At the professional level, the Grand Slam tournaments are ideal stages for athletes to showcase their talents and resiliency. For 19-year-old American Coco Gauff, she just actualized her dreams, winning her first major title at the 2023 U.S. Open.
Gauff debuted into professional tennis at the age of 14. She qualified for the main draw for Wimbledon as a 15-year-old and became the youngest player to achieve such a feat. In this tournament, she upset Venus Williams in the first round. This victory propelled Gauff onto the social scene.
Gauff recently made the finals of the 2022 French Open until she was defeated by Iga Swiatek, a former number one player. She also competes as a doubles player. In local terms, she just won the doubles title at the 2023 Miami Open with her partner Jessica Pegula; they reached the number one ranking for women’s doubles.
“I think she’s improved, especially after her loss at Wimbledon. She got a new coach and I think he helped her a lot mentally. She used to play based on momentum and if she played a bad point she would lose momentum and lose the match,” freshman Olivia Simon said.
The ultimate goal of a professional tennis player is to win as many Grand Slams and reach the number one ranking. Gauff played her first round matchup on Sept 9. with this goal in mind.
During a controversial match, the American expressed her frustrations about Laura Siegemund, who was repeatedly violating the serving clock. Despite the obstacle, Gauff comfortably advanced through the first round and every match after that.
“Coco Gauff is an inspiration because I saw all the struggles she went through. In one of her matches she called out the chair umpire claiming Laura Siegemund was slow between points and constantly holding her own in front of the umpire. Even with the arguments and the competition she never gave up and it shows that she’s a very professional athlete,” sophomore Sharon Contreras said.
Returning to Arthur Ashe Stadium, Gauff was destined for her first title. She made several efforts to keep her shots consistent during the final round. Ultimately, inspired a comeback for herself as she defeated the second best player in the world Aryna Sabalenka. The final score was 6 to 3 in favor of Sabalenka and 6 to 3, 6 to 2 in favor of the American.
“Coco Gauff in the U.S. Open Finals was exciting to watch and inspiring even for people in different sports. She is inspiring for other young athletes, and I hope she continues to play and is able to go far with her skills since she’s really young,” sophomore Adelaide Schoeni said.
Gauff became the first American teenager since Serena Williams in 1999 to win the U.S. Open. This momentous win has propelled her through the Women’s Tennis Association rankings, earning her the third spot.
“It has been such stellar achievement for a player her age, and we’ve kind of been expecting this for a while, but it’s been worth the wait, and it’s just been wonderful to watch her mature and raise her game,” tennis coach Benjamin Groff said.
Gauff is now a Grand Slam champion, and it is evident she is aiming for multiple titles in her career, pursuing the number one ranking no matter what.
