“To those who thought you were putting water on my fire, you were really adding gas to it. I’m burning so bright right now,” – The 19-year-old Coco Gauff said after clinching her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open against Aryna Sabalenka. With that win, she became the first American teenager to win the US Open since Serena Williams in 1999. Fast forward two years (almost), the flame is still burning bright, and she has now become the youngest player to win the women’s singles title at the US Open and French Open since Serena Williams (in 2002). What was the secret behind her incredible fightback in the epic final against the world number one, Aryna Sabalenka?
Well, in the match, Sabalenka took the first set by 7-6(5), but Gauff fought back in the next two to seal the deal at 6(5)-7,6-2,6-4. With this win, Coco Gauff has now become the first player to win a women’s singles major final against the world number one after losing the first set, since Venus Williams in Wimbledon (vs Lindsay Davenport), and the first at Roland Garros since Steffi Graf in 1999 (vs Martina Hingis).
Interesting Fact: Gauff is now also the first player to defeat the same opponent to secure their first two women’s singles Grand Slam titles since Amelie Mauresmo.
What was the key motivating factor behind this incredible comeback? After securing her second major title, Coco Gauff gave a shout-out to the three-time gold medalist, Gabby Thomas, for motivating her in this epic fightback. How did Thomas help Gauff reach this career goal? Well, as it says, “What you think you become. What you feel you attract. What you imagine you create.” The American tennis star did a similar thing after learning it from the superstar athlete.
After this match, Coco Gauff shared a paper note in which she had written multiple times, “I will win French Open 2025..I will be French Open champion 2025.” She shared this secret with her fans on her IG story with the caption, “ignore my handwriting but i saw @gabbythomas do this. Had to do the same lol.“
Tennis: French Open Jun 7, 2025 Paris, FR Coco Gauff of the United States poses with the trophy after winning the womenÕs singles final against Aryna Sabalenka on day 14 at Roland Garros Stadium. Paris Roland Garros Stadium ENTER STATE FR, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xSusanxMullanex 20250607_szo_au2_0302
After seeing this post, Thomas also shared Gauff’s post on her IG stories with the caption, “ @cocogauff YOU DESERVE IT ALL!!” But this wasn’t the first time that we’ve seen her showing her support for the tennis star. Even when Coco Gauff won the WTA Finals title last year, she lauded her brilliance by dropping a comment, “Queen” in one of her social media posts. Then, just a few days ago, Gabby Thomas also expressed her admiration for Gauff’s custom-made New Balance kit for the 2025 French Open.
So, these two have been friends for quite some time now and have showcased their support for each other on multiple occasions in the past. Other than that, Coco Gauff also shared a note that she wrote almost exactly four years ago. The note read, “I had a dream last night that I will win French Open if it is true or if it is this year’s French Open but it had a dream about it.” She captioned that IG story with, “ignore the typos but look at date. if you can dream it, you can do it.”
Although she came closer to winning this title in 2022, however, Iga Swiatek had then spoiled her party by defeating her in the final. After that match almost three years ago, Gauff said, “It was a heartbreaking match. It felt like seeing your dreams kind of snatched away.” What was her reaction after fulfilling the dream this time?
Coco Gauff’s initial reactions after her title triumph at the 2025 French Open
Shortly after securing her winning point in this match, Coco Gauff fell to the floor and started to cry, saying, “Oh my God, oh my God.” After that, she quickly got up to her feet and showed a heart sign to her mom, Candi, who was cheering for her from the stands. Later on, Gauff even went towards her parents to give them a hug.
While sharing her reaction to this win, she said, “This was 1 of the tournaments when I was younger, I felt I had the best shot of winning. I felt like if I went through my career & didn’t get one, I’d feel regret. Playing Aryna, I was like, I just gotta go for it.” After being handed the trophy by Justin Henin, Gauff further added, “I’d like to thank God. I went through a lot of things when I lost this final three years ago. I’m happy to be here. It means a lot to win this. Aryna, you are a fighter.“
How did others react to Coco Gauff‘s second major triumph? Well, first and foremost, her opponent came up to congratulate her by saying, “Coco congrats. In these tough conditions, you were a better player than me. Well deserved. You are a fighter and a hard worker.” And then social media got flooded with several reactions from renowned entities.
For example, the seven-time champion at Roland Garros, Chris Evert, said, “There were tears from her; she could see how much she wanted that and how stressful that whole match was. But she found a way. She deserves to win this one. She was brought up on clay and was a finalist before.” Coco Gauff’s ex-coach, Brad Gilbert, tweeted, “congrats @CocoGauff winning 1st @rolandgarros great resilience.“
Even Barack Obama and Michelle Obama congratulated Gauff on her incredible win. Barack Obama tweeted, “Congratulations to @CocoGauff for an amazing championship at the French Open — the first American singles champion at @RolandGarros in a decade. You make us all proud.” While the former First Lady wrote, “Congrats, @CocoGauff! Your determination, strength, and grace throughout the French Open has inspired us all – and showed us what’s possible. Proud of you.” Share your thoughts on Coco Gauff’s incredible win at Roland Garros.
The post Gabby Thomas Becomes Unsung Hero Behind Coco Gauff’s Historic French Open Title as the WTA Star Shares Sweet Note appeared first on EssentiallySports.