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Gauff’s hustle and determination pay off
Coco Gauff, a 19-year-old prodigy, won her maiden Grand Slam championship in a thrilling three-set, come-from-behind triumph in the US Open singles final. She defeated Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Gauff began the afternoon feeling tight and unsteady but soon controlled the court in front of a star-studded audience at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Kevin Durant, Nicole Kidman, and Charlize Theron watched the match. She didn’t allow her opponent to bully her.
Coco Gauff was down a set and struggling simply to stay in the game. She pumped her fists and said, “Come on!” This was reminiscent of Serena Williams, her renowned predecessor as Queen of Flushing Meadows.
She began pursuing and lunging at ball after ball, scaring Sabalenka into error after blunder. Each highlight energized the audience and sent additional noise bouncing off the walls and roof, aiding in Sabalenka’s demise.
“It doesn’t get more dramatic than that,” Gauff said.
Gauff’s Victory: A New Era for American Tennis
Sabalenka will be crowned the new world No. 1 on Monday, capping up a season that includes the Australian Open victory. But this — and Gauff — were too much.
“I gave them energy, and she started to be better,” Sabalenka said.
Waves of congratulatory messages streamed forth as soon as it ended. Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, along with many others, sent their congratulations. Gauff played well throughout the two-week tournament.
She said she didn’t start envisioning winning the title until Friday night, and she wanted to get that thought out of her head. She called her boyfriend, and they talked until 1 a.m. when it was time to go to sleep. There was a big day ahead.
Her victory, which came with a $3 million payday, crowned her as the new face of the sport in America. Her father had taken her to the U.S. Open when she was a young girl. She sat in the stands and watched the Williams sisters pave the way for the next generation of Black American players.
“They’re the reason why I have this trophy today,” she told Saturday night.
Coco Gauff’s never-give-up attitude
Gauff made his breakthrough in 2019 with a victory over Venus Williams on Centre Court at Wimbledon. Her ascension to the sport’s highest level was a matter of when not if.
Serena Williams, largely regarded as the best player of the modern era, announced her retirement from tennis following her last match at this event last year.
Gauff was born in Delray Beach, Florida. Her parents, a teacher, and a midlevel healthcare professional have spent most of the last four years traveling around the world with her.
She was tipped to be the next tennis face. When she was just ten years old, she enrolled in the elite French academy run by Serena Williams’ longtime coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. She trained there for around 10 weeks every year.
She dominated her age category and reached the U.S. Open junior final at the age of 13 when she was just 13 years old. Two years later, she stormed into the fourth round at Wimbledon, establishing herself as a big player in tennis as well as a modest celebrity outside of the sport.
In the third set on Saturday, Gauff briefly teetered and lost her serve with a 4-1 lead, giving Sabalenka hope for a stirring comeback. But in the next game, Gauff once again chased the ball and got within a game of the championship with her looping forehand and stinging put-away.
Her play during this last transformative month of her career has featured this combination, which culminated on Saturday with her becoming a new A-lister of sports and culture.
Gauff’s Emotional Reaction to Winning the US Open
Gauff sprawled on her back as a final backhand flew past Sabalenka along the sideline. She was weeping within seconds, and she wept her way through a celebratory hug from Sabalenka, across the floor, and through the stands as she went up to her box to greet her parents in a smothering three-way hug.
She claimed that was the first time she had seen her father, Corey, weep. Coco’s given name is Cori, but she rapidly pushed the usage of the moniker Coco when she got pro, wearing T-shirts that stated “Call Me Coco.” Following her victory on Saturday, she wore a similar blouse but with the word “Coco” crossed out and replaced with the word “Champion.”
Everyone in her box got heartfelt hugs, including her coaches Pere Riba and Brad Gilbert, her trainer and agent, and friends and family. She returned to the court for a few moments of prayer before checking her phone. While waiting for the prize ceremony, she attempted to FaceTime her brother. He didn’t answer the phone. They instantly connected via phone, she subsequently informed reporters.
“I’m a little bit in shock,” She stated this on the court during the prize ceremony. “I’m so blessed in this life. I am so thankful for this moment. I don’t have any words for it.”
“You deserve this title,” Sabalenka remarked to Gauff before crying a different sort of tear.
Gauff’s Perspective on Pressure
Coco Gauff climbed up the tennis ranks while simultaneously being more vocal about civil rights concerns. She has always discussed the influence of her grandma, Yvonne Lee Odom.
Yvonne Lee Odom was chosen as one of the first women to integrate her Palm Beach County high school in 1961. This was a perilous venture at a time when youth charged with such initiatives were frequently subjected to ridicule and threats of violence.
Coco Gauff took the microphone during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in her hometown over 50 years later when she was 16 years old. She did this in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.
“I’m fighting for the future of my brothers,” she said. “I’m fighting for the future of my future kids. I’m fighting for the future of my future grandchildren. So, we must change now.” Gauff said it.
Gauff talked earlier this week about remembering that life includes many different kinds of pressure and that hers was OK when questioned about handling the strain of growing expectations.
“There are people struggling to feed their families,” she said. “People who don’t know where their next meal is going to come from, people who have to pay their bills. That’s real pressure, that’s real hardship, that’s real life.” She noted that she was in a very privileged position. “I’m getting paid to do what I love and getting support to do what I love. That’s something that I don’t take for granted.“
Coco Gauff didn’t complain when a climate change protest disrupted her semifinal win over Karolina Muchova on Friday night. Instead, she talked about her belief in the cause and the rights of people everywhere to peacefully protest for the change they believe in.
Coco Gauff’s Struggles to Live Up to Expectations
Sports journeys don’t always go as fans hope. Over the last two seasons, Gauff, who has many very good tennis skills, had to overcome struggles with her second serve and a shaky forehand that opponents at the highest level always seemed able to exploit.
Iga Swiatek beat her in the French Open final last year. She’s frustrated about not advancing in big tournaments. There are questions about whether she’ll live up to her hype.
Iga Swiatek upset her in the French Open final last year, and she has since become irritated by her failure to get past the quarterfinals in the biggest events, as well as rising doubts about whether she would ever live up to her expectations.
However, in June, she began working with a new coaching staff, led by Riba. She believed her game was getting better. Then she fell in the first round of Wimbledon against Sofia Kenin, a fiery American who won the Australian Open in 2020.There were some sad days that followed. She had seen the discussion on social media.
“I just felt like people were, like, ‘Oh, she’s hit her peak and she’s done. It was all hype.”
Coco Gauff Overcomes Early Struggles to Defeat Sabalenka
Gilbert, an ESPN pundit for many years, joined the coaching ranks in late July. He had previously coached two other Americans to the US Open singles title, Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick. Gauff began to find out how to maximize her abilities while concealing her flaws.
She stopped attempting to smack every powerful forehand stroke back across the court even harder. She hit deep looping strokes into her opponent’s court. This made them either miss or give her a chance to use her strength. She had been practicing this skill since she was a young child on public courts in South Florida.
Sabalenka arrived on time on Saturday. Gauff struggled to find the depth her strokes required early on, and her serve stuttered. Sabalenka took advantage of the situation and capitalized on the short balls, forcing Gauff to reconsider his strategy.
Coco Gauff developed a faster solution one hour later. She started cheering and pumping her fist, and the crowd joined in to celebrate her comeback, silencing any doubters.
“Thanks to people who did not believe me, those who thought they were putting water in my fire,” Gauff told the world when the championship was hers. “You were really adding gas to it.”
My name is Krishanu Das the founder of the Sports Dribble.
I am Accountant by profession but a Sports Blogger by passion.
I am passionate about sharing my all knowledge and experiences of sports, with my readers and every sports enthusiast.
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