“ I don’t know how real this championship is ,” Coco Gauff said, smiling down at the shiny silver US Open championship trophy in front of her. “ I hope when I wake up tomorrow, it still feels real .” Perhaps no one understands the meaning of these words better than Coco Gauff herself. Because despite being called the “prodigy” of American tennis, the 19-year-old girl had a strange journey to become the first Grand Slam champion in her homeland.
It is certainly not an exaggeration to say that Coco Gauff is now the symbol of the “American dream”. To pursue her passion for tennis, she used to spend every last penny. She didn’t even have any money left, so she had to starve before the final of a youth selection tournament that was career-deciding. It was a match that only if she won, Coco Gauff would receive financial support to pursue her dream. The rest is now history.
However, Coco Gauff’s “American dream” did not stop there. At Wimbledon at the end of June this year, the 19-year-old girl seemed to end her competition season early when she lost to senior Sofia Kenin in the first round of the women’s singles. That failure was so shocking that Coco Gauff felt disoriented and no longer believed in the future. Corey’s father also lost his way, proactively giving his daughter’s coaching position a seat to Brad Gilbert.
However, just like when she was exhausted from hunger and about to faint before the final match when she limped into the tennis industry, Coco Gauff did not give up and rose up strongly. In early August, she won her first WTA 500 tournament in Washington, DC. Three weeks ago, she won her first WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati. And when she defeated Karolina Muchova this weekend, she entered the Grand Slam final for the second time in her career.
But when the final match passed about an hour, it seemed like Coco Gauff’s summer of 2023 had to end early. Because Aryna Sabalenka played the first set true to the image of world No. 1. The Belarusian senior looked like Lionel Messi staring at the penalty spot, while Coco Gauff looked like a poor goalkeeper who was confused and didn’t know which direction to throw her body in. But after the American “prodigy” saved 2 break points in the first game of set 2, the situation dramatically reversed.
Coco Gauff’s “American Dream” came true in such a strange way. Equally important, the 19-year-old tennis player can cry with happiness, but does not let glory overshadow his reason. She has no regrets when asked about previous failures and doesn’t view falls as missed opportunities. “ I wouldn’t say they were ‘missed opportunities’, because tennis is a learning process ”, declared Coco Gauff. “ Maybe those mistakes are the mistakes I need to make to help myself improve .”
