Coco Gauff keeps her goals grounded, but her legacy is rising fast.
“I want to be remembered,” Coco Gauff told Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim on ESPN’s First Take, just days after capturing her second Grand Slam title at the 2025 French Open. Asked whether she’s chasing all-time greatness or sticking to a match-by-match mindset, the 21-year-old didn’t flinch. Gauff made it clear that every win brings her closer to her ultimate goal, reaching “that level of greatness.”
The 21-year-old American dug deep and rallied from a set down to outlast Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 in a gritty, high-stakes final, crowning herself the 2025 Roland Garros champion. With the win, Gauff became the first American woman since Serena Williams in 2015 to lift the prestigious Suzanne-Lenglen Cup.
On ESPN’s First Take, Gauff said, “I think it’s a year-by-year, match-by-match basis.” She added, “Obviously, I started on tour wanting to be the best. So I definitely want to reach that level of greatness. I want to be remembered.”
Having won the 2023 US Open and now the 2025 Roland Garros title, Gauff emphasized she still sees room for growth. She pointed to issues in her double faults, forehand, and footwork and said winning in spite of those shows her how far she can still go. “If I continue to put in the work, I can reach that status,” she added.
Gauff’s exact words were, “I think it’s a year-by-year, match-by-match basis. Obviously, I started on tour wanting to be the best. So I definitely want to reach that level of greatness. I want to be remembered. I think every win, I think, cements me more as that.
As far as, like, level-wise, I think I have so much that I can improve. Winning this slam after facing double faults, a lot of things I can work on with my forehand, with my footwork, and the fact that I am able to do that just tells me that if I continue to put in the work, I can reach that status.”
Gauff’s win on Saturday was a historic statement. It marked her 27th career victory at Roland Garros, tying her with Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario for the fourth-most match wins at the French Open by any player under 22 in the Open Era. She also pulled ahead of Serena Williams for the second-most wins by an American woman in that age bracket on the Paris clay, with only Chris Evert still ahead.
And with her second Grand Slam title, Gauff now becomes just the fifth American woman in the Open Era to win multiple majors before turning 22, joining a legendary lineup of Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Chris Evert, and Tracy Austin.
She may take things “match by match,” but at just 21, Coco Gauff is already etching her name into tennis history, one record at a time.
Also Read: French Open 2025 – Top 9 Moments That Defined This Year’s Roland Garros
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