Coco Gauff's Trophy Surprise Sparks Equality Discussion

New York, Sep 4 (AP) Coco Gauff couldn't help but notice the stark difference in size between the replica trophy she received after her victorious moment at this year's French Open and the one she displayed proudly at Roland-Garros. The unexpected size of the "miniature version" prompted her to make a TikTok that quickly garnered over 2 million views.

Gauff expressed her surprise, saying, “I honestly did not know the size it was going to be. I know you never really take the original, but when I won the U.S. Open, they gave me the same size trophy, with my name engraved on it.” She assumed Roland Garros would be similar. Unexpectedly, Gauff’s championship at the 2023 U.S. Open was historic, as it marked the first instance where the women's singles winner received a cup significantly larger than the post-match ceremony trophy. Her keepsake measured 19 1/2 inches, aligning with both the original and men's keepsake trophies, making it 7 1/2 inches taller than the original women's trophy.

The original women's trophy is usually displayed alongside the men's in a secure glass case at the main arena. During the tournament, it is handed briefly to the winner before being taken back to the case. Since 1987, when the custom of awarding keepsakes began at Flushing Meadows, the female champion had taken home a 12-inch replica. However, two years ago, the U.S. Tennis Association commissioned Tiffany & Co. to design a replica that would match the men's in size. The change aligned with the 50th anniversary of the equal prize money introduction in 1973, driven by Billie Jean King's advocacy.

Stacey Allaster, the U.S. Open tournament director, stated, “Equality is in our DNA here at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Everything we do, we're very intentional about equality and we wanted to do the same in regard to the champions' trophies.” The decision was to maintain the historic trophy design while ensuring that the replicas awarded to the singles champions were of equal sizes.

When informed of the change, Billie Jean King remarked, “I did not know they did that. It's fantastic. It's equal. It sends very positive messaging that we matter just as much. Our trophy's just as big.”

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