After losing in the first round of Wimbledon in July, Tennis player CoCo Gauff worked tirelessly to achieve her first U.S. title. Guaff earned her victory against Maria Sakkari of Greece at the Mubadala Citi DC Open.
“After losing in the first round of Wimbledon, it was a tough situation and a lot of prayer and a lot of support from my church family,” Guaff said to reporters. “So thank you to [God] and those who support me.”
After the initial loss, Guaff worked with Brad Gilbert, a former world No. 4 player and the author of the famed tennis book Winning Ugly. While working with Gilbert, Gauff remained under her primary coach, Spaniard Pere Riba.
Before this win, Gauff had never won a tournament on American soil. According to Forbes, her titles were all won overseas, but on Sunday, she dominated with a 6-2, 6-3 domination against Sakkari. of Greece. Gauff didn’t drop a set, which earned her $353,445 and improved her rankings to 31-12 on the season.
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Gilbert attended the match and sat in her player box for support. Gilbert has coached top-ranked players, including Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, for several years. Gilbert spoke with Tennis Channel, where he revealed he would also assist Gauff in Canada and Cincinnati in preparation for the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 28.
Gilbert proudly gave Gauff a thumbs-up and pounded his chest when she shouted him out during her victory speech.
“I called it today, and I stand by it; she will win a major,” former pro tennis player Andrea Petkovic said of Gauff’s win on the Tennis Channel, Forbes reported.
Congratulations Coco Guaff!
