French Open: Coco Gauff hopes to avoid 2022 mistake in Saturday’s women’s final
Tennis star Coco Gauff has revealed that she ‘wrote herself off’ before taking to the court for the 2022 French Open final, something that she hopes to avoid against Aryna Sabalenka.
The American entered her third Grand Slam final after defeating Lois Boisson 6-1, 6-2.
Gauff had previously made the final of the Parisian event 2022, but was dominated by eventual champion Iga Swiatek.
This time, the 2023 US Open champion will face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, with the Belarusian seeking to win her third Grand Slam in a row.
“My first final here [in 2022], I was super nervous, and I kind of wrote myself off before the match even happened,” admitted the American.
“Here, I have a lot more confidence just from playing a Grand Slam final before and doing well in one. Yeah, I think going into Saturday, I’ll just give it my best shot and try to be as calm and relaxed as possible.
“Yeah, whatever happens, happens, and knowing that I put the best effort forward.”
The head-to-head between Gauff and Sabalenka stands at 5-5, with the latter winning three of their last four meetings.
Their most recent encounter was in the final of the WTA 1000 event in Madrid, where Sabalenka was victorious 7-6(3), 6-3.
Whilst that particular rivalry is very competitive, Gauff had never beaten Swiatek heading into their French Open final, undoubtedly contributing to the poor mindset.
“I think just realising how minuscule it is,” responded the world No. 2, after being asked what her mindset will be for the 2025 final.
“Like, everybody is dealing with way bigger things in life than losing a final. And also realising that — well, I don’t know how big the draw is, but many players wanted to be in this position.
“I’m sure there are hundreds of players that would kill to win or lose a final, so just knowing that, it makes me realise how lucky and privileged I am to be in this position. At first, I thought it would be the end of the world if I lost, and you know, the sun still rose the next day.
“So knowing, regardless of the result, the sun will still rise.
“Especially being in a city like Paris, I was walking around the next day, and no one knew that I had lost, and no one cared. No one knows — some people know who I am, but you know, not a lot and not everyone.
“Just realising that how big the moment seems in our lives is not as big in the grand scheme of things.”
Gauff is now the fourth American woman to reach multiple singles finals at the French Open in the Open Era, joining Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, and – most recently – Serena Williams.
