Coco Gauff has revealed that it “means a lot” to follow in Serena Williams’ footsteps and lift the French Open title.
World No 2 Gauff battled from a set down to beat world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 in the Roland Garros women’s singles final on Saturday, winning her second Grand Slam singles title.
The 21-year-old became the youngest American woman to win the title since Williams in 2002, and the first American woman to win the title since Williams’ third and final triumph in 2015.
The pair are two of just seven American women to win the title in the Open Era, and are just two of four US women to win multiple major titles this century, alongside Venus Williams and Jennifer Capriati.
Gauff has spoken openly across her career about how both of the Williams sisters have inspired her, and has now followed Serena into the record books as a singles champion at Roland Garros.
While refusing to compare herself too heavily to the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, Gauff revealed on NBC this week that it was meaningful to follow in her idol’s footsteps.
“It means a lot,” said the 21-year-old.
“She’s the reason I picked up the racket and the sport, and have the belief that I do.
“And 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 5% of that, means so much to me and dreaming big and watching her compete in real life… I don’t know.
“It’s just crazy to say that 10 years later, I’m here with that trophy after she held it, so it means a lot and to finally put Americans back in that French Open conversation.”
Gauff could now go on to emulate another of Williams’ achievements this summer, with the world No 2 likely to be among the leading contenders at Wimbledon.
Williams remains the last woman to have won both titles in the same year, completing the ‘Channel Slam’ in 2015 after beating Lucie Safarova at Roland Garros and Garbine Muguruza at Wimbledon.
She is also the last US woman to have won the singles title at SW19, winning her seventh and final title in 2016, and is the last to reach the final, finishing as the runner-up in 2019.
Gauff is set to be the second seed in the women’s singles draw, six years on from her memorable breakthrough to the fourth round as a qualifier.
However, she is yet to make it past the fourth round at the event, also falling at that stage in 2021 and 2024.
