Coco Gauff has finally captured the French Open title, marking a significant milestone in her burgeoning career.
On Saturday, June 7, the 21-year-old tennis sensation triumphed over top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka. After dropping the first set 6-7, Gauff showcased her resilience by clinching the next two sets 6-2 and 6-4. This victory follows their previous encounter at the 2023 World Open, where Gauff also emerged victorious.
Notably, this match was the first in Paris to feature the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds since the iconic clash between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova in 2013.
Gauff took to Instagram to share her journey, posting two revealing photos. One depicted her hand gripping a piece of paper inscribed with “I will win French Open 2025” multiple times. She humorously noted, “Ignore my handwriting but I saw @gabbythomas do this. Had to do the same lol.”
The second image was a screenshot of a note from her phone, dated June 8, 2021, stating, “I had a dream last night that I will win French Open idk if it is true or if it is this years french open but [i] had a dream abt it.” Gauff captioned it with, “ignore the typos but look at date. If you can dream it, you can do it.”
In September 2024, Gauff made a pivotal coaching change, parting ways with Brad Gilbert, who announced the split on social media. “Thanks π to @CocoGauff and the entire team for an absolutely amazing summer run in 2023 and for 14 months of incredible team effort,” he expressed. “Coco, at just 20 years young, your future is incredibly bright, and I wish you nothing but continued success ahead. I’m excited for the next chapter in my coaching career.”
Gilbert joined Gauff’s team in July 2023 as a co-coach alongside Pere Riba from Spain. His guidance helped Gauff achieve her highest ranking of No. 2 in the summer of last year.
Under Gilbert's mentorship, Gauff secured her first Grand Slam title in September 2023 and added three more titles to her name, including the U.S. Open. However, she faced disappointment at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024, failing to medal.
Gauff's history at the French Open has been tumultuous. In 2024, she confronted the chair umpire over a disputed call. “I never argue these calls. But [the line judge] called it out before I hit the ball,” she asserted to chair umpire Jaume Campistol. “It’s not even a perception; it’s the rules.”
With tears in her eyes, Gauff lamented, “It always happens here at the French Open to me. Every time.” Following that controversial moment, she lost her match against VekiΔ in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2.
