Coco Gauff revealed watching Iga Swiatek lift the 2022 French Open trophy was something she used for motivation to become a Grand Slam champion. In the 2022 French Open final, Swiatek dismantled Gauff 6-1 6-3. 15 months later, 19-year-old Gauff became a Grand Slam champion after handing Aryna Sabalenka a 2-6 6-3 6-2 loss in the US Open final.
“Honestly, you know, the French Open moment, I don’t know if they caught it on camera but I watched Iga lift that trophy, and I watched her the whole time. I said, I’m not going to take my eyes off her, because I want to feel what that felt like for her,” Gauff said.
For Gauff, it was an outstanding summer on hard courts. After winning Washington and Cincinnati, Gauff also made it all the way at the US Open. The only tournament on hard this summer where Gauff didn’t win the title was Montreal, where she was beaten by Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinal.
Overall, Gauff concluded her North American hard court swing with an 18-1 record. Following her US Open win, Gauff also reached a career-high ranking of No 3 in the world.
