Coco Gauff delivered a brilliant performance at the French Open, claiming the French Open title after besting the Belarusian athlete, Aryna Sabalenka. Her stellar play captured the attention of American royalty Michelle Obama, NBA player LeBron James, and more.
Gauff’s two weeks of hard work paid off with success in the French Open final on June 6. In the three-set match against Sabalenka, the 21-year-old dominated the last two and claimed her second Grand Slam title with a score of 6-7(7), 6-2, 6-4.
Shortly after her remarkable victory, multiple prominent figures, including Michelle Obama, LeBron James, actor Matthew McConaughey, and others, expressed their admiration for her on social media. On X, Obama shared a video of Gauff’s winning moment on the clay court, praising her impressive win. She wrote:
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"Congrats, Your determination, strength, and grace throughout the French Open has inspired us all – and showed us what's possible. Proud of you!"
Following this, Lakers' star James reposted Barack Obama's tweet, filled with kind and appreciative words for the 21-year-old, and added his own note that read:
"I SECOND THAT!!! Congratulations my fellow flag bearer."
Another on the list is Matthew McConaughey, who congratulated Gauff on X, writing:
"@CocoGauff takes the🇫🇷. Congrats on 2nd major and 1st on clay."
American skier Lindsey Vonn also joined in, commenting on Gauff's Instagram post about celebrating her triumph. Vonn expressed her pride in the win, writing:
"SOOOOO PROUD!!!!💪"
Coco Gauff responds to Aryna Sabalenka's 'unfair' remark after the former's French Open win
In the post-match press conference of the French Open, Aryna Sabalenka remarked that had Iga Swiatek reached the Roland Garros finals, she would have defeated Coco Gauff. The Belarusian said:
"That hurts. Especially when you’ve been playing really good tennis all week. If Iga [Swiatek] had beaten me the other day, I think she would have gone gotten the win."
Shortly after the statement, Gauff responded firmly to the World No. 1, calling her analysis about the final unfair while still calling the Belarusian as a tough opponent. Opening up about her disagreement with Sabalenka's remark, the American said:
"I don’t agree with that. I mean, I’m sitting here and last time I played... No shade to Iga or anything, but I played her and I won in straight sets. I don’t think that’s a fair thing to say because anything can really happen."
She added:
"Honestly, the way Aryna was playing the last few weeks, she was the favorite to win. So, I think she was the best person I could’ve played in the final. Her being No. 1 in the world, she was the best person to play."
Coco Gauff also faced Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final but fell short of claiming the title, as the latter secured a 6-3, 7-6(7) victory. She had previously won her first Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open, becoming the first American to lift the trophy after Serena Williams in 2015.
