‘Sucks to see’… Coco Gauff left feeling ’emotional’ after what happened at the French Open on day two

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Coco Gauff described how she felt watching Rafael Nadal play in possibly his last French Open match.

Like many of those in the tennis world, the 21-year-old wanted to watch the great Spaniard return to Grand Slam action for the first time since January 2023.

The former world number one has carved out a great legacy as one of the sport’s greatest ever players.

At the age of 37 and his career winding down, he was defeated by Alexander Zverev in what is possibly his final match at the clay court major.

Coco Gauff reacts to Rafael Nadal’s likely final Roland Garros match

Both ATP and WTA number one players Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek, who are also defending champions at Roland Garros, in addition to Carlos Alcaraz were in the stands to watch their colleague perform.

Gauff was scheduled to play on Court Suzanne Lenglen at the same time Nadal took on Zverev, and therefore was unable to play the match in its entirety.

However, she told Tennis Channel that she was able to catch the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s post-match speech, which left her feeling emotional.

“I was watching it in the press room, but like an office and we were just watching the speech. Luckily, he didn’t cry because I think if he cried, I would’ve cried.

“I was getting a little bit emotional because it’s literally all I’ve ever known my whole life is him winning here so it just sucks to see.”

Who did Coco Gauff beat to reach the second round at the French Open?

Gauff contested a first meeting with Russia’s Julia Avdeeva. The Russian came through the qualifiers to secure a spot in the first round of Roland Garros.

But she had a short stay on court as the US Open champion produced a ruthless performance to secure a 6-1, 6-1 win.

Gauff needed less than an hour to complete a country in which she did not face a break point as her opponent made 23 unforced errors.

“It was kind of a straightforward match. I didn’t have to do much,” Gauff said. “I wouldn’t say I, like, played amazing. I just had to play solid today. That’s what I did.”