Coco Gauff hopes his triumph at Open of France Provides a glow of positivity to her supporters for a difficult political period in the United States when she won her first French title on Saturday.
Gauff, the second seeded, demonstrated its mental strength by recovering from a whole to Defeat the world n ° 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 and win his second Grand Chelem title in Paris.
“Obviously, there is a lot of things in our country at the moment with things … Like, everything, yeah. I’m sure you know it,” said Gauff during his press conference. “But just to be able to be a representation of this and a representation, I suppose, people who resemble me in America who may not feel so supported during this period … just this reflection of hope and light for these people.”
“I remember after the elections and everything was a bit like a period of drop a little, and my mother said to me during Riyadh:” Just try to win the tournament just to give something so that people can smile. So that’s what I was thinking about today by holding this.
“Some people can feel a kind of being patriotic and things like that, but I am definitely patriotic and proud to be American, and I am proud to represent the Americans who look like me and to people who support the things I support.”
Gauff challenged his first Grand Slam final at the age of 18 at the France 2022 Open, losing against Iga Swiatek, before Defeat Sabalenka to the US 2023 Open To win his first Grand Chelem title. She said that she had struggled against anxiety and doubt in 2022, a complete contrast to the confidence she felt before this match.
“I just remember this ceremony when IGA won, I just remembered having tried to take everything and pay attention to every detail and I just have the impression of wanting this experience,” said Gauff. “So, when the anthem was played, I remember very good at having watched it quite emotional when the Polish anthem was played. I was, like” Wow, it’s so cool “. So when the anthem was played today, I had these reflections.
“It was a difficult period. I doubted myself, asking myself if I could never overcome it, in particular my mentality entering this match. I was crying before the match and so nervous, and I could literally not breathe and all that. I was, like: “ If I can’t manage this, how will I manage it again? Then obviously, the United States took place, and now I really felt ready today, and I was, like: “I’m just going to leave everything there, and no matter what’s going on, I can leave proud.” “”
After also losing the Australian Open final this year in three sets against Madison Keys, Sabalenka is now 3-3 in the Grand Slam finals. She did not hide her rage. Asked how Gauff made things difficult for her, Sabalenka attributed the supervised shots of her opponent and castigated the winding conditions.
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“Honestly, sometimes, I felt like it was hitting the ball in the frame,” she said. “In one way or another, the ball lands on the field, and you are somehow on the back. Yes, it’s just, you know, like … it was like a joke, honestly, like someone above was only laughing, like:” Let’s see if you can manage this. “”
Sabalenka also said that Swiatek, who she defeated in the semi-finals, would have beaten Gauff on Saturday: “I think IGA … would come out today and she would get victory. Yes, it hurts. Honestly, I hurt. I played very well, then in the last match, I go there and I play like me. It hurts, ”she said.
Speaking less than an hour after leaving the court, Sabalenka said she was already experiencing plans for the next few days when she tries to overcome this difficult defeat: “I have already reserved a flight to Mykonos and alcohol, sugar,” she said. “I just need a few days to completely forget this crazy world and this crazy … If I could swear, I swear at the moment, but this crazy thing that happened today.
“And I couldn’t today. I think everyone understands. I’m just trying to be very polite right now, but there is no other word that might describe what has just happened today on the field. But yes, Tequila, Gummy Bears, and I don’t know, swim, be a tourist for a few days.”
