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Blavity News is a community and platform for Black Voices, Stories, Creators and thought.
© Blavity, Inc., 2023

Coco Gauff Explains What 'PeriodT' Means To Baffled Reporter: 'JT, Yung Miami, You Don't Know?'

“That was a City Girls’ ‘period’,” she told the reporter.

September 06, 2022 at 11:57 pm

After winning the fourth round of the 2022 US Open, Coco Gauff attended a press conference and was forced to explain the meaning of “periodT” to a baffled 53-year-old reporter.

According to HipHopDX, the lesson commenced after Gauff was asked to explain her hand gestures during the match.

Gauff attempted to explain that she was channeling the personas of the City Girls, rappers JT and Yung Miami.

“That was a City Girls’ ‘period’,” she told the reporter. “It’s a City Girls summer. Period. That’s what it is.”

“JT, Yung Miami, you don’t know?” she continued. “I got my long nails, it’s supposed to be like that. It’s feeding off the crowd.”

Gauff later took to Twitter to respond to a tweet from the official US Open Tennis account which said she “hit em with the Mutombo.”

She hit em with the Mutombo 🥶@CocoGauff | @officialmutombo | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/dc9cwvNlUq

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2022

“I don’t mind the finger wag but the throat slash gesture doesn’t belong in tennis or any sport for that matter,” a Twitter user responded. “Regardless, great win Coco! Good luck in the next round vs. Caroline Garcia.”

I didn’t mind the finger wag but the throat slash gesture doesn’t belong in tennis or any sport for that matter. Regardless, great win Coco! Good luck in the next round vs. Caroline Garcia.

— P. Laxa (@p_laxa) September 4, 2022

Another Twitter user quickly came to Gauff’s defense.

“She was doing this,” the user wrote, inserting a gif of the ‘PeriodT’ hand gesture.

She was doing this pic.twitter.com/KGleEzr15X

— Erykah the Alien Superstar (@e_ryzzel) September 4, 2022

“Lol you’re right…” Gauff responded. “It wasn’t meant to come off any other way. I had a City Girls song stuck in my head the whole match. So I was saying PERIODT in my head.”

lol you’re right… it wasn’t meant to come off any other way. I had a city girls song stuck in my head the whole match. So I was saying PERIODT in my head 😭

— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) September 4, 2022

“Which song?” asked another Twitter user.

“Act up,” Gauff replied.

act up

— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) September 5, 2022

Blavity reported that Gauff has been recognized as “the world’s No. 1 women’s doubles player.” This makes her the second youngest tennis player to earn the “coveted” title.