“Give something to people”: Coco Gauff opens up about playing for than a title in Paris after French Open triumph

Coco Gauff has shared her thought process before taking the court during the French Open. The 21-year-old secured her maiden title triumph at the Roland Garros on Saturday as she defeated Aryna Sabalenka with a score of 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

It was her second Grand Slam victory, and she became the first American women’s player to win the French Open since 2015. The last player to do that was former world number one Serena Williams. Gauff, speaking to the media after the match, shared that one of her main objectives for the day was to win the title and give fans back home, especially Black Americans, a reason to celebrate and smile.

“There is a lot going on in our country right now. I am sure you guys know,” she said. “But just to be able to be a representation of that, I guess for people who look like me in America may be don’t feel as supported. So being a reflection of hope and life for those people. I remember after the election, I kind of felt down period a little bit and things like that. But my mom told me like just try to win the tournament to give something to people to smile for. That’s what I was thinking about today and seeing the flags in the crowd, it means a lot. Some people may think of some of kind of way of being patriotic and things like that but I am definitely patriotic, I am proud to be American, I am proud to represent Americans that look like me and many people who kind of support the things I support.”

Gauff remains one of the most prominent figures from the Black American community. She has remained vocal regarding the community facing hate crimes. According to a report by Voice of America back in 2023, Black Americans were the top target of hate crimes in the country. Gauff also delivered speeches at events supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.