Coco Gauff’s speech elevates US Open 2023 final win into pantheon of great sporting moments
Gauff's maiden slam victory as a 19-year-old black American on home soil was already memorable, and then she spoke
September 10, 2023 12:35 pm
Coco Gauff gave a stirring speech after her US Open final win (Photo: Reuters)
FLUSHING MEADOWS — It is easy to get sidetracked when a player inspired by Serena and Venus Williams gets congratulated by the Obamas and then sings a line from Jay-Z’s Empire State of Mind after winning her first grand slam title.
But let’s start with Coco Gauff herself, the new US Open champion. Forget her age and race for a moment, for the individual alone this a remarkable triumph, one that has taken years to reach after a number of setbacks already.
“I was doing it for myself and not for other people,” Gauff said in her press conference, after recovering from a set down to beat the new world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
But, moment over, the reality is that we cannot forget her age or race. Here was a 19-year-old black American lifting a trophy on tennis’ biggest stage, having been tasked with taking the torch from the Williams sisters and having little choice but to handle that pressure.
“Obviously Serena and Venus, words can’t describe what they mean to me. I hope that I’m a continuation of a legacy. I hope another girl can see this and believe they can do it and hopefully their name can be on this trophy too,” she added.
“They’re the reason why I have this trophy today. They have allowed me to believe in this dream growing up. There weren’t too many just black tennis players dominating the sport. It was literally, at that time when I was younger, it was just them that I can remember.
“Obviously more came because of their legacy, but all the things that they had to go through, they made it easier for someone like me to do this. It’s crazy and it’s an honour.”
Gauff then looked at the trophy, noting Serena’s name there besides six years, “She’s won this a lot of times!”.
And of course, Gauff now has the platform to win further majors with the pressure now somewhat alleviated. Already an icon at the age of just 19, silverware takes her into another stratosphere, as does her speech that followed her victory.
For the 28,143 inside Arthur Ashe, her words will go down as much of an “I was there” moment as the points that preceded it, and when you wake up still thinking about a speech, you know it has truly resonated.
Gauff’s did just that, and after asking to take the mic during the ceremony, not only did she convey her humble upbringing, thanking her parents, Corey and Candi, and particularly her dad for taking her to the US Open as a child to watch Venus and Serena – “today was the first time I’ve seen my dad cry… he got caught in 4K” – she then thanked her team, her grandparents, her brothers, and then delivered the soundbite moment of these championships.
“Honestly thank you to the people who didn’t believe in me,” she began. “A month ago I won a (WTA) 500 title and people said I would stop at that. Two weeks ago I won a (WTA) 1000 title and people were saying that was the biggest it was going to get.
“So three weeks later I’m here with this trophy right now. I tried my best to carry this with grace and I’ve been doing my best, so honestly to those who thought they were putting water on my fire, you were really adding gas to it, and now I’m really burning so bright right now.”
‘I’d tell her to keep believing’
Eleven years on from a video of Gauff dancing in the stands of Ashe, she was lifting the US Open trophy on court…
“Man, I don’t even know. That little girl, she had the dream, but I don’t know if she fully believed it. As a kid, you have so many dreams. As you get older sometimes it can fizzle away.
“Honestly, I felt like I lost a little bit of the dream as this journey has gone. I would tell her don’t lose the dream. Keep having fun. As you can see in the video, I loved being on Ashe, whether it was in the crowd or on the court.
“So I would just tell her just keep working hard and keep believing in that dream and don’t let the doubters diminish that.”
Coco Gauff went from being a kid in the stands to a US Open champion.
She then thanked New York, and though the crowd lapped up this recognition, those words before are what will truly stick, the mentality of a champion in the modern age of social media. It is easy to tell athletes to avoid the hate, but it is thrown at them from various directions while they are stuck in the stocks, and now Gauff has admirably shown how to channel it.
“Literally up until like 10 minutes before the match I was just reading comments of people saying I wasn’t going to win today,” she elaborated in her press conference, before noting comments after her first-round exit at Wimbledon earlier this summer.
“I would say for sure after the Wimbledon loss, people were like, ‘Oh, she’s hit her peak and she’s done…. It was all hype.’ I see the comments. People don’t think I see it but I see it. I’m very aware of Tennis Twitter. I know y’all’s [sic] usernames, so I know who’s talking trash and I can’t wait to look on Twitter right now.”
And for Sabalenka, this was a title that slipped with every error, of which there were many. The double faults in the first set were a sign, that familiar foe rearing its ugly head once again, and after Gauff returned ready and refreshed for the second set, the Belarusian was left playing catch-up with a racket seemingly strung with elastic bands.
Forty-six unforced errors, to 25 winners. It was not the level we have come to expect of Sabalenka, but that in itself is praise for her own transformation, having won the Australian Open in January.
Remarkably the first question posed to 25-year-old Sabalenka during the ceremony was about becoming the new world No 1 on Monday, to which she could barely find the words, but once the dust settles on this defeat she will recognise the steps she has taken this year towards – like Gauff – becoming a major champion.
And it all shows women’s tennis is in rude health. A new winner, a new No 1, and when you look at the ages at the top of the rankings, rejoice, as we have got years left of this.
