Coco Gauff hopes her French Open triumph will inspire “Americans like me.”
Gauff defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a tense three-set final to win her first Roland Garros title.
The 21-year-old, now a two-time Grand Slam champion, says she wants to bring “hope and light” to black Americans who feel underrepresented.
“It's of great importance, and obviously there's a lot going on in our country right now,” she said.
“But just being able to be a symbol of that and represent, I guess, people like me in America who maybe don't feel supported during this time, and so just being a reflection of hope and light for those people.”
Gauff won the WTA Finals in Riyadh in November, just days after US President Donald Trump was re-elected.
“I remember after the elections and everything, there was a feeling of (a) bit of a letdown,” she added. “My mother told me during the tournament in Riyadh, 'Just try to win to give people something to smile about.'
“That's what I was thinking about today, holding this (trophy) in my hands.”
“And seeing flags in the crowd means a lot. You know, some people might feel a kind of patriotism and stuff like that.
“But I'm definitely a patriot and proud to be an American, and I'm excited to represent Americans who look like me and people who support the same values.”
Gauff is set to compete at the Berlin Open, which begins next week on Monday, to begin preparations for Wimbledon.
Sport Coco Gauff admits her French Open win 'wasn't very pleasant'… Read more
But she said: “I haven't thought that far ahead. Obviously I'll take a few days off, that's for sure.
“I'm signed for Berlin now. We'll see if I play or not. This part of the season is new just because it's so short and I don't know yet what I'm going to do, but I'll talk to my team, listen to their opinions and see what they think is best.”
“I’m definitely going to rest and try to enjoy this moment and not rush into training because victories like this don’t happen often, so you just have to enjoy it.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
