Coco Gauff provided fans with a delightful off-court moment this week, reacting to her childhood friend Jamilah Nicole's BTS concert post on Instagram, all while battling a stomach virus during the Madrid Open.
Gauff Shows K-Pop Fandom for BTS
The 2023 US Open champion displayed her true K-pop fan side by commenting on Jamilah's Instagram post from the BTS Arirang World Tour stop in Tampa. Jamilah attended the concert at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday and shared photos from the night. She wore a short denim skirt, a white sleeveless top, and held a BTS Army Bomb while posing for pictures. She captioned the post, 'Back like they never left.' Gauff quickly joined the comments and wrote, 'my favorite army,' along with a Jung Kook GIF, showing just how much she enjoys BTS.
The sweet exchange reminded fans of the close friendship between Gauff and Jamilah. The two first met at a junior tennis academy in Florida and have stayed close ever since. Even with Gauff's busy tennis life, they continue supporting each other through big moments on and off the court.
Coco Gauff Battles Stomach Virus to Beat Sorana Cirstea
While fans were smiling at her BTS reaction, Gauff was also dealing with a much tougher challenge in Madrid. She fought through a stomach virus to beat Sorana Cirstea 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 and reach the last 16 of the tournament. The match was not easy at all. During the second set, Gauff had to take a medical timeout and was even seen vomiting into a bin on court. Still, she stayed focused and turned the match around.
After the win, she explained how difficult it had been. She said, 'I don't know honestly. I think I got what everybody else is having here in Madrid, unfortunately. So, I'm just going to try to push through for tomorrow. I did start to feel better, not feeling like I had to throw up. They gave me some pills, so that definitely helped.'
According to reports, several players in Madrid have been dealing with the same stomach virus, including Iga Swiatek. Even though Swiatek had an early exit, she is set to move back to World No. 3, passing Gauff in the rankings. When the tournament started, Gauff was only six points ahead. But because she had many ranking points to defend, her earlier three-set loss to Linda Noskova allowed Swiatek to move ahead again.
