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American tennis star Coco Gauff is a South Florida resident, and she just so happened to learn something watching the Miami Heat's best player lead his team to two of the last four NBA Finals.
"That switch I had in the last couple weeks, people think some incredible thing happened," Gauff said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. "But realistically, the two weeks between Wimbledon and the next tournament I played, nothing could have really changed that much. It was really just the mental thing. I think that's what I learned from watching Jimmy [Butler] compete over the years."
Gauff lost in the first round at Wimbledon but has since bounced back with a victory at the Cincinnati tournament and a strong start to her U.S. Open.
Butler was on hand Wednesday to watch the 19-year-old cruise past Mirra Andreeva in the second round, 6-3, 6-2.
"She's so emotional in a good way," Butler said when asked to describe what he liked about Gauff's game. "She's a champion, and I love that she's from the city that I work in. I just like to be here to support her."
He will surely be pulling for Gauff when she takes on Elise Mertens in the third round.
