{"id":56503,"date":"2025-06-17T02:45:53","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T02:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=56503"},"modified":"2025-06-17T02:45:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T02:45:53","slug":"%f0%9f%94%a55-minutes-ago-coco-gauff-bluntly-refused-to-advertise-tesla-of-elon-musk-on-the-shirt-during-the-roland-garros-awards-she-declared-definitely-elon-musk-do-not-turn-me-into-a-sporty-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=56503","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udd255 minutes ago: Coco Gauff bluntly refused to advertise Tesla of Elon Musk on the shirt during the Roland Garros Awards &#8211; she declared definitely &#8220;Elon Musk do not turn me into a sporty tool!&#8221; Making billionaire not speechless and shocking global media."},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"69\" data-end=\"270\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"emoji\" role=\"img\" draggable=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.1.0\/svg\/1f525.svg\" alt=\"\ud83d\udd25\" \/><strong data-start=\"71\" data-end=\"270\">JUST 5 MINUTES BEFORE THE CEREMONY: Coco Gauff Boldly Rejects Elon Musk\u2019s Tesla Logo on Her Jersey at Roland Garros \u2014 \u201cDon\u2019t Turn Me Into a Marketing Tool!\u201d Leaves Musk Speechless, Media in Shock<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\">\n<div id=\"div_ub_banner_3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.77ne.com\/storage\/062025\/1c79d18d833a4ff381a1ea1132bbd4d1.jpg\" width=\"780\" \/><\/div>\n<p data-start=\"272\" data-end=\"583\">In a dramatic and unexpected moment that stunned the sports and business world alike, tennis sensation\u00a0<strong data-start=\"375\" data-end=\"389\">Coco Gauff<\/strong>\u00a0made headlines at the\u00a0<strong data-start=\"412\" data-end=\"450\">2025 Roland Garros Awards Ceremony<\/strong>\u00a0by publicly rejecting a major sponsorship move from billionaire tech mogul\u00a0<strong data-start=\"526\" data-end=\"539\">Elon Musk<\/strong>\u00a0and his electric vehicle empire,\u00a0<strong data-start=\"573\" data-end=\"582\">Tesla<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-2\">\n<div id=\"div-ub_banner_300x250\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.77ne.com\/storage\/062025\/351266abb3114ff7a592707c34767460.jpg\" width=\"780\" \/><\/div>\n<p data-start=\"585\" data-end=\"947\">According to multiple sources and eyewitnesses, just five minutes before stepping onto the podium to receive her runner-up trophy, Gauff was presented with a last-minute request by event organizers: wear a customized jacket featuring the\u00a0<strong data-start=\"823\" data-end=\"837\">Tesla logo<\/strong>, marking what would have been a surprise promotional partnership revealed live during the televised ceremony.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-3\">\n<div id=\"div_ub_300x250_1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.77ne.com\/storage\/062025\/7dacf52d566e4c6ebcdef7c3e02034f4.jpg\" width=\"780\" \/><\/div>\n<p data-start=\"949\" data-end=\"1117\">However, Coco Gauff didn\u2019t flinch. In front of the backstage crew, sponsors, and Musk\u2019s personal PR team, the 21-year-old tennis star calmly \u2014 but firmly \u2014\u00a0<strong data-start=\"1105\" data-end=\"1116\">refused<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-4\">\n<div id=\"div_ub_banner_4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.77ne.com\/storage\/062025\/c65888ba89b747ac9c1d2a727e81e40a.jpeg\" width=\"780\" \/><\/div>\n<p data-start=\"1119\" data-end=\"1252\">Her words were powerful, clear, and completely unplanned:<br data-start=\"1176\" data-end=\"1179\" \/><strong data-start=\"1179\" data-end=\"1252\">\u201cTell Elon Musk not to turn me into a marketing tool for his empire.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-5\">\n<div id=\"div_ub_300x250_2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-start=\"1254\" data-end=\"1479\">The room went silent. Members of the Tesla entourage were visibly stunned, and Elon Musk himself, who was reportedly watching from a VIP suite, was said to be \u201ccaught completely off guard\u201d by the bold and unapologetic stance.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-6\">\n<div id=\"div_ub_banner_5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-start=\"1481\" data-end=\"1846\">Gauff then chose to wear her standard, logo-free Nike training jacket to the ceremony, where she accepted her trophy to thunderous applause \u2014 and without a trace of Tesla branding. Despite being approached again afterward for a photo opportunity, she politely declined, saying:<br data-start=\"1758\" data-end=\"1761\" \/><strong data-start=\"1761\" data-end=\"1846\">\u201cAthletes are more than billboards. I won\u2019t compromise that, not even for Tesla.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-7\">\n<div id=\"div_ub_banner_6\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-start=\"1848\" data-end=\"2058\">News of the incident spread like wildfire. Social media exploded with praise for Gauff\u2019s integrity, with hashtags like\u00a0<strong data-start=\"1967\" data-end=\"1983\">#RespectCoco<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong data-start=\"1985\" data-end=\"2006\">#NotYourBillboard<\/strong>, and\u00a0<strong data-start=\"2012\" data-end=\"2026\">#MuskMuted<\/strong>\u00a0trending globally within hours.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2060\" data-end=\"2148\">Prominent figures in sports and culture voiced their support. Serena Williams tweeted:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-start=\"2149\" data-end=\"2221\">\n<p data-start=\"2151\" data-end=\"2221\">\u201cProud of @CocoGauff. This is what standing for something looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p data-start=\"2223\" data-end=\"2342\">Meanwhile, critics of excessive corporate influence in sports hailed the moment as \u201ca powerful line drawn in the sand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2344\" data-end=\"2684\">Elon Musk has yet to release an official statement. Sources close to Tesla say the sponsorship idea was meant to be a \u201csurprise brand integration,\u201d not a contractually obligated deal. Still, many questioned the ethics of last-minute corporate pushes at high-profile athlete moments, especially those meant to celebrate personal achievement.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2686\" data-end=\"2966\">Gauff\u2019s representatives later confirmed she had been approached with a lucrative offer days before the final, which she declined. \u201cIt\u2019s not about money,\u201d Gauff stated in a post-ceremony interview. \u201cIt\u2019s about staying true to myself and what I believe this sport should represent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2968\" data-end=\"3155\">As the tennis world reflects on her extraordinary performance on the court, the world is now also talking about the moment she made history off it \u2014 not with a racket, but with her voice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>JUST 5 MINUTES BEFORE THE CEREMONY: Coco Gauff Boldly Rejects Elon Musk\u2019s Tesla Logo on Her Jersey at Roland Garros \u2014 \u201cDon\u2019t Turn Me Into a Marketing&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\ud83d\udd255 minutes ago: Coco Gauff bluntly refused to advertise Tesla of Elon Musk on the shirt during the Roland Garros Awards - she declared definitely &quot;Elon Musk do not turn me into a sporty tool!&quot; 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