The Jimmy Butler craze has officially reached Roland Garros. Coco Gauff spoke highly of the Miami Heat superstar, telling reporters in Paris about how Butler is serving as an inspiration for her.

Gauff also revealed that Jimmy Butler, even before the start of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, offered her tickets to the 2023 NBA Finals.

ā€œAnd then he said, OK, when we make the Finals, let me know if your family wants some tickets. So, this was before we were even in the playoffs,ā€ Gauff said (h/t Tom Hamilton of ESPN).Ā  This is before we lost to the Hawks for the first play-in game. I just felt like I knew that ā€” everybody is like we have a 3% chance of making the Finals, but when he sent me that, I knew we were making the Finals because he didn't say, ā€˜if we make the Finals,' he said, ā€˜when we make the Finals.'ā€

That's confidence at the highest level.

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As Gauff mentioned, Jimmy Butler and the Heat lost to Atlanta in the Play-in Tournament before winning against the Chicago Bulls to claim the last spot in the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Since then, the Heat have defied long odds one series after another. In the first round, the Heat took down the mighty Milwaukee Bucks before sending the New York Knicks home in the second round. The Heat would then be led by Jimmy Butler again in the Eastern Conference Finals by upending the Boston Celtics in seven games.

Gauff is also looking to make a deep run at the 2023 French Open. She passed her first test of the tournament by defeating Rebeka Masarova in the first round after losing the first set.