Coco Gauff has made fun of a USTA post on social media that showed American players participating in the Australian Open.
The USTA shared a picture of the top-ranked American players in Melbourne, using the Wild Thornberrys cartoon style. The intention was to wish the players well, but it ended up angering Gauff, the current US Open women’s champion, and her fellow American player Jessica Pegula.
“Worst thing I’ve ever seen,” Gauff said in an Instagram story on Sunday. “Like a caricature artist decided to make [us] all look like hideous looking people. The art style is cool for a cartoon show but not for a hype post. Foul.”
The picture has been removed. “Hey everyone, I know it’s just a cartoon, but I would rather be depicted in the Bratz art style instead of this. It makes us all look unattractive,” the 19-year-old expressed. Pegula, who is ranked No 5 in the world and plays doubles with Gauff, also chimed in: “Hahahahhaha we are not looking our best,” she replied to Gauff.
Following criticism on social media, Gauff explained that she was not deeply offended by the image. She clarified, “[I shared my thoughts on the image] because I was feeling bored in my hotel room…tennis twitter can be amusing but also harsh haha omg.”
The post also showed images of Ben Shelton, Sebastian Korda, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, and Emma Navarro.
Gauff, the No 4 seed in Melbourne, opens her campaign against Anna Karolína Schmiedlová on Monday. She successfully defended her Auckland Open title last week, defeating Elina Svitolina in the final.
On the first day of the competition in Melbourne, Fritz and Tiafoe both emerged victorious in their first-round matches. Additionally, their unseeded fellow Americans, Caroline Dolehide and Amanda Anisimova, also won in the women’s division.
