Coco Gauff talked about her prayer after her historic triumph at the 2023 US Open, after beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
Gauff was always destined to be a Grand Slam champion, but it took her a while to finally get there, despite still winning as a teenager. Gauff played her maiden Grand Slam final at 18 against Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros last year, and a bit over a year later, she got her first major trophy.
It came on home soil, in New York at the US Open, making the moment even better by having family and friends there with her. Cameras spotted Gauff getting on her knees and praying after her triumph, and she spoke about that during an appearance on TODAY.
I was just saying thank you, and I understood all the tough times were just to make that moment even sweeter. I think if it came easy, I wouldn't feel as appreciative as I did in that moment, clearly.
Gauff didn't endure too much heartbreak in her career because she won plenty of matches. There was a clear lack of trophies, though, something she started rectifying leading up to the US Open.
She won Washington, then Cincinnati, and then the US Open, with all of them becoming the biggest trophy she won when it happened. During the same TV appearance, Gauff spoke about coming up short in the past and how all of that felt.
Obviously when you're losing, you're like, 'Why is it happening now?' But I was like, 'It couldn't have been any more perfect than this moment,' and doing it in the U.S., in New York City, is just incredible.
The 19-year-old also rose to third place on the WTA Tour, ensuring that she'll get an even more comfortable draw in the coming events, giving her more chances at going deep and winning another title.