“Can’t lose to him”
Justin Bieber leads raving tennis star to victory
09/02/2023, 9:35 p.m
For a long time it looked as if Coco Gauff was experiencing a bitter defeat at the US Open. But then the US tennis star sees a childhood idol in the stands – and then wins ten games in a row.
Pop superstar Justin Bieber’s visit to the US Open has inspired fellow favorite Coco Gauff to step up her game. The 19-year-old American tennis player said she saw Bieber and his wife Hailey on the big screen at Arthur Ashe Stadium during their third-round match against Belgium’s Elise Mertens.
“I thought: I can’t lose to Justin Bieber,” Gauff told ESPN with a laugh. “After seeing them, I haven’t lost a game.” When she saw the Biebers, it was 3: 6, 2: 3 in the match on Friday evening – then the world number six won ten games in a row. Justin Bieber with eye-catching pink glasses and Hailey Bieber sat in front of a box in the stands.
Gauff said in the press conference that she was a fan of the Canadian early on. “Never Say Never” was one of my favorite songs as a kid. Then “Baby, oh, baby”. I could go through all his songs,” she said. Model Hailey Bieber was also very happy to visit: “I think it was a date night for her, which is pretty cool.”
During her first game at the US Open against Laura Siegemund, a prominent visitor sat in the grandstand of the largest arena at the Grand Slam tournament in New York. Former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle cheered Gauff and spoke to her afterwards. “I think I’ll never forget that for the rest of my life,” she said enthusiastically afterwards.