Once again, NBA star Jimmy Butler, a devoted fan of Coco Gauff, was seen inside Arthur Ashe Stadium as Gauff advanced to the US Open quarterfinals on Sunday. Butler has become a regular presence at the US Open, particularly when Gauff is on the court.

Their friendship and mutual respect have blossomed, with Butler commending Gauff’s competitive spirit in an ESPN interview, and Gauff attributing her on-court performance to Butler. Gauff recently told reporters, “I learned a lot watching him, everybody counting him out. … You have people that are talented and don’t have the mentality. He has the talent and the mentality. That’s something I learned from [him]. Honestly, that’s part of the reason I’d say that switch I had in the last couple of weeks. People think some incredible thing happened, but realistically, two weeks between Wimbledon and the next tournament I played, nothing could’ve really changed that much. It was really just the mental thing. That’s what I learned from watching Jimmy compete.”

In her latest victory, Gauff defeated Caroline Wozniacki with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, securing her spot in the quarterfinals and aiming for a better outcome than last year when she was eliminated at that stage. Her next opponent will be either the No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek or No. 20 Jelena Ostapenko.

Butler has been deeply impressed by Gauff’s performance, stating, “She’s so emotional in a good way, and she’s a champion. I love her, and she’s from the city that I work in. I just love to be here to support her. I want her to win every single time, nothing against anybody else, but I’m a Coco fan.”

With Gauff progressing to the quarterfinals, it’s highly likely that Butler will once again be in attendance at the stadium on Tuesday. Gauff expressed her gratitude and honor, saying, “I still am like, ‘Man, this guy is busy, why is he coming to watch me play?’ It’s a really cool experience. I’m just happy, I guess, and really honored,” when speaking about Butler to the US Open website.