“Drake dissed Serena Williams so I have to go with Kendrick Lamar, Kendrick defended her” - Coco Gauff takes sides in feud between rap stars

Coco Gauff recently shared her opinion about the feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, expressing her preference for the latter. The US Open champoion said that the reason behind this was because Drake previously dissed Serena Williams.

Coco Gauff is currently in Rome, competing at the 2024 Italian Open, where she defeated 26-year-old Magdalena Fręch 6-3, 6-3 in the second round of the tournament. The 20-year-old continues her pursuit for her second trophy of the season, having won the ASB Classic in Auckland back in January.

During her post-match press conference on Thursday, Gauff was asked by a reporter about her opinion on the beef between American rap stars Drake and Kendrick Lamar.

Gauff, who was all smiles, responded that she likes Kendrick Lamar's songs and thinks he is winning the rap battle.

“To be honest, yeah, I like Kendrick's songs more. Yeah, I think pretty much everybody I know is leaning towards him.

I do like Drake as an artist, as well. But, yeah, as far as like the rap battle that's going on, the rap beef, I think definitely Kendrick is winning” - Coco Gauff said

She then became more open about her choice by stating that Drake dissed Serena Williams, hence her preference for Kendrick.

“Also Drake, like, dissed Serena so I have to go with Kendrick. Kendrick defended her. So, yeah, I have to go with him (smiling)” - Coco Gauff Said

Drake and Serena Williams were spotted together and fueled dating rumors for quite a while, particularly in the early 2010s. Over the years, their relationship has soured. Drake has dissed the 23-time Grand Slam champion in some of his songs, including most recently in 2022 when he collaborated with American rapper 21 Savage on the album 'Her Loss', where he targeted Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian in the track 'Middle of the Ocean'.

Coco Gauff once opened up about her doubts in matching Serena Williams's legacy

Coco Gauff has always shared that Serena Williams is a great inspiration to her. However, in a February 2024 interview with 'The National News,' the 20-year-old said she thought that nothing she did would ever compare to what Serena Williams achieved in tennis.

“I think for me greatness is… I think multiple people can be great. Obviously, there's only going to be one greatest of all time and I just feel like no matter what I do, I don't think anything I’ll do will compare to what Serena [Williams] did for the sport and the game and with the amount of times she won,” she said

Gauff was 19 when she won her first and only Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open, becoming the first teenager to achieve this feat since Serena Williams in 1999.