Coco Gauff arrived in Miami to headline the prestigious WTA 1000 event there, but she took advantage of her day off before the tournament by showing support for the Aaron Judge-led Team USA in the World Baseball Classic Final against Team Venezuela at LoanDepot Park on Tuesday night.
Gauff shared an image on her Instagram story from the stadium before the start of the final, captioned, “Team USA!!” While the two-time Grand Slam champion was hyping up the home team, Venezuela pulled off a shocking upset, defeating Team USA 3-2 and claiming its maiden WBC title.
This was the third time Team USA had reached the World Baseball Classic final but failed to win the prestigious tournament for a second time running. Their only victory came during the 2017 edition in Los Angeles. In the 2023 final, the USA lost to Team Japan, and today the Venezuelans served up a major shock, denying the home team the WBC title yet again.
Gauff will aim to take lessons from an amazing tournament by the home team and, hopefully, make a deep and consistent run at the Miami Open, where she begins her journey in the second round on Wednesday. The two-time Grand Slam champion will hope the injury sustained at Indian Wells doesn’t resurface in Miami, FL.
Coco Gauff Gives Injury Update At Miami Open
During the pre-tournament press conference in Miami, Coco Gauff was asked to reflect on the exact extent of injury sustained on the left forearm during her match against Alexandra Eala at Indian Wells. Gauff explained she was feeling less pain in the arm, but didn’t rule out the possibility of pain creeping back during the Miami Open.
“For the most part, I will be fine playing this tournament. I might feel it sometimes on court, but I definitely feel it less and less every day. I think the goal was to play this tournament. There was a thought of maybe skipping it, but if it weren’t Miami, I probably would skip it, but the fact that it is Miami, I really wanted to be here,” Gauff said.
The 22-year-old explained her first experience of getting an MRI exam, stating that she felt claustrophobic while going inside the machine for the scans.
“That was the first time I took an MRI. They’re expensive, and I felt like that’s what a coffin would feel like. It was very weird. I felt claustrophobic, so I definitely don’t want to go into one of those again,” Gauff said.
Coco Gauff will be in good spirits as she begins her journey at the Miami Open, with her opening-round opponent yet to be decided.
Also read:
Andy Roddick Makes Bold Prediction About Victoria Mboko’s Future As Canadian Gears Up For Miami Open
Andy Roddick Sends Concerning Message About Coco Gauff As Injured American Prepares For Miami Open
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