Hall of Famer Tony Dungy Corrects ‘SportsCenter’: Coco Gauff ‘Was Praying’
After 19-year-old Coco Gauff won her first Grand Slam title after winning the women’s tennis championship in the U.S. Open on Saturday, she dropped to her knees, put her elbows on the bench, clasped her hands, and brought them to her forehead with her eyes closed.
To many watching it was clear that the first American teenager to win the major since Serena Williams won in 1999 had paused her celebration to pray to God.
That’s why many online, including Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dungy, took issue with the way ESPN’s “SportsCenter” described Gauff’s actions following the match.
“@CocoGauff took a moment to soak it all in after winning her first Grand Slam title,” SportsCenter wrote on X along with a video of her praying.
.@CocoGauff took a moment to soak it all in after winning her first Grand Slam title ❤️ pic.twitter.com/elBGm2wQeC
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 9, 2023
“I hate to break this to you SportsCenter but Coco Gauff was not ‘soaking it all in’ at this moment. She was praying,” Dungy, an NFL analyst and outspoken Christian, tweeted in response to “SportsCenter.”
“She has been very open about her Christian faith in the past. It seems pretty obvious what she is doing here,” he added.
Dozens of comments on the post echoed the same sentiments.
“Praying seems more likely,” one user said.
“That’s not ‘soak it all in,’ that was a thanksgiving prayer to God,” another user said.
“Here’s a #protip for journalists everywhere, both sports and news: It’s OK to publicly acknowledge that people pray. There is nothing wrong with prayer; you won’t offend anyone by merely describing the facts as you observe them. You might even try it yourself sometime,” another user said.
Dungy was right. Gauff has been very outspoken about her faith in the past.
When asked about the role faith has played in her tennis career at her award ceremony, she said “It’s been so important” and that she’s “so blessed.”
Commenting again on her post-match prayer, Gauff said in a Monday interview on NBC’s “Today” show: “I was just saying thank you and I understood like all the tough times were just to make that moment even sweeter. I think if it came easy, I wouldn’t feel as appreciative as I did in that moment.”
