Jessica Pegula expresses shock over radio announcer wrongly reporting Novak Djokovic's "34th" Slam and mispronouncing Coco Gauff's name after US Open

Coco Gauff (L), Jessica Pegula (inset) and Novak Djokovic (R)
Coco Gauff (L), Jessica Pegula (inset) and Novak Djokovic (R)

Jessica Pegula couldn't contain her shock at tennis journalist Blair Henley's account of a radio announcer's mistakes while reporting on Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff's respective triumphs at the 2023 US Open.

Djokovic claimed his record 24th Grand Slam title after defeating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 in the final. With his historic win, he surpassed Serena Williams' tally of 23 titles to become the player with the most Major titles in the Open Era.

Gauff, meanwhile, secured a remarkable 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback win over Aryna Sabalenka to earn her maiden Grand Slam title. The 19-year-old made history as the first American teenager to win the New York Major since Serena Williams accomplished the feat in 1999 at the age of 17.

Following the US Open, Blair Henley recounted her experience of hearing a radio announcer erroneously reporting on Djokovic winning his "34th" Grand Slam title instead of his 24th. Furthermore, the announcer mispronounced Coco Gauff's last name as "Graph," while commenting on her winning her first-ever Major title.

Henley also shared a clip of the humorous incident involving an MLB announcer butchering the Serb's name as "Djovak Nokovic" while reporting on his defeat to Stan Wawrinka in the 2016 US Open final, and drew a parallel between the two incidents.

"On the radio on the way to the airport: "Novak Djokovic wins his THIRTY-FOURTH Grand Slam! And he’s 36. That’s old! And Coco GRAPH takes home her first Grand Slam title at just 19." Big Djovak Nokovic vibes," Henly posted.

Upon coming across Henley's post, Jessica Pegula expressed shock over the blunders made by the radio announcer.

"What," she commented.

Novak Djokovic claims World No. 1 ranking after US Open triumph; Coco Gauff rises to career-high World No. 3

The Serb wins the 2023 US Open title
The Serb wins the 2023 US Open title

Following his triumph at the 2023 US Open, Novak Djokovic reclaimed the World No. 1 ranking from Carlos Alcaraz. With his ascent to the top spot in the ATP rankings, he also set the stage for his pursuit of a record eighth ATP Year-End No. 1 title.

Having added 2,000 ranking points in his tally with his victory, the 24-time Grand Slam champion secured the World No. 1 ranking with 11,795 points to his name. Alcaraz, whose title defense at the New York Major ended in the semifinals, dropped down to second place with 8,535 points.

Meanwhile, Coco Gauff made moves in the WTA rankings after securing her maiden Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows. The 19-year-old attained a career-high ranking of World No. 3, taking over the mantle of American No. 1 from Jessica Pegula.

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