A journey from heartbreak to happiness, that was Coco Gauff’s French Open. Back in 2022, the young Gauff reached her first Roland Garros final. But her opponent, Iga Swiatek, proved tougher and defeated the American in a brutal three-set battle. This year? Coco finally got her win, becoming the first U.S. player to win the title since Serena Williams in 2015. Her victory was hard fought, leaving Aryna Sabalenka shattered. But what truly pushed her to win? Patrick Mouratoglou has an answer.

Nearly a week after lifting the trophy at Court Philippe-Chatrier, praise for Coco’s triumph still echoes through the tennis world. Patrick Mouratoglou, Naomi Osaka’s coach and Serena Williams’ former mentor, shared his thoughts on the match.

On his Instagram Friday, he said, “You don’t win a final of a grand slam with your technique. You win it with your mind and your heart.” Pointing to his head and chest, he added, “Here, Coco was superior. I think it was both Sabalenka losing the final and Coco winning it.” The 55-year-old also shared his thoughts on Sabalenka’s controversial comments after the game. “I think she won the match not because she played incredible, just because I made all of those mistakes,” the Belarusian had said, adding that Iga Swiatek would have defeated Coco Gauff had she qualified. And while she also admitted that she was “overemotional”, Mouratoglou thought her comments did little to acknowledge the “mental” side of things.

“But what is interesting when she makes those comments: ‘I gave her the final,’ ‘If it was Iga in finals, she would have won.’ It means that she’s trying to deny the mental aspect of the game. Coco’s greatest achievement during that match is: she stayed composed from the first point to the last one, she didn’t show anything.”

Bold, right? But why is Mouratoglou so sure? He’s been a tennis coach for over 20 years, starting professionally in 1999. He guided Serena Williams to 10 Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal over their decade-long working relationship, helping her regain World No. 1. He became a part of Coco Gauff’s tennis journey pretty early on, too, when she joined the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy as a 10-year-old.

He noted, “She stayed focused. She was ready to fight whenever there was one little opening. It’s a Grand Slam final. So there is a big emotional part. For everyone. Being able to deal with your emotions is part of what makes you victorious or not.” Facing Sabalenka and challenging windy conditions, Gauff battled back from a set down. Her unwavering belief starkly contrasted with her emotional defeat the previous year.

She, in fact, manifested winning the title. Taking a cue from Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas, Coco repeatedly wrote the words “I will win French Open 2025” on a piece of paper. On the court, the American turned up the heat at the right moment. Mouratoglou said, “At some point, Aryna didn’t want to miss anymore. She started to slow down. And when she slowed down, Coco stepped in and Boom started to attack her. So Coco gave her zero option.”

After a tight first-set loss, Coco Gauff seized control with exceptional consistency. Her relentless defense forced Aryna Sabalenka into 70 unforced errors, compared to Gauff’s mere 30. This huge error gap helped the American dominate the second set 6-2 and close out the match 6-4.  The World No. 2 walked into the match with a vision, especially fueled by her previous loss in the 2022 final.

Coco Gauff reveals how her 2022 defeat pushed her to win this time

On June 13, Coco Gauff opened up on the Marie Claire podcast Nice Talk about her tough experience at Roland Garros. She admitted, “Honestly, after that 2022 final, I had no idea how to access these tools. I didn’t know how to center myself. I didn’t know how to meditate. I didn’t know how to look at the positive side of things. So I really sat in that disappointment for months, maybe up to even up to a year.”

In the 2022 final, Polish star Iga Swiatek dominated the match. She stormed to a 6-1, 6-3 victory in just 68 minutes. This win matched Venus Williams’ record for the longest winning streak by a woman in the 21st century. The result left Gauff completely shattered.

The pain of that loss faded with time, but Coco Gauff knew she couldn’t stay stuck in negativity. She understood that if she wanted to chase her dreams, she had to move forward. Her French Open title came three years after that runner-up finish in 2022. Since then, she trained hard and won the 2023 US Open. Most importantly, she worked on her mindset.

She made changes to become more focused and happier on the court. “I can’t be my biggest opponent first,” Coco said. “I already have one opponent. I don’t need two. I realized that I have to look at the positives and control my own narrative and not let the narrative control me.” Those are powerful words from the American star, showing how much her mental game has evolved.

Now, as Coco Gauff prepares for Wimbledon, where she’s struggled to get past the fourth round in her three appearances, fans are buzzing. Will this newfound confidence push her further on the grass? Let us hear your thoughts below!