Coco Gauff, a name that now echoes powerfully across the courts of Paris, has mastered the art of flipping the script and rewriting her destiny on tennis’s grandest stages. Criticized for back-to-back losses after the AO, recently, she silenced her doubters with a fearless clay-court campaign that lit up her path to yet another final in the heart of the French capital. She’s not just playing; she’s owning her narrative, making her rivals feel the weight of her presence at court. But with greatness comes gravity. She broke Serena’s record at the US Open two years ago, and the expectations have only grown since then. 

Once seen as her weakest surface, the red clay no longer intimidates her. Back-to-back finals in Madrid and Rome, along with lifting the 2024 WTA Finals trophy last year, have redefined her confidence. But not too long ago, that wasn’t the case. “When I went on the scene at 15, I felt like I had to win a Slam as a teenager because that’s what everybody thought,” Gauff admitted last year.

That same pressure haunted her during her first French Open final appearance against Iga Swiatek, a moment that’s still fresh in her mind. Looking back, the desire to win overwhelmed her game. “I was very anxious, not wanting to disappoint people. I think I put too much pressure on myself not swinging through on any of those shots. It was a heartbreaking match. It felt like seeing your dreams kind of snatched away,” she said.

And as Coco Gauff now prepares to walk into the cauldron of ‘Court Philippe-Chatrier’ for the French Open final, her coach Jean-Christophe Faurel offered a timely reminder of the reality behind the spotlight. “Coco is still a very young player,” he began, speaking before the showdown today. “She’s been around so long that people sometimes think she’s 35. But she’s barely 21. There’s still so much to develop – in her game, in how she manages matches. We’re working on a lot of areas, but when you focus on a specific aspect, you sometimes let others slip, and that can cause a bit of confusion.” Despite the hype, his words honestly revealed the challenges a young prodigy faces while maturing under immense pressure.

Faurel didn’t shy away from acknowledging the bumps in their path as well. “She’s not a machine,” he added, grounding the narrative in brutal honesty. “It’s also partly our fault – there were moments when we probably didn’t do the right things. She lost her way a bit. We had a lot of discussions after the Miami Masters. We laid a lot of things out in the open regarding her style of play, some small details that lacked clarity.” It was a critical turning point: an emotional recalibration as much as a tactical one.

But now, momentum is shifting to her side. “Now everything is clear in her mind, and that’s why she’s winning a lot of matches,” Faurel said. Yet he was quick to point out that none of them had come easily. In both Madrid and Rome, Gauff had to claw her way back from first-set losses in her openers, matches she could’ve lost, reigniting doubts. “But none of them are easy. In Madrid and Rome, she lost the first set in her opening match. She could have gone out early and people would have said again, ‘Coco can’t win a match’,” he added later. 

But she didn’t. Coco fought, she rose, and now she stands just one match from clay-court glory!

And tonight, under the Parisian sky, with the pressure of an entire nation riding on her young shoulders, Coco Gauff won’t just be chasing a title; she’ll be chasing clarity, control, and the right to write her name into legend in red clay.

Coco Gauff is hoping to win the French Open this time after the 2022 heartbreak

Rewind to that electric summer of 2019: Wimbledon, Court 1, and a 15-year-old American prodigy, Coco Gauff, took down her idol, Venus Williams, in a seismic upset that signaled ‌a new era in women’s tennis. Since that day, the 2nd seed hasn’t just been chasing history, she’s been making it. A US Open champion and now a 3-time GS finalist by just 21, Coco’s rise has been relentless. And this Saturday, she’ll return to the same Parisian battleground where she tasted the pain of her 1st major final defeat.

That heartbreak came in 2022 at the hands of the ‘Queen of Dirt’ Iga Swiatek, whose clay-court mastery overwhelmed Gauff 6-1, 6-3. But the American didn’t collapse: she evolved. She grew stronger, more reflective, more battle-hardened. 

“I think just realising how minuscule it is,” Gauff said after reaching the final this time. “Like everybody is dealing with way bigger things in life than losing a final.” There’s wisdom in her voice, earned, not inherited! “I’m sure there are hundreds of players that would kill to win or lose a final, so just knowing that, making 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, the sun still rose the next day. So knowing, regardless of the result, the sun will still rise.”

Now, she returns with unfinished business. This time, it’s Aryna Sabalenka across the net, a rival with whom Gauff shares a razor-thin 5-5 record. Their last battle went to the top seed, who edged her in Madrid, 6-3, 7-6(3). But Paris isn’t Madrid. And this version of Coco has fire in her eyes and resolve in her soul, isn’t it?

So the dance floor is set on Roland Garros clay. Will Coco lead the last dance this time?