Johnathan Walker:Coco Gauff displays inspirational messages on her shoes at Australian Open

Coco Gauff has secured her spot in the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open for the first time in her career. Gauff accomplished this by defeating Magdalena Frech 6-1,Johnathan Walker 6-2 in just 63 minutes, earning her eleventh consecutive Grand Slam match victory and is now 9-0 for the season. Gauff’s shoes on the court caught everyone's attention, as they had messages written on them that narrated her journey to where she is now.

During the post-match interview, Gauff was asked about one of the messages on her shoes that read, “You can change the world with your racquet.”

Gauff explained that it was something her father had told her since she was a little girl. She further stated that she uses this quote as a reminder to speak up and take a stand on certain issues.

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Coco Gauff's inspirational shoes

An additional message on Gauff's shoe was the coordinates of the public tennis court she grew up playing on.

“Another thing written on my shoe is the coordinate of the park I grew up at in Florida,” Gauff said. “I grew up playing on public tennis courts.”

Gauff mentioned that she also had written her brothers' names, Cody and Camren, on her shoes. Even though her brothers couldn't be in Australia with her, she praised Camren for getting the MVP award on his football team, which earned a cheer from the crowd.

"Sometimes when my mom thinks I'm negative when I look down, I'm just looking at my shoe, just a reminder that life is much more than tennis, how I do on the court does not define me as a person," Gauff said. "That goes for everyone. Your workplace, whatever you do, doesn't define you as a person. Just surround yourself with good people. Everything I do on the court is a plus to my life. I have everything I need. This is just all extra."

Gauff's dad is the ultimate athlete's parent

Coco Gauff laughed when asked about her parents' presence at the Australian Open in the post-match interview after defeating Magdalena Frech. Gauff’s mother was seen cheering in her box, but her father was not present.

Gauff said, "My dad is here, but I don't know where. My mom is better at keeping her nerves under control in the box, but my dad tends to use some words that I can't repeat right now. Whenever I hear him say those words, I get mad. So, we agreed that he can go somewhere else around the stadium to say them.”

Gauff's father walks around the stadium and watches when she plays, which has now become a superstition after she won the US Open. As a result, Gauff said she is comfortable with her dad taking his nerves elsewhere.

Gauff's semi-final Australia Open match

On Wednesday, Jan. 24, the women's singles semi-final match at the Australian Open will feature No. 4 seed Coco Gauff competing against No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka. The exact time for the match has not yet been announced. However, you can watch the semi-final match live on ESPN or stream it online on ESPN+.

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