The 2026 Italian Open has come to a roaring finish, where America’s Coco Gauff suffered a profound heartbreak after a grueling three-set defeat to Elina Svitolina on Saturday. Gauff, in tears after the loss, made a joke afterwards about the ‘horror’ of sitting through the presentation ceremony afterwards, and the message has made her fans even more sad.
Fans have taken to social media now, reacting to the heartbreaking loss and to the need Gauff felt for putting up such a disclaimer. The defeat marks Gauff’s second consecutive high-stakes loss of the year, following her Miami defeat in the final against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
The Campo Centrale witnessed unparalleled action across women’s tennis this fortnight, but none was like the relentless, dominant display of power shown by Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, who fought with all her might to secure the win. While World No. 4 Gauff fought hard to secure a second-set tiebreak, Svitolina made a major comeback in the third and battered Gauff with a 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 win.
After the bout, Gauff took to the stage and thanked her team and the fans for standing by her throughout the tournament. After posing for photos and going through the routine ceremony, the American took to her social media and shared a hilarious five-pointer horror movie idea that reflected her post-finale thoughts.
However, below the list, she put a disclaimer and requested people not to take it too seriously, as she was simply poking fun at her post-match antics.
“Before the think pieces come…. this is a joke and I’m smiling while writing this thought it would be funny. Not meant to be taken seriously lol before the ppl with no humor get mad,” Gauff wrote.
Fans on social media reacted to it, with one user writing:
The fact that she has to put a disclaimer for a clear joke just shows how stupid society has become.
Someone wrote:
I hate how paranoid people online have made her…
Another user wrote:
It’s a shame she always has to clarify that she’s joking. Stupid trolls judging every thing she says and does.
Someone commented:
Those trolls are on this very sub. If she hasn’t write that clarification piece, this whole sub would’ve been calling her ungrateful.
One person wrote:
She’s one of the rare top players that actually are behind their official accounts too, glad she hasn’t given up on it
Gauff has, however, also posted optimistic messages that highlight her learnings from the tournament while appreciating the love and support that have been pouring in since last night.
Coco Gauff Delivers her Rome Finale Speech
After a grueling final bout, Coco Gauff took part in the podium ceremony, and during her turn to speak, she started by congratulating Svitolina and then thanked her team, fans, and her faith in the Almighty before speaking with optimism about the upcoming French Open.
“I would like to thank god, always keeping me covered. I would like to thank my team, sorry I couldn’t play better in some moments today, but it’s been a great two weeks and I definitely feel the momentum going into the French Open,” she said (2:02).
Gauff heads to Roland Garros next, and she will be the defending champion in Paris. Last year, she beat Aryna Sabalenka in the final to win her maiden Grand Slam on the clay.
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