French Open | No. 2 Gauff faces No. 1 Sabalenka in women’s final

Coco Gauff reflects on growth, perspective ahead of French Open final against Aryna Sabalenka, emphasizing gratitude and resilience.

The biggest difference Coco Gauff sees between the player who lost her first Grand Slam final at the 2022 French Open at age 18, and the one who will play for the trophy again on Saturday (June 7, 2025) at 21, this time against No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, is the way she views the importance of the occasion.

Three years ago at Roland-Garros, Gauff was making her debut on that sort of stage and with that sort of prize at stake. It felt like the outcome meant absolutely everything, a burden that was a lot at the time and made her nervous.

Now, the No. 2-ranked Gauff says, she understands “how miniscule” the result on Saturday (June 7, 2025) is in the scheme of things.

“Everybody is dealing with way bigger things in life than losing a final,” the American said after beating 361st-ranked French wild-card entry Loïs Boisson 6-1, 6-2 in the semifinals on Thursday (June 5, 2025).

“I’m sure there are hundreds of players that would kill to win or lose a final, so just knowing that [makes] me realize how lucky and privileged I am to be in this position,” Gauff said. “At first, I thought it would be the end of the world if I lost, and, you know, the sun still rose the next day... Regardless of the result, the sun will still rise.”

​Hot on clay: On the French Open

Here's another key difference: The Gauff of today is a Grand Slam champion. She won the 2023 U.S. Open; her opponent in that final just so happened to be Sabalenka.