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Coco Gauff took home her second major title, winning the French Open at Roland Garros stadium after defeating Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday, June 7. She became the first American to take home the trophy since Serena Williams in 2015.
Before stepping onto the clay courts, Gauff had already etched her name in the tennis history books, becoming the youngest American woman to take home the coveted U.S. Open title in 2023; however, the budding sports icon felt haunted by this particular Grand Slam.
“Losing in the finals here 3 years ago had created a lot of doubt in my head. I thought I could never overcome the pressure, I thought holding this trophy would never happen,” she wrote on Instagram. “I thought my dreams were so close to happening but would never come true. So to be here…means absolutely everything.”
The No. 2 player in the world also dropped a little inspiration for those who may be struggling with self-doubt.
“The younger coco would have looked at me crazy because that girl never doubted a thing in her life especially when it came to tennis,” she said. “But needless to say, I learned having doubt enter your head is impossible to escape but not impossible to overcome. Yesterday was a result of that. I overcame…and if I can, so can you.”
You better preach, niece! Coco has been gaining fans (and checks!) every time she steps on the court and last year recorded the third-highest earning season ever for a female athlete at $34.3 million. Our girl is truly the people’s champ!
Love for Coco poured in, both online and in person, from sports and cultural icons alike. Everyone, from President Barack Obama and LeBron James to tennis legend Billie Jean King, showed love to the new champ.
And of course, Uncle Spike (Lee) was on hand to show Coco love throughout the tournament and she returned the good vibes after snatching the trophy!
Not everyone was happy about Coco’s win, namely her opponent, Aryna Sabalenka, who took some unsportsmanlike shots at the 21-year-old champion during her post-match press conference.
“Conditions were terrible, and she simply was better in these conditions than me. I think it was the worst final I ever played. I think she won the match not because she played incredible; just because I made all of those mistakes,” Sabalenka said. “I think I was over-emotional. I think today I didn’t really handle myself quite well mentally, I would say. Sometimes that happens, you know? You just wake up, and you don’t feel your best and another player goes for whatever and it works, and for you nothing is working. I guess today wasn’t the day.”
She continued by saying that another player, Iga Swiatek, would have beaten Gauff in the finals if she hadn’t been sent home in the semis.
“If Iga had beaten me the other day, I think she’d come out today and get the win,” Sabalenka declared. “It just hurts. I’ve been playing really well, and then in the last match, to go out there and do what I did, it hurts.”
The disrespect truly knows no bounds.
Ever the gracious champion, Coco did have an opportunity to respond to Sabalenka’s Karen-ish complaints remarks. The new champ calmly set the record straight by reminding the press that she’d defeated Swiatek in straight sets on the very same court. Oop!
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