Coco Gauff Made Emotional Speech to Parents after Winning US Open 2023 Battling Depression

• Coco Gauff became the youngest player to make it to the final US Open match.
• She historically won her first Grand Slam at age 19.
• Coco battled with early success that left her doubting tennis as a career choice.

Teenage tennis prodigy Cori Gauff, better known as Coco, won her first Grand Slam at the 2023 US Open tournament, beating her opponent, Aryna Sabalenka.

The 19-year-old is the youngest American player to make it to the final match since the legendary Serena Williams, who was 17 during her time in 1999.

Coco advanced to her first US Open final on September 7, 2023, after defeating Karolina Muchová in straight sets. Following her historic win, she appeared on “ESPN” where she talked about the match and the climate change protest that took place there.

The Florida native was also asked whether she is the one tennis star carrying the torch for American tennis for the women forward after the 23-time Grand Slam champion, Williams, retired at the same tournament in 2022.

Coco said it meant a lot to her that she shares the same stat line with the former tennis star. However, the sports star stated she is not carrying the national tennis team because she and fellow tennis players are doing well altogether, adding:

“Serena is Serena. She’s the GOAT. I’d hope to do half of what she did. But I’m not going to compare myself to her. She’s someone that I look up to.”

Coco also expressed regret that she never played against the former World No.1, whom she called her “idol,” adding, “But I’m still happy to just be a product of her legacy and be out here.”

Although she will never compete against Williams, Coco is following in her footsteps. The youngster won her first Grand Slam at the US Open against Aryna Sabalenka on September 9, 2023.

Coco was coached by her father, Corey Gauff, who remained her coach until the end of Wimbledon. That is where she hired Brad Gilbert, a former tennis player turned coach.

Following her victory, the teen raced up into the stands at Flushing Meadows, where she was pictured embracing her father, Corey, and mother, Candi Gauff, among others.

Corey was crying while hugging his daughter just before her mom, Candi, joined them in an embrace as the trio was overwhelmed with emotions. The caption under the US Open Tennis on Twitter read: “Hugs all around for the Gauff family!”

After the touching moment between Coco and her parents, she paid tribute to them via a speech where she thanked them for their immense support in her journey:

“Thank you first to my parents. Today was the first time I’ve ever seen my dad cry. He doesn’t want me to tell you that, but he got caught in 4K. He thinks he’s so hard. Thank you, guys. You believed in me from the beginning.”

In an April 2020 interview, Coco, then 16, spoke candidly about her experience dealing with early success and revealed she struggled emotionally as big expectations left her feeling out of place.

The Grand Slam champion shared she had always been the youngest to achieve anything in life, which came with unwanted pressure. It made her feel like she had to succeed at a fast pace.

However, once she learned to block out the outside noise and let go of the thinking, she began to see the results she wanted. Still, Coco struggled until before Wimbledon in 2019.

She reached round four in her first Grand Slam singles appearance and gained recognition at 15 for the milestone. Between 2017 and 2018, Coco was torn on whether she still wanted to pursue a tennis career.

It was not a matter of results because that was never an obstacle for her. But it was because she was not enjoying the sport she loved so dearly. She then realized that she needed to play for herself and not for other people. Coco revealed:

“For about a year I was really depressed. That was the toughest year for me so far.”

Meanwhile, her mother divulged that she witnessed her going through the motions and barely showed emotion. Candi had a heart-to-heart with her daughter after the match, telling her if she was unhappy, then she could stop playing, but she had to try at least.