“I saw my dad cry”: Coco Gauff breaks silence on the moment that broke her father amid her China Open loss

Coco Gauff, the 22 year old tennis star, seems to be going through a tough few days as her run at the 2026 China Open came to an end on Wednesday. The popular tennis star suffered a 6-3, 6-3 upset loss to Belgium's Elise Mertens in the round of 16. This marked her first-ever defeat to Elise Mertens in six career meetings. While Coco Gauff seemed visibly upset after the loss at the China Open, her family, especially her parents, have stayed by her side.Coco Gauff opens up on watching her father cry as she remains visibly emotional after losing in the 2026 China OpenIn the last few years, as Coco Gauff became one of the legendary athletes in the country, her parents stood by her side through all the difficult days.In an interview, as Coco Gauff reflected on winning the US Open title in 2023, she opened up about her father, Corey, as she said, "That was the first time I ever saw my dad cry…”The 22 year old tennis star added, “He tries to act like this tough, hard guy, but he was completely sobbing. Seeing all of the family's years of belief pay off in that exact moment is something I will never forget."Both of Coco Gauff’s parents have been spotted at almost all the matches across the world. Coco Gauff’s love for tennis was inspired by her father as he gave up his career in tennis to make her a legendary athlete.Coco Gauff’s father let go of his career to turn his daughter into an athleteFor years, Coco Gauff’s father, Corey, was her primary coach but gave up on it as she became more and more professional.Though Coco Gauff’s father is not her primary coach today, he still watches recordings of every match of hers to help her coaches understand things they might have missed out on.The 22 year old tennis star has often expressed how her father has no control over his language during frustrating moments on court when she plays.In an interview she said, "My dad says words that I can't repeat on TV," she said. "Whenever I hear him say those words from the box, I get mad. So we agreed he has to go somewhere far away around the stadium to say them."For now, Coco Gauff has also withdrawn from next week's Wuhan Open, where she was the reigning defending champion, after her crushing loss at the 2026 China Open which has left her visibly emotional.To make matters worse, her loss at the China Open came days after she lost in the 2026 US Open which had also left her teary eyed at the tournament.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.