At only 18 years old, the American Cori Gauff finds herself in the final of Roland Garros. A precocity which is not surprising as the young player already surprised the world of tennis in 2019.
It is with a big smile that Coco Gauff posted her arrival in Paris on Instagram for the Roland Garros tournament. In front of the Eiffel Tower, she poses with her family with her baccalaureate diploma in hand. If the young American is already a high-level tennis player, she has not sacrificed her studies. At 18, she has just qualified for a first final at Roland Garros. If she wins her match, she will be seventh in the world rankings on Monday. During her fortnight at Porte d’Auteuil, she brought out big names like the Belgian Elise Mertens or her compatriot Sloane Stephens. But she will not be the favorite this Saturday. Faced with the Polish Iga Swiatek, she will have to take up the most complicated challenge in women’s tennis. The Polish player is number one in the WTA rankings, she has not lost any of her last 34 matches and has already won the tournament in Paris in 2020. But Coco Gauff is far from admitting defeat. If she admitted to having sometimes put pressure on herself, in particular because of certain commentators who saw her as the heiress of Serena Williams, she now claims to approach sporting challenges differently.
As a teenager, Coco Gauff spotted
Coming from a family of athletes, Coco Gauff has always been supported by those close to her, including her father, who detected her potential at the age of 8. But some comparisons were sometimes difficult to bear. “When I was young, people said I was going to be the next Serena, the next this, the next that, and I think I really fell into the trap of believing that. And, yes, it’s important to have high hopes for yourself, but also, at the same time, it’s important to be in reality and I think that’s where I am.” she explains.
When she arrived in Europe at the age of 10, she was welcomed by Patrick Moratoglou, the coach of Serena Williams who runs an academy on the French Riviera. According to him, her abilities to become a champion were already visible. “She had fantastic athletic qualities and a great spirit, extremely strong in matches. Some players know how to win matches better than others, and she has that. She’s a huge competitor,” he said.
After this collaboration, everything is linked quickly: finalist of the US Open junior in 2017, victory the year after at Roland Garros junior. She joined the big leagues in 2019 by winning a prestigious match at Wimbledon against her idol Venus Williams. Three months later, she won her first tournament in Austria against local player Jelena Ostapenko.
The player will not stop there for her exploits. Before the health crisis that brought the tennis world to a halt, she released defending champion Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open in January 2020. The following year, she would win her second tournament in Parma in Italy, her first title on clay, then will reach the final of the US Open in doubles with her compatriot Catherine McNally.
His final at Roland Garros in the 2022 edition is a consecration. “I am really very happy, that means a lot. My results this year were not exceptional before arriving at Roland-Garros. So to be honest, I didn’t expect to reach the final at all. It’s really a surprise,” she declared at a press conference after her victory in the semi-final against the Italian Martina Trevisan. Already in the quarter-finals here last year, she admits not having “enjoyed the moment” because of the pressure put on her shoulders. With her position as a challenger before this final, she dictated the way forward. “It’s up to me to be aggressive at the right times and to know how to be patient. When I step onto the court I will be liberated, determined to play my best tennis. Either way, lifting the trophy wouldn’t change my life. It might sound a bit negative to think that but I really mean it. My loved ones will always love me the same way. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if I can’t do it, ”she relativized. A busy weekend for Cori Gauff who will play the singles final on Saturday but also the doubles final on Sunday alongside Jessica Pegula.