Coco Gauff Wins French Open 2025
When it happens twice, it’s not an accident. Nearly two years after her breakthrough win at the 2023 U.S. Open, Coco Gauff mounted a dramatic comeback to defeat world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at the French Open, winning her second Grand Slam title 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4.
After two hours and 38 minutes of intense, gritty, and at times messy tennis, Gauff dropped to the clay as one final shot from Sabalenka flew long. Face-first in the red dirt, she covered her mouth in disbelief, looked to her family, and soaked in the moment.
The celebration began with embraces — one for Sabalenka, one for Spike Lee in the front row, and finally a joyful trek into the stands to find her parents and team, the people who had helped her navigate the mental challenges of her post-U.S. Open fame.
This victory wasn’t just athletic. It was a spiritual win for anyone who’s ever doubted themselves, who’s felt stalled or questioned whether early success would be the peak. It was proof that setbacks don’t define you—what you do next does.
In contrast, Sabalenka’s composure crumbled. Frustrated by the windy conditions and her own errors, she blamed the loss not on Gauff’s skill but on her own poor play. Gauff, meanwhile, stayed poised—embracing the moment and her game’s evolution.
That evolution wasn’t easy. Less than a year ago, Gauff was plagued by double faults and forehand errors in a disappointing U.S. Open loss. She left the court determined to change. “I don’t want to lose matches like this anymore,” she had said.
Nine months later, that resolve yielded a second Grand Slam trophy. Gauff admitted during the trophy ceremony that she hadn’t always believed she could pull it off. But she had learned to manifest belief, scribbling affirmations in her hotel room the night before the final.
The transformation took not only talent but rare courage: the courage to be honest with herself, to admit her weaknesses, and to completely revamp her serve and forehand—two of the most fundamental shots in tennis.
She parted ways with Brad Gilbert, the high-profile coach who had helped her win the U.S. Open, and brought in Matt Daly, a relatively unknown figure, to work alongside her longtime coach Jean-Christophe Faurel. The message: embrace radical change.
That meant adjusting how she held her racket after a decade of habit and learning to lean in on her forehand rather than retreat. These changes went beyond mechanics. As a proud Black American athlete, Gauff saw her success as a vehicle for representation and advocacy.
“There’s a lot going on in our country right now,” she said after the match. “I want to be a reflection of hope and light” for people who may feel unseen or unsupported. Tennis, for her, is a platform as much as a profession.
At first, there were no guarantees the changes would work. But she committed. She believed that if she stayed the course, the new serve would steady, and her forehand would become a weapon, not a liability. And it did—just in time.
Saturday’s final wasn’t pretty tennis, but it was gritty and smart. Gauff lost a tight first set, but told herself not to panic. “Losing would not be the end of the world,” she said. That mindset shift allowed her to play freer—and better—in the second and third sets.
She wore Sabalenka down. The more errors Sabalenka made, the stronger Gauff grew. She danced side-to-side on defense, chased down drop shots, and forced the match into a grind. In that environment, she thrives better than anyone.
When it ended, Sabalenka blamed fate. Gauff knew better. She had earned this. Inspired by Serena Williams, she now stood in her idol’s shoes—winning the French Open for the first time in a decade as an American, and doing it her way.
