Coco Gauff hopes her triumph at the French Open provides a glimmer of positivity for her supporters during a difficult political period in the United States as she clinched her first French Open title on Saturday.
Gauff, the second seed, demonstrated her mental fortitude by recovering from a set down to defeat the world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 and win her second grand slam title in Paris.
“Obviously there’s a lot going on in our country right now with things … like, everything, yeah. I’m sure you guys know,” said Gauff during her press conference. “But just to be able to be a representation of that and a representation of, I guess, people that look like me in America who maybe don’t feel as supported during this time period … just being that reflection of hope and light for those people.”
“I remember after the election and everything, it kind of felt like a down period a little bit, and my mom told me during Riyadh: ‘Just try to win the tournament just to give something for people to smile for.’ So that’s what I was thinking about today when holding that. And then seeing the flags in the crowd means a lot.
“Some people may feel some type of way about being patriotic and things like that, but I’m definitely patriotic and proud to be American, and I’m proud to represent the Americans that look like me and people who kind of support the things that I support.”
Gauff contested her first grand slam final aged 18 at the 2022 French Open, losing to Iga Swiatek, before defeating Sabalenka at the 2023 US Open to win her first grand slam title. She said that she struggled with anxiety and doubt in 2022, a complete contrast to the confidence she felt before this match.
“I just remembered that ceremony when Iga won, I just remembered trying to take it all in and pay attention to every detail and just feel like I wanted that experience for myself,” said Gauff. “So when the anthem got played, I vividly remember watching her pretty emotional when the Polish anthem was played. I was, like, ‘Wow, this is such a cool moment’. So when the anthem got played today, I kind of had those reflections.
“It was a tough time. I was doubting myself, wondering if I would ever be able to overcome it, especially my mentality going into that match. I was crying before the match and so nervous, and literally couldn’t breathe and stuff. I was, like: ‘If I can’t handle this, how am I going to handle it again?’ Then obviously the US Open happened, and now I just felt really ready today, and I was, like: ‘I’m just going to leave it all out there, and regardless of what happens, I can leave proud.’”
After also losing the Australian Open final this year in three sets to Madison Keys, Sabalenka is now 3-3 in grand slam finals. She did not hide her rage. Asked how Gauff made things difficult for her, Sabalenka credited her opponent’s framed shots and lambasted the windy conditions.
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“Honestly sometimes it felt like she was hitting the ball from the frame,” she said. “Somehow magically the ball lands in the court, and you are kind of on the back foot. Yeah, it’s just, you know, like … it felt like a joke, honestly, like somebody from above was just staying there laughing, like: ‘Let’s see if you can handle this.’”
Sabalenka also claimed that Swiatek, who she defeated in the semi-finals, would have beaten Gauff on Saturday: “I think Iga … would go out today and she would get the win. Yeah, it just hurts. Honestly hurts. I’ve been playing really well, and then in the last match, I go out there and perform like I did. That hurt,” she said.
Speaking less than an hour after leaving the court, Sabalenka said she already knows plans for the next few days as she tries to get over this tough defeat: “I already have a flight booked to Mykonos and alcohol, sugar,” she said. “I just need a couple of days to completely forget about this crazy world and this crazy … if I could swear, I would swear right now, but this crazy thing that happened today.
“And I couldn’t today. I think everyone understands. I’m just trying to be very polite right now, but there is no other word that could describe what just happened today on the court. But yeah, tequila, gummy bears, and I don’t know, swimming, being a tourist for a couple of days.”
