After her first major victory, nine minutes after her press conference, Coco Gough was asked about her goals in the sport.
She didn’t hesitate, and didn’t even pause to breathe before responding.
“I want to be the best,” she said without any emotion in her voice. “My dad told me I could do this when I was eight. Obviously you wouldn’t believe it. I’m not 100% confident yet. But you just have to say things. You don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Goff, just 15 years old at the time, had just beaten one of his childhood heroes at Venus Williams, a seven-time major champion at Wimbledon centre court. A year removed from her head tool junior title at Frent Open and just months after recording her first victory on the WTA Tour, Gauff received a wild card in Wimbledon’s qualifying draw. For casual fans, she was a virtual unknown, but Tennis Insider was bustling about her for a while.
However, after beating Williams, everyone knew who she was. “Cocomania” was born as dubbed at the time. By the end of her magical four-round run at the All England Club, everyone seemed to believe how amazing she could be.
It wasn’t easy to expect to win every match, as you transition from 15 to a one-night superstar with little pressure. She made steady progress and reached the 2022 French Open Finals, but it will take Goff four years to win her first major title at the US Open in 2023.
She was great, as evidenced by her successive final appearances at the 1000-level clay events leading up to her 2024 WTA Final victory and the French Open, but she still had a way to go to achieve her goals one day.
But she’s been closer in Paris for the last two weeks. No. 2 seed Gauff hit a draw. I only lost one set for the final. She claimed the French open title behind a resilient comeback victory 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 at world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday in 2 hours and 38 minutes. When it was finished, she fell on the clay and laying down with her hands and covering her mouth, becoming apparent mistrust. Tears slid down her face as she waited from her chair for the trophy ceremony.
It is unclear whether Goff, still 21, will do good with her ultimate goal, the noble and overly ambitious goal that is frankly spoken in her childhood, where she places her in an elite company reserved for one other superstar like Serena, Novak, Roger, and Rafa. But with the beginning of her victory at Roland Garros and what feels like her prime, she solidifies her spot as one of the greatest things right now.
“She has so many (major titles) before her,” 18-time slam champion Chris Ebert said on the post-match broadcast. “We saw it at age 15. We saw it when she defeated Venus at Wimbledon. “This girl will win 10, 12, 14 major titles. She has a game.
Gouf’s name has already been mentioned among the greatest people in the sport’s history. Saturday won his 27th match at Roland Garros. He tied her up with Allantoza Sanchez Vicario, the fourth of the women’s open era before his 22nd birthday. Her semi-final victory defeated a tie with Serena Williams by an American woman in the same category, and Gouf chased Ebert, who won seven French open titles.
She also became the first American to win a title with Roland Garros since Serena 10 years ago. And she has won multiple slam titles under 21, joining Serena, Ebert, Venus and Tracy Austin, making her fifth country woman in her open days.
Michelle Obama and Billy Jean King were among those celebrating social media shortly after the victory. Spike Lee, who was present and sat courtside, was the first person she had to hold in a celebration.
However, Goff had no thought about history or her ever-growing fame during Saturday’s game. She also had no thoughts about her previous match with Sabalenka or the 2023 US Open Finals where she defeated her. Gauff vividly remembered that he felt he would lose the 2022 French Open Finals at Court Philippe-Chatrier.
So after losing the first set of an hour and eight minutes in the tiebreak, Gauff knew what she had to do and showed no visible signs of frustration or suffering. She never missed the opportunity again, and managed brilliantly and clinically. Gauff needed just 33 minutes to charge for the second set, dominated with her powerful servings, offensive returns and ferocious speeds. But perhaps the most memorable was her determination and calmness.
If you can dream of it, you can do it ✍️ @cocogauff#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/cgytzastdc
– Tennis Channel (@tennischannel) June 7, 2025
“She’s far more mature than she was 21,” former World No. 1 and 2018 Australian Open Champion Caroline Wozniacki said after the match on the broadcast.
Unable to hide the obvious disappointment after the match, Sabalenka praised Gouf during his on-court speech as “a fighter and hardworking.” For Gauff, it was three years. “When Iga (Swiatek) won, I just remembered the ceremony and I felt like I had put it all into it, paid attention to every detail and wanted the experience for myself,” Gauff said on Saturday. “So when the anthem was played, I vividly remember seeing her. When the Polish anthem was played, it’s pretty emotional. ‘Wow, this is a very cool moment.’ So when the anthem was played today, I had those reflections. ”
Gouf’s emotional maturation and battle were exhibited throughout the clay season, where she defeated multiple major champions and top 10 stars including Iga Swietek, Emma Radukanu, Zheng Qinwen, Mirra Andreeva (twice) and a run at Roland Garos. She needed three sets against fellow American Madison Keys, Australia’s Open Champion, after losing the opener in a tiebreak.
In the semi-finals, she had to compete against Lois Boisson, the surprising French breakout star, and the entire stadium that has taken root against her. She allowed Boisson to defeat Paris’ third seed Jessica Pegra and No. 6 Andreva to just three games in a total.
“She was really solid and couldn’t play her game today,” Boisson said Thursday.
While Gauff remains in second place and is 3,470 points behind Sabalenka, she has the opportunity to narrow down that deficit throughout the summer – starting with the upcoming herbivore season. She is scheduled to play in Berlin next time. Berlin will be held next week, but it was unclear whether she will remain in a draw on Saturday. While Golf has never made any progress past the fourth round at Wimbledon, she matches her debut runs in 2021 and 2024, but is trying to build on her momentum at the All England Club this year.
From there, she transforms her eyesight into the Hardcoat Summer Series and the US Open. But she has proven she can handle pressure and expectations, and has the game and attitude to handle it all. I asked immediately after posing for the trophy in front of hundreds of photographers, the 2017 US Open champion.
“Hopefully something else,” Gouf said. “Yeah, it’s definitely something else. But for now, I’m happy to have just enjoyed this and have won another title on my resume.”
Now, leaving her head in the world of tennis to rule out almost six years from her auspicious introduction, Gauff has the same vibrancy of confidence, self-confidence and joy as she did back then. She remains equally committed to her desire to be great, if not more, but time has given her something perhaps even more valuable and important to achieve it: perspective.
When asked on Thursday, she didn’t hesitate again after she managed to advance to the end how she had somehow made it to the magnitude of the situation.
“I think you just understand how tiny it is,” Gouf said. “Like everyone is dealing with much bigger things in life than losing a Final… I’m sure there are hundreds of players who will kill to win or lose a Final, so just knowing that makes me realize how lucky and privileged I am in this position.
“In the beginning, I thought that if I lost it, it would be the end of the world. And, as you know, the sun rose the next day as well. So, regardless of the outcome, I know that the sun will still rise.”
