Coco Gauff got her first French Open title, and she’s teeming with confidence! It’s no surprise. She missed out three years ago in the 2022 final against Iga Swiatek. Now, she has triumphed over the world number one seed, Aryna Sabalenka. Both dominated clay this year. But Coco showed clear improvement this time around. Would she be formidable against anyone now?
After taking away her trophy on June 6, the American not only won her first French Open title but also became the first US player since Serena Williams won the tournament back in 2015 against Lucie Safarova to claim her 20th Grand Slam title! That’s a record that would make anyone proud of her. Not to mention, Coco only dropped one set throughout the tournament. It happened during her quarterfinals against Keys. Then, she took down the rising star Lois Boisson in the semis to make the final!
When asked who she considers to be a nightmare draw from the legends in the sport, she did not hesitate to answer, “Serena [Williams].” Naturally, Serena wasn’t an easy opponent ever. With 23 Grand Slam titles and an aggressive playing style mixed with a powerful serve that was once recorded as the fastest at 128.6 mph in 2013, Serena was certainly formidable. But would there be a surface Coco Gauff stood a chance on? Yes. As she said, “Well, depends. If we played on clay, I feel like I could have got her, but any other surface, it would have been tough.” Pretty bold, right?
Coco Gauff holds a career clay court singles record of 85 wins and 29 losses, which translates to an impressive 74.56% win rate. She has consistently performed well on clay, including reaching the French Open final in 2022 and making deep runs in other major clay tournaments. Many tennis experts and players consider clay her best surface. Serena, on the other hand, was not specifically a clay court specialist!
Serena Williams won the French Open three times (2002, 2013, 2015), boasting a clay court record of 180 wins and 47 losses (79.3%). While her win rates on hard (84.37%) and grass (86.99%) were slightly higher, her overall dominance across all surfaces makes it difficult to definitively call clay her “best.” And if you’re looking at the difference in their numbers, keep in mind Serena built this empire over two decades. Gauff has been on the tour for just seven years now.
Not to mention, Coco already has a reputation for taking down a Williams! She defeated Venus Williams in her maiden Wimbledon tournament back in 2019 as a 15-year-old! Taking down the five-time champion in two straight sets in the first round as a wildcard! That’s impressive!
While Gauff claims she could challenge Serena on clay, she never forgets that Serena inspired her to pick up a racket. Coco aspires to carry on that legacy as a fellow American player!
It all started when Gauff, at age 5, watched Serena on TV for the first time. Her father shared in Rolex’s “Game Changer” series how they watched Williams win her fifth Australian Open title in 2010. “I remember saying, ‘Man, she’s going to be the GOAT,’” Corey said. Coco asked, “What is the GOAT?” He explained it meant “Greatest of All Time.” Coco’s response? “I want to be a GOAT!” Right then, Corey bought her a racket, and the journey began.
Though she faced doubts, Serena’s example kept her dreaming big. Fast forward to 2023: Coco became the first teenager to win the US Open since Serena did it in 1999. Then, she made history again by lifting the WTA Finals trophy—the first American to do so since Williams in 2014. Now, after her epic win in Paris, Coco’s been busy with interviews. Later, she opened up to NBC News about what it means to follow Serena’s path. “It means a lot; she’s the reason why I picked up a racket in this sport and have the belief that I do,” Coco said.
But what’s it like for her? She added, “For me, to be able to be in any conversation with her, obviously, she has her own legacy that will never be touched. But for me, just to even have, like, a five percent of that means so much to me, and dreaming big and watching her compete in real life. And I don’t know, it’s crazy to say that ten years later, that I’m here with that trophy after she held it.” Serena won three Roland Garros titles, and now all eyes are on what Coco will do next.
With the rest of the season ahead, Coco Gauff is just getting started. Perhaps she’ll go on to win plenty of titles! Next up is Wimbledon! What do you think? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
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