"I'm disappointed" - Coco Gauff heartbroken over $80,000,000-worth Jimmy Butler leaving Heat behind to join Warriors

American tennis player Coco Gauff has been talking about basketball's Jimmy Butler after his controversial five-team trade. Butler, the six-time NBA All-Star worth $80,000,000 (as per Celebrity Net Worth) is set to leave Miami Heat to join his hometown team, the Golden State Warriors. Gauff is a well-known Heat fan and also a close follower of Butler's career.

The Heat are on a four-game losing streak, while the Miami Marlins are struggling for form in Major League Baseball. Add to this the fact that the Miami Dolphins fell short of the NFL playoffs, and it makes sense that sports fans in Florida are unhappy to see one of their most famous stars depart for pastures new.

Coco Gauff was speaking at the outset of the WTA Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, where she's due to play fellow American Mccartney Kessler in the first round tomorrow. Gauff said:

"It's kind of sad. I don't know what goes on behind the doors, what we don't see. I would say I'm disappointed. I'm obviously a fan of Jimmy's, so I'm going to root for him regardless of where he goes. It's a struggling time to be a Miami sports fan in general." [via tennis.com]

20-year-old Gauff ended 2024 and started this year on fire with her United Cup triumph. However, her form has stuttered since a straight-set loss to Paula Badosa saw her get dumped out of the Australian Open at the quarterfinal stage. Before that, Coco Gauff won the Beijing WTA 1000 and the WTA tour finals in Riyadh and then won all her United Cup matches. That included a 6-4, 6-4 rout of World No. 2 Iga Swiatek.

Seeded third in Qatar, she received a bye into the Round of 32, so her subsequent 2-6, 5-7 loss to Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk last week brought her early-year promise to something of a halt. However her class is undoubted: the 2012 US Open champion is currently ranked World No. 3 by the WTA, has nine singles titles under her belt, and one doubles Major - the 2024 French Open.

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Coco Gauff is hopeful that Jimmy Butler will still watch tennis, despite his move to California

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships - Day One - Source: Getty

Jimmy Butler is a familiar face to tennis fans and often attends high-level tournaments all over the world. He has been seen at the Miami Open, Roland Garros, and the US Open, where he joined the US Open crew and played a point against Carlos Alcaraz.

Coco Gauff is hopeful that her good friend will still be seen on the circuit despite his change of team. She said:

"Hopefully he sticks around at some of the tennis tournaments."

In a few months, the tennis circuit rolls into California for the Indian Wells tournament. Immediately after, Florida hosts the Miami Open. Both events will be on Jimmy Butler's calendar, and Coco Gauff will be looking to put on a show in her home state.