💔 SHOCKING: Coco Gauff Reveals Diogo Jota Called Her Just 10 Minutes Before the Accident — The Last 3 Words Left Her in Tears, and the Media in Shock
By Hannah Mitchell | London – July 6, 2025
Wimbledon 2025 was already brimming with high emotions and unexpected turns, but what Coco Gauff shared late Sunday evening took the entire sports world by storm — and silenced even the most hardened members of the press.
Speaking to reporters after her doubles match, Gauff tearfully revealed that just10 minutes before the tragic car accident that claimed the life of footballer Diogo Jota, she received a phone call from him — a call that, in hindsight, feels chillingly final.

“He called me out of nowhere,” Gauff said, her voice trembling. “He just said he wanted to wish me luck at Wimbledon. And then… right before hanging up, he said three words that completely floored me.”
Those three words?
“Keep inspiring others.”
Gauff admitted that, at the time, she smiled, thanked him, and didn’t think much of it. But when news of the fatal accident broke less than an hour later, the weight of those words hit her with unimaginable force.
“I just… I lost it. I was in the locker room, sitting on the bench, and I just broke down,” she confessed. “I kept hearing his voice over and over. It didn’t feel real.”
A Bond Beyond Sports
Coco Gauff and Diogo Jota weren’t known to the public as close friends, but insiders reveal that the two had struck up a private friendship over the past two years, bonding over their shared love for competitive sports, mental health advocacy, and youth empowerment. They had first connected via a charity event in 2023, and since then, they occasionally exchanged messages of support before big matches.
“He believed in what I stood for, and I admired his humility,” Gauff shared. “We weren’t super close, but there was always mutual respect.”
The suddenness of Jota’s passing has not only devastated the football world but has now rippled into the heart of tennis, where Gauff has become an icon for a new generation of athletes — just like Jota had done in football.
Media Reactions and Fan Support
After Gauff’s revelation, the media erupted. Headlines across Europe and the U.S. referred to the call as“haunting,” “prophetic,”and“the most human moment of Wimbledon 2025.”Social media lit up with tributes, using hashtags like#KeepInspiringOthers, #Forjo, and#CocoStrong.
Serena Williams tweeted simply:
“I’ve never cried over a press conference before. I did today.”
Meanwhile, fans left flowers, Portuguese flags, and handwritten notes near the players’ entrance at Wimbledon in memory of Jota — an unusual but deeply moving gesture at a tennis venue.
A Legacy in Three Words
Coco Gauff concluded her interview with a message to Jota’s family:
“Your son touched lives far beyond the pitch. I’ll carry those three words with me for the rest of my career.”
Though grief now lingers in the air at Wimbledon, so does something else: the echo of a simple message —Keep inspiring others— that may live far longer than any victory on the scoreboard.