Coco Gauff revealed the trophy she won at the French Open couldn’t come home with her. Rather, she brought a small replica of the laurel to add to her wall of memories after she defeated Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in the finals of the Roland Garros.
Coco Gauff faced heartbreak at the 2022 French Open, failing to record a title-winning feat as she lost to Iga Swiatek. The following year, she won the US Open title and has been vying for her second major title since then. At the 2025 French Open, despite harsh wind conditions that posed difficulty for both players, Gauff’s resilience shone through as she won the title 7(7)-6(5), 2-6, 4-6.
The American No. 2 fell to the ground, sobbing happy tears as she lifted the trophy in front of a crowd cheering her on. As many would assume, the winners get to keep the souvenir, but Gauff spilled the beans and revealed that the tournament keeps the original and hands the players a small replica to carry home. (via TikTok)
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She also shared a reference photo of the final moment to show the difference in size between the trophies.
"I just won a French Open for Rolland Garros, and this is the trophy that you guys see, the one that we take pictures with, do press, and all that. But actually, we don't get to take this home. This stays with the tournament, and I'm going to show you guys the one we take home. It's a lot smaller. So this is the one we take home. It's a mini replica of the trophy. And yeah, I guess to compare it, it's really small... But, you know, it's the memories that matter the most. It is very pretty, and it is like a miniature version of the real trophy."
Coco Gauff last faced Sabalenka at the Mutua Madrid Open, where she lost to the Belarusian.
Coco Gauff made her feelings known about representing her nation amid a tense situation after Donald Trump's Presidential win
Coco Gauff has been basking in the glory of her French Open success for more than one reason. Besides adding a personal achievement to her repertoire, she felt proud to be a beacon of hope for people like her who faced significant low times after Donald Trump became President of the US.
"Obviously there’s a lot going on in our country right now with things … like, everything, yeah. I’m sure you guys know. But just to be able to be a representation of that and a representation of, I guess, people that look like me in America who maybe don’t feel as supported during this time period … just being that reflection of hope and light for those people," the 21-year-old said in a post-race press conference.
Gauff has won ten career singles and nine doubles titles in her career. She was the youngest athlete to be the female flag-bearer of the US at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
