U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff referenced her faith in her first speech immediately following her win.
“Oh, my goodness. It means so much to me. I feel like I’m in shock. That French Open loss was a heartbreak. I realized God puts you through trials.” Gauff said Saturday. “This makes this moment even sweeter than I could imagine.”
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Coco Gauff spoke about her faith in God after winning the US Open:
“Oh my goodness. It means so much to me. I feel like I’m in shock. That French Open loss was a heartbreak. I realized God puts you through trials. This makes this moment even sweeter than I could imagine. I don’t… pic.twitter.com/5Lkbz9F2gU
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 9, 2023
Gauff, 19, was ranked No. 6 in the world when she beat No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. This was her first Grand Slam title. Before the game, Gauff was seen kneeling in prayer off-court.
“I don’t pray for results. I just ask that I get the strength to give it my all. Whatever happens happens,” Gauff said. “I’m so blessed in this life.”
The Atlanta native had previously commented on how the competition being hosted in Queens, New York, affected her perspective and made her realize she was in a “privileged position.”
“I think it’s just putting my life into perspective. I mean, at first, I used to think negative things like, ‘Why is it so much pressure, why is this so hard,’ blah blah blah,” Gauff said. “And I realized that this isn’t, like in a way it’s pressure, but it’s not — I mean, there’s people struggling to feed their families. There’s people who don’t know when the next meal is going to come from. There’s people who have to pay their bills. That’s real pressure. That’s real hardship. That’s real life.”
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The tennis champion broke the record for the youngest player to qualify for the main Wimbledon draw since its inception in 1968. She was 15 at the time.
At 17, she qualified for the Tokyo Olympics but had to withdraw when she contracted the coronavirus. At the time, she was the youngest player ranked in the top 100 by the Women’s Tennis Association and held a career-high ranking of world No. 23 in singles tennis.
