When Coco Gauff arrived in London at the beginning of the summer to start her run at Wimbledon, she was a tournament favorite and expecting a deep run.
What she got was an opening round exit at the hands of a fellow American.
That loss would start a mission for Gauff to improve her game and find a Grand Slam victory. After the quick exit, she hired a new coach and committed to making changes to her game in order to reach the top of the women’s standings.
Now, after an outstanding summer and a statement in New York, Gauff has won her first major title at the U.S. Open. In turn, she has become the new face of women’s and American tennis.
For two decades Serena Williams reigned as the staple of women’s tennis. Post-retirement, no single player had truly ascended to the height of being the face of the game.
Gauff made her case very clear during the last two months.
Both the build up and the actual victory have been a truly amazing journey to watch. From the moment she took the court in Washington D.C. back in early August, there has been a special buzz around Gauff.
She breezed through the D.C. Open, winning every set played and not even being tested. Gauff made a push to the quarterfinals in Montreal before capping the pre-U.S. Open stretch with a title in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The semifinal victory in Cincinnati over world number one Iga Swiatek was the moment most tennis fans realized Gauff was about to do something special.
Heading into that matchup, Gauff had lost seven-straight to Swiatek. And to be clear, it wasn’t like she had lost seven competitive matches. She had barely scratched the surface of even taking a set.
So, when she heard her name being called the winner of a match against an opponent who had dominated her, everything started to feel different for Gauff.
She was playing cleaner, striking the ball much better and was more composed in high-stakes moments. These qualities were much of what won her the U.S. Open.
The momentum built during the weeks leading up to the stage in New York was carried on. Despite being pushed here and there, Gauff was mostly consistent and commanding during the opening rounds.
Gauff took down every opponent she faced tactically and efficiently, moving herself into just the second Grand Slam final of her young career. Then, of course, the U.S. Open final. It was a moment she had been working toward since she walked off the court defeated in her first Grand Slam final a year and a half prior.
For any fan of Gauff, watching the final against Aryna Sabalenka was an emotional rollercoaster. She was down a set quickly and found herself playing from behind for the first time since the third round.
Now, the Gauff from two years ago would’ve panicked and likely spiraled out of control into her defeat. But this new and improved version, the one who will be at the forefront of women’s tennis for a while, didn’t.
She masterfully spent the next 86 minutes turning the most important match of her life around. When it finally concluded, the emotions came pouring out. We’ve seen recent first-time slam winners, but this was different.
It seemed like a life-long goal had finally been accomplished and a thousand-pound weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She finally proved all of her doubters wrong.
With the win of a lifetime, she inherits a level of fame and pressure not experienced by many. She has become who young players look up to. What tennis players aspire to be. Gauff now has the attention of the world.
Gauff is no longer walking in the shadows of the Williams sisters. She has broken through and is creating her own image as the face of tennis.
Andrew Bowlby is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to share your thoughts about the column? Let Andrew know by tweeting him @andrew_bowlby.
