Coco Gauff Carried Away by Unstoppable Midnight Madrid Roar of Adoring Fans Following a Thrilling Showdown

“Coco, thanks for being an amazing role model! You were one heck of a fighter tonight. We sure love you! Love, the Rowley family from Utah.” This heartfelt message echoes the kind of admiration Coco Gauff regularly receives from her fans. After her tough Indian Wells exit last year, Gauff treated herself to her first In-N-Out burger, but only to be surprised by the Rowley family, who paid for her meal at the drive-thru. The 2023 US Open champion is no stranger to fan love. At the China Open last year, she was showered with gifts. She even admitted, “Honestly, it’s the place I’ve come [where] I’ve gotten the most gifts.” Recently in Madrid, after grinding through a tricky first-round match, Coco was stunned once again, as she was greeted by the fans at the most unexpected moment.

The World No. 4 Coco Gauff pulled off a gritty comeback on Thursday night at the Mutua Madrid Open, rallying from a dismal start to defeat Dayana Yastremska 0-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the second round. It was only the second time in her WTA career that Gauff rebounded from a 6-0 opening set loss, the first being against Elise Mertens in Eastbourne 4 years ago. 

With 2 more wins, she’ll surpass her best showing in Madrid across five appearances. At 21, Cocof is also the youngest player to notch eight straight first-round wins in clay WTA 1000 events since the format began in 2009. But beyond the numbers, it was the fan love that stole the spotlight. After her emotional win, Gauff was visibly touched by the overwhelming support, reminding her just how deeply admired she is around the world.

A couple of hours after her thrilling second-round win in Madrid, Gauff took to IG to share a heartwarming moment with her fans. In a short video, she revealed that even at 11:16 pm, a group of loyal supporters was still waiting outside the stadium. Touched by their dedication, the 21-year-old captioned the clip, “aww they waited an hour and a half after my match for me to come out… I love Madrid.”

This wasn’t the first time Gauff experienced such a memorable moment in Madrid. Last year, she posted a video urging her followers to watch the next two stories on her IG. “I normally don’t record videos like this but I had the craziest fan, she is the sweetest soul but am about to post, just watch the next two posts,” she wrote. In the following clip, a die-hard fan was asking Coco to autograph her arm, claiming she planned to get it tattooed.

True to her word, the fan later shared a reel of the fresh tattoo: Coco’s signature and an outline of her figure inked onto her arm. Coco reshared the fan’s post with joyful disbelief, writing, “and she actually got it tatted. MADRID ENERGY IS DIFFERENT! Sob fr omg,” That quickly became one of the most talked-about fan interactions on the tour.

And while Gauff continues to navigate tough on-court battles, like her nail-biting comeback win against Dayana Yastremska, these genuine moments off the court remind her why it’s all worth it. Even amid the pressures of elite competition, the 9-time WTA singles title winner isn’t not just playing for trophies, she’s playing to win hearts as well.

“I had to fight hard,” Coco Gauff opens up after nearly escaping a disastrous loss at Madrid

After storming to a 3-0 lead against Dayana Yastremska, Coco Gauff was pegged back as the Ukrainian broke twice to level at 3-3. The back-and-forth continued, with Gauff breaking for 5-3 only to see Yastremska save three match points and tie things up at 5-all.

Ultimately, Gauff broke again and served out the final set, clinching a hard-fought win. Both players were broken in half of their service games, highlighting the intensity of the battle. The deciding set alone stretched over an hour, underscoring the resilience on both sides. Right after the match, Gauff shared a candid moment on social media, reflecting on just how tough the battle was and giving credit to Yastremska’s fighting spirit.

“I had to fight hard. Dayana was playing some great tennis in the first set, so I did well to hang in there and get the win,” she said in the post-match interview. Later, she admitted, “I’m definitely someone who strives for perfection and it’s something that I’ve been working on. And I think perfectionism is something that makes me good, but can also be a bit of a bad thing, too.”

Gauff is set to face fellow American Ann Li next, against whom she holds a 2-0 H2H edge. With the strong backing from fans, can Coco cruise past the World No. 62 in the R32 match? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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