Coco Gauff tells Serena and Venus Williams after US Open: ‘None of this would be possible without you’

After huge win at US Open, young American Coco Gauff pays tribute to Serena and Venus Williams who paved the way for tennis players like her to win first Grand Slam title the way.

Gauff, 19, who herself has been a fan of the Williams sisters since she was a child, beat Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in Saturday’s final amid a joyful atmosphere at New York’s Center Court. influence on dominance.

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With the win, Gauff will join other black tennis players who have won Grand Slams, such as the Williams sisters, Althea Gibson and Sloane Stephens.

“Honestly, they’re the reason I got this trophy today,” Goff said of the Williams team at a press conference.

“They made me believe in this dream while growing up. Without them, this would not have been possible,” he recalled.

“There weren’t many black tennis players dominating the sport. As far as I can remember, when I was young, it was just them.”

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“Obviously, more is due to his legacy. It makes the dream more believable. But all the things they had to go through make it easier for someone like me to do it,” he stressed.

Gauff cited as an example the Williams sisters’ refusal to play in the prestigious Indian Wells (Calif.) tournament for 14 consecutive years due to racist insults, and Venus’ pressure to demand equal pay for women at major tournaments.

“There are no words to describe how much they mean to me. I hope to be a continuation of the legacy. I hope another girl can see this and believe she can do it, and I hope her name can be on this trophy.” she emphasized.

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While victory was still being celebrated at Flushing Meadows, a video of Goff dancing in the track’s stands as a child went viral.

When asked what message he would send to the girl, he replied: “I would tell her not to lose that dream.”

“The girl had this dream, but I don’t know if she believed it,” he explained. “As a kid, you have a lot of dreams. As you get older, sometimes they fade away… I would tell him not to lose sleep. Keep having fun”.

In this sense, the American recalls the pain of last year’s humiliating defeat to Iga Swiatek in his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros.

“I saw Iga lifting the trophy and I kept looking at her. I told myself: ‘I won’t take my eyes off her because I want to feel what she feels. “I feel crazy lifting this trophy today. I haven’t absorbed it yet and I think maybe in a week or so I will,” he explained.

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