When Coco Gauff left her on-court struggles in 2025 behind and clinched the French Open title, it seemed like a new beginning for the World No.2 this season. She finally made her clay slam dream come true. She bested world no.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the summit clash at the Court Philippe-Chatrier. But the tables turned soon for the 21-year-old American star. To everyone’s shock, Gauff was ousted in the first round at Wimbledon earlier this month. It was a huge setback, especially considering the milestone she had just accomplished in Paris. But guess what? She’s still destined for glory despite roadblocks in her journey, according to a renowned tennis bigwig.

For the uninitiated, Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska edged out Gauff in straight sets at the All England Club with a scoreline of 7-6(3), 6-1. After the loss, the American had no words to rationalize what had happened on the court. “I definitely was struggling in the locker room. I don’t like losing. I just feel a little bit disappointed in how I showed up today.” While Gauff was upset with how she played at the grass major, it seems all is not lost just yet. In fact, she’s only getting started on her path to ‘greatness’.

In an episode of the Tennis Podcast, host Xavier Muhlebach couldn’t resist himself from admiring Gauff‘s run in the 2025 season. While she has won one slam but failed to shine at Wimbledon, he still believes she’s not going anywhere. And that fans will keep seeing more of her. “I am really thrilled to see Coco kind of still champing at the bit there. Like with her French Open win, that was incredible. You know, upset in Wimbledon. I think she’s gonna be around and will be one of the greats.”

And guess what? Despite her underwhelming run in London, Gauff has managed to earn a huge honor this month. In fact, she’s replicated her success from last year when it comes to receiving a prestigious award.

On a fun note, though, Gauff herself wasn’t aware of her achievement until she got to know the update. But what’s this title the American WTA star has received this week? Well, it’s a familiar one, to say the least.

Coco Gauff becomes ESPYs Best Tennis Player of 2025

Yes, that’s right. The 2024 WTA Finals champion was recently awarded the title of Best Tennis Player at the ESPY Awards show by ESPN. The event took place inside the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. It saw the world no.2 bagging the top honor. Her archrival Aryna Sabalenka was also a nominee in the same category. But it was Gauff who got the most votes.

Seems like the French Open triumph did play a key role in pushing Gauff’s name ahead of everyone else. Yes, the overall season has been quite underwhelming for her, but winning a slam is no small feat. For the uninitiated, she won the Best Tennis Player award last year too. Reacting to the milestone, she wrote on X, “apparently I won an espy. thank you. I am super grateful! I wish I could’ve attended! thank you to every one who voted.” 

Her reaction to receiving the honor 2 years in a row? Well, she didn’t even know that she had won the ESPY trophy. After the news went viral, Gauff literally woke up to it. On Thursday, she took to her X account in disbelief. “woke up to finding out I won another espy!! ahhhh thank youuuu❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️”, she wrote. Undoubtedly, this newly received achievement will boost her confidence ahead of the US Open, the last slam of the season.

After failing to carry the French Open form onto grass, Gauff will look to make a comeback on the American hard court. Being a former US Open winner should be a major morale boost for her spirits. Last year she failed to defend her 2023 title after a fourth round exit. Do you think the world no.2 can bag a second trophy in New York? Let us know in the comments below.