With French Open identify, Coco Gauff’s time is now

Nine mins into her information convention after her first primary win, Coco Gauff was once requested about her targets within the game.

She did not hesitate, and even take a pause to respire prior to responding.

“I want to be the greatest,” she stated with none emotion in her voice. “My dad told me that I could do this when I was 8. Obviously you never believe it. I’m still, like, not 100% confident. But, like, you have to just say things. You never know what happens.”

Gauff, then simply 15, had simply defeated one among her early life heroes in seven-time primary champion Venus Williams on Centre Court at Wimbledon. A 12 months got rid of from her head-turning junior identify on the French Open and simply months after recording her first win at the WTA Tour, Gauff had gained a wild card into Wimbledon’s qualifying draw. While to the informal fan she was once a digital unknown, tennis insiders were humming about her for a while.

But after her win over Williams, everybody knew who she was once. “Cocomania,” because it was once dubbed on the time, was once born, and the fervor and intrigue larger with each and every fit she received. By the top of her magical fourth-round run on the All England Club, everybody gave the impression to consider simply how nice she may transform.

Transitioning from a 15-year-old with little drive to an in a single day celebrity anticipated to win each and every fit was once no longer simple. While she made secure growth and reached the 2022 French Open ultimate, it could take Gauff 4 years to assert her first primary identify at america Open in 2023. Five extra Slam tournaments then got here and went with out some other ultimate look.

It was once transparent she was once nice, as evidenced through her 2024 WTA Finals victory and back-to-back ultimate appearances within the 1000-level clay occasions main into the French Open, however she nonetheless had a strategy to pass as a way to at some point succeed in her purpose of changing into the best.

But she were given nearer in Paris those previous two weeks. Gauff, the No. 2 seed, stormed during the draw — losing only one set en path to the general. She claimed the French Open identify on Saturday in the back of a resilient comeback victory 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 over global No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in two hours and 38 mins. When it was once over she fell at the clay, mendacity down together with her fingers overlaying her mouth in obvious disbelief. The tears streamed down her face whilst she waited for the trophy rite from her chair.

It’s unsure if Gauff, nonetheless simply 21, will at some point make just right on her final purpose, the lofty, overly formidable one she’s spoken brazenly about since early life that may put her in elite corporate reserved for different one-name superstars like Serena, Novak, Roger and Rafa. But together with her triumph at Roland Garros and the start of what looks like her top, she cements her spot as one of the most largest presently.

“She has so many [major titles] ahead of her,” Chris Evert, the 18-time Slam champion, stated at the broadcast after the fit. “I mean we saw that at 15 years old. We saw when she beat Venus at Wimbledon. We thought, ‘This girl’s going to be winning 10, 12, 14 major titles. She’s got the game and if she can stay healthy …’ She just loves the game and she’s going to be around for a long, long time winning majors.”

Gauff’s call is already discussed amongst probably the most game’s all-time greats. Saturday marked her 27th fit win at Roland Garros — tying her with Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario because the fourth-most within the Open generation for a girl prior to her 22nd birthday. Her semifinal victory broke a tie with Serena Williams for the second-most through an American girl in the similar class, and Gauff trails simply Evert, who received seven French Open titles.

She additionally was the primary American to win the identify at Roland Garros since Serena a decade in the past. And she is simply the 5th countrywoman within the Open generation to win a couple of Slam titles at 21 or more youthful, becoming a member of Serena, Evert, Venus and Tracy Austin.

Michelle Obama and Billie Jean King had been amongst the ones to congratulate her on social media instantly after the win. Spike Lee, who was once in attendance and sitting courtside, was once the primary individual she hugged in party.

But Gauff wasn’t serious about historical past or about her ever-growing reputation all over Saturday’s fit. Nor was once she pondering of her earlier fits in opposition to Sabalenka, or the 2023 US Open ultimate by which she defeated her. Gauff vividly remembered what it felt love to lose the 2022 French Open ultimate on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

So, after dropping the one-hour-and-eighteen-minute first set in a tiebreak, Gauff knew what she needed to do and confirmed no visual indicators of frustration or agony. She would no longer fail to see the chance once more, and masterfully and clinically took keep watch over. Gauff wanted simply 33 mins to assert the second one set and ruled together with her robust serving, competitive returns and blistering velocity. But it was once most likely her unravel and poise underneath drive that was once essentially the most spectacular.

If you’ll be able to dream it, you’ll be able to do it ✍️ @cocogauff#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/cGYTZAStDc

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 7, 2025

“She’s so much more mature than a 21-year-old,” former global No. 1 and 2018 Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki stated after the fit at the broadcast.

Sabalenka, who could not cover her evident unhappiness after the fit, praised Gauff for being a “fighter and a hard worker” all over her on-court speech. For Gauff, it was once 3 years within the making. “I just remembered, you know, that ceremony when Iga [Swiatek] 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,” Gauff stated on Saturday. “So when the anthem got played, I vividly remember watching her, pretty emotional when the Polish anthem got played. I was, like, ‘Wow, this is such a cool moment.’ So when the anthem got played today, I kind of had those reflections.”

Gauff’s emotional adulthood and battle had been on show right through the clay season, by which she defeated a couple of primary champions and top-10 stars together with Iga Swiatek, Emma Raducanu, Zheng Qinwen and Mirra Andreeva (two times), and all over her run at Roland Garros. She wanted 3 units in opposition to fellow American Madison Keys, the reigning Australian Open champion, after dropping the opener in a tiebreak.

In the semifinals, she had to fight Lois Boisson, the marvel French breakout famous person, and a whole stadium rooting in opposition to her. She allowed Boisson, who defeated the likes of No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula and No. 6 Andreeva in Paris, to only 3 overall video games.

“She was really solid, and I couldn’t play my game today because she was just too good,” Boisson stated on Thursday.

While Gauff stays on the No. 2 rating, and 3,470 issues in the back of Sabalenka, she may have alternatives to slender that deficit right through the summer time — beginning all over the impending grass-court season. She is subsequent slated to play at Berlin, which will get underway subsequent week, however was once undecided on Saturday if she would stay within the draw. While Gauff hasn’t ever complicated previous the fourth around at Wimbledon — she matched her debut run in 2021 and 2024 — she is going to indisputably glance to construct on her momentum on the All England Club this 12 months.

From there, she is going to flip her attractions to the hard-court summer time collection and america Open, the place all eyes can be upon her from the house crowd and the New York media. But she’s proved she will be able to deal with the drive and the expectancies — and has the sport and angle to deal with it all. Just moments after posing with the trophy in entrance of masses of photographers, Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, requested Gauff what was once subsequent.

“Hopefully another one,” Gauff stated. “Yeah, definitely another one. But for now, just enjoying this one and I’m just glad to get another title to my résumé.”

Now virtually six years got rid of from her head-turning, auspicious creation to the tennis global, Gauff has the similar self belief, self-belief and happy exuberance as she did then. She stays similarly dedicated — if no longer extra so — to her need to be nice, however time has given her one thing most likely much more treasured and the most important to reaching that: viewpoint.

When requested Thursday after advancing to the general how she controlled not to get beaten through the magnitude of the location, she once more did not hesitate.

“I think just realizing how minuscule it is,” Gauff stated. “Like everybody is dealing with way bigger things in life than losing a final … I’m sure there are hundreds of players that would kill to win or lose a final, so just knowing that, makes me realize how lucky and privileged I am to be in this position.

“At first I assumed it will be the finish of the sector if I misplaced, and you recognize, the solar nonetheless rose tomorrow. So realizing, without reference to the outcome, the solar will nonetheless upward thrust.”