Coco Gauff said she did not get to sign as many autographs as usual after winning the WTA Finals due to a rushed schedule caused by the length of the final against Qinwen Zheng.
Gauff and Zheng's battle to decide the winner of the WTA Finals was one of the most grueling and brutal battles of 2024. After three hours and four minutes on the court, the American prevailed 3-6, 7-6, 6-4, and became the WTA Finals champion.
Zheng served for the championship at 5-4 up in the third set but could not close it out. Despite saving four championship points afterward, Gauff still managed to triumph in the deciding set tiebreak in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The 20-year-old won an incredible $4.805 million for winning the WTA Finals. That is the most significant prize money ever awarded to a female player, showing the impact of hosting the tournament in Saudi Arabia.
It marked a triumphant end to a superb final few months of the season for Gauff. She had endured some struggles throughout 2024, leading to her and Brad Gilbert parting ways and Matt Daly taking over as coach.
That appears to be one of the best decisions Gauff has made. She won the China Open title in her first tournament with Daly before reaching the semifinal of the Wuhan Open the following week.
Gauff's improvements under Daly have been further proven by the world No. 3's winning the WTA Finals title. It is the second biggest title of the American's career after last year's US Open triumph.
However, Gauff did not get to relax immediately after the match. Instead, she had a whirlwind few hours before getting a plane home to the U.S. to see the rest of her family. Gauff's mother was in Saudi Arabia as a supporter.
In an Instagram story, Gauff revealed she went straight off the court to the trophy ceremony and then to the airport all in the space of a few hours, meaning the WTA Finals champion was still wearing heels before her flight home.
"Straight from the court-->> to trophy ceremony shoot -->>> to airport 😭 literally wearing heels at the airport. was not anticipating the match to go over 3 hours so had to rush out of mindddd but hey it was worth it. also sorry I wasn't able to sign as much post match as usual I had to rush out fastttt."
Although Gauff probably enjoyed her stay in Riyadh, going back to the U.S. that night shows how much she wanted to go home to rest after a long season. The 2022 French Open runner-up is close to her family and is now home to see her brothers and father.
By contrast, after being knocked out in the round-robin stage, Iga Swiatek decided to stay for a while in Riyadh and explore the sights. The Pole did not qualify for the semifinal despite winning two matches, the fourth time that has happened in 20 years at the WTA tournament.
Unlike Gauff, Swiatek's season is not over. She will represent Team Poland at the Billie Jean King Cup finals, while Gauff decided to skip the event.