she professionally called out the unfair treatment in a true “enough is enough,” moment.
Frustrated with the continued unpunished rule violations, the teen tennis star boldly advocated for herself — taking it up with the umpire Marijana Veljovic in front of a packed crowd that included former President and first lady Barack and Michelle Obama.
“She’s never ready when I’m serving,” Gauff said about her opponent to the umpire. “She went over the clock, like, four times and you gave her a time violation once. How is this fair?” she added, garnering applause from the audience.
Gauff listened to Veljovic’s defense. The umpire felt Siegemund served slowly and that the teen did so quickly. However, the tennis star respectfully replied she served at a normal to medium pace.
After she notes her continued patience, Gauff, in my favorite part of the self-advocacy moment, tells Veljovic her expectations for professionalism.
“I don’t care what she’s doing on her serve, but my serve, she has to be ready.”
We can all learn from how Gauff conducted herself with the umpire during the match, and implement it in our own respective professional environments.
- Gauff was clear and concise.
- She listened.
- She had receipts.
- She maintained professionalism and respect for all parties.
- She set clear standards and expectations.
She wasn’t rude or nasty about Siegemund’s skill or Veljovic’s abilities as an umpire. However, she had clear examples where neither were adhering to the rules or expectations of their jobs, thus serving as an unfair detriment to her own work and productivity. After continuously ignoring the violations, Gauff had examples of how the player and umpire were both wrong, and then clearly stated how she hopes to move forward in a productive manner for all parties.
After that, Gauff went on to win those games and six others to earn the championship title.
What a lesson in self-advocacy and determination!