There is something historical, poetic and romantic in each coronation. That of Coco Gauff at the United States Open was no exception.
When she planted her last winning backhand in the back of the court, Gauff fell backwards. In tears, this 19-year-old had just become a champion. Although in the eyes of her fellow Americans, she has become more of a queen.
Immediately after beating Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday, she rushed to the stands at New York’s Arthur Ashe Stadium to hug her family .
As she passed, she greeted each supporter and touched each of the hands not holding a cell phone. Like a sovereign parading before her subjects.
Gauff went from a kid dreaming of emulating Serena and Venus Williams to a unanimous and revered champion.
After all, the United States was looking for a new idol. Since Serena’s decline, American tennis has been in trouble. Gauff became only the second local player not named Williams to win the New York major in 25 years.
And it’s become clear over the past few months: she’s ready to take the mantle.
The native of Delray Beach, Florida, still rubbed shoulders with Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian will take world No. 1 on Monday and was arguably the best player on the planet in 2023. With the Australian Open title and semi-finals at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon, the 25, arrived on center court with confidence. And with good reason.
The first set was completely to the advantage of the Belarusian, even if she had some rubbish in her game. Her forehand was irregular and her first service balls broke her rhythm. But like the great champion that she is, she camouflaged her errors with good tactical plans.
Gauff is weak on the forehand, and she is the first to admit it. Sabalenka machine-gunned her opponent on the forehand and it paid off.
Gauff was still coming back from two triumphs in three weeks. In Washington and Cincinnati. His new association with his coach Brad Gilbert has paid off recently.
“Honestly, thank you to everyone who never believed in me. A month ago I won a 500 tournament and people were saying it was going to end there. Two weeks ago I won a Masters 1000 and people were saying it was the biggest prize I was going to get. And three weeks later, I’m here with this trophy. […] So whoever was thinking of putting water on my fire, you added gasoline instead and this fire is burning so hot right now! », Launched the champion at the end of the meeting.
And if during this final the water was his impotence in the forehand, his gas was the faults committed by Sabalenka.
To win, the American used the oldest recipe in the world: let her opponent make mistakes.
This is the key to tennis, for professionals or beginners in a neighborhood park. If an opponent rushes, you have to let him.
Because Gauff had difficulty matching Sabalenka’s power, she offered her more arched, less forceful and more rounded balls starting in the middle of the second set. This strategy slowed down the pace and the Belarusian felt trapped and disoriented. Gauff had just suffocated him by withdrawing his oxygen, little by little.
On every important point, especially in a break situation, Sabalenka missed with regularity on the forehand.
On the other hand, she was never able to change her game plan. She continued to aim for Gauff’s forehand to reverse the cross play afterwards. But like the champion she has become, the American has been able to adapt.
“I knew that if I gave everything I had, I could win,” she recalled.
After all, the biggest players know that the start of the match doesn’t matter. Rather, it’s how you finish it that counts.
And Gauff concluded this one in tears. Kneeling in the center of a stadium that has become her kingdom. Like a self-proclaimed queen for whom everyone rejoices in her accession to the throne.
“When you have gone through turbulence and moments of doubt, this kind of moment is more saving than I could have imagined,” recalled the Roland-Garros finalist in 2022.
In all this intoxication, Sabalenka was drowning in her tears. On the podium, during the trophy presentation, she was unable to string two sentences together without being overcome by grief.
If she cried, it was not because she had just lost, but certainly because she knew that she should have won this final, and spoken second during this presentation.
“I know my family stayed up very late to watch me. I’m sorry for this result, “she said after long seconds away from the microphone, trying so hard to hold back her sobs.
Sabalenka has transformed over the past year. The player she was just a year ago would never have overcome an 0-6, 3-5 semifinal deficit to Madison Keys.
However, drive out the natural and it comes back at a gallop. Sabalenka’s worst enemy is herself. When she sees a little darkness, everything goes out. A trend that she managed to avoid in major tournaments this season. The proof is that it is now at the top of the rankings.
“I think I learned to manage my emotions and refocus on myself. I think that’s the thing I’m most proud of this year. »
With 46 unforced errors and 51% of games won on first serve, it’s impossible to win a major tournament final. The bigger the moment, the more Sabalenka got tangled in her brushes. Evil tongues will say that Sabalenka lost this match more than Gauff won it.
And somewhere, maybe that’s true. But there are no small triumphs. There are only great moments. And Coco Gauff will have to expect to experience many more.
