Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff have been on court rivals, but the tennis greats have a history of showing support when the other has been in need.
The two squared off in the China Open Tuesday in what looked like a competitive match. Osaka got off to a good start winning the first set 6-3, but Gauff came back strong taking the second set 6-4.
That’s when Osaka announced that due to a back injury, she could not continue.
Gauff came over to give Osaka a hug and then seemingly stunned the tennis great.
“Really,” Osaka replied.
Gauff had offered to help her off the court, grabbing her bag so that Osaka would not have to put any more strain on her back.
You can catch the moment on this X post.
The crowd cheered both competitors as they walked off the court.
People reports the two have a history of supporting the other when in need.
A 15-year-old Gauff teared up when the two competed against each other the first time at the U.S. Open in 2019. Osaka went over to give Gauff a hug.
“When I shook her hand, I saw that she was kind of tearing up a little. Then it reminded me how young she was,” Osaka told reporters after the match. “I was just thinking it would be nice for her to address the people that came and watched her play. They were cheering for her.”
Gauff acknowledged that gesture four years later, when Osaka on maternity leave, came to support Gauff from the stands during the U.S. Open.
“Naomi, I remember the moment we had on this court … it meant a lot to me,” Gauff said. “I’m so excited to have you back on tour and hopefully, I get to meet your daughter. Thank you so much for coming and hi to your mom as well.”
Gauff now advances to the quarter finals.
Tennis World reports Osaka explained her withdrawal later in an Instagram story.
“I just wanted to say that I am extremely grateful and happy to have played in Beijing. I have a backstory about today: I suffered a back problem in practice earlier and I honestly wasn’t sure if I could play, but I wanted to try. Unfortunately, things got progressively worse during the match.”
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