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Coco Gauff reacted to WNBA star A’ja Wilson being named one of Time magazine’s 2025 Women of the Year. Wilson, a three-time WNBA MVP and back-to-back champion with the Las Vegas Aces graced the cover of Time’s prestigious issue.
Drafted as the No. 1 overall pick by the Aces in 2018, she immediately showcased her talent by earning WNBA Rookie of the Year honors. Since then, she has accumulated multiple MVP awards, and Defensive Player of the Year honors, and led the Aces to consecutive WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023. Wilson also helped USA secure Olympic gold medals in both the 2020 Tokyo Games and the 2024 Paris Games.
Time magazine’s 2025 Women of the Year list featured 13 influential figures across various industries, including actress Nicole Kidman, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, artist Laufey, and activist Amanda Zurawski. In response to the honor, Wilson shared her excitement on Instagram, posting a photo of her magazine cover with the caption:
“God never ceases to amaze me.”
Gauff showed her enthusiasm for Wilson’s achievement in the comments section, writing:
“Period!”
Coco Gauff drew inspiration from A’ja Wilson to keep pushing forward
Coco Gauff shared that WNBA star A’ja Wilson served as a source of inspiration for her after securing her second WTA 1000 singles title at the 2024 China Open. Reflecting on Wilson’s experience, Gauff acknowledged the immense pressure the Las Vegas Aces faced in their pursuit of a third consecutive championship.
The American tennis star recalled how Wilson openly discussed the challenges of consistently winning at the highest level. Despite their best efforts, the Aces fell short of a three-peat, suffering a 1-3 semifinal defeat against the New York Liberty.
Gauff acknowledged that setbacks are crucial in sports, as they help athletes identify areas for improvement.
“People don’t realize people have great moments in sports and bad moments. It doesn’t mean anything,” Gauff said, as quoted by WTA. “I took inspiration from A’ja Wilson. Back to back champions. People wanted them to three-peat. She’s kind of like, ‘It’s hard to stay winning all the time.'”
“You need to go through losses to realize what you need to do to evolve. Tennis fans need to be more accepting of that,” she added.
Coco Gauff recently wrapped up her run at the Dubai Tennis Championships, falling 4-6, 5-7 to fellow American McCartney Kessler in the second round. She will now set her sights on the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, which kicks off on March 5.
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Edited by Tushhita Barua
