"I watched Iga Swiatek lift the French Open trophy the whole time, I said I want to feel what that felt like for her" - US Open champion Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff showed immense mental strength to win her maiden Major title, coming from a set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the 2023 US Open final on Saturday (9 September).

Speaking to the press after the watershed moment, Gauff was asked by a journalist whether she had envisioned that she would be a Grand Slam tournament winner someday. The 19-year-old replied that she had fantasized about hoisting a Major trophy following her loss to Iga Swiatek in the 2022 Roland Garros final.

"Honestly, you know, the French Open moment, I don't know if they caught it on camera but I watched Iga lift that trophy, and I watched her the whole time. I said, I'm not going to take my eyes off her, because I want to feel what that felt like for her," she said.

The 19-year-old American added that she had imagined herself as a Major winner in her early years as a junior player well. She also gave an adorable account of her visiting the annual Kids' Day at the New York Major, where she would watch the most successful players in the sport entertain the crowd.

"When I was 13 I think or 14 when I played US Open juniors, I watched the men's final that year, so I had those envisions of myself then. That felt like craziness today lifting this trophy. It hasn't sunken in and I think it probably will maybe in a week or so."

"Oh, I think the first was when I was eight and I would come, like, three times, three or four years in a row, to see Arthur Ashe Kids' Day and I was just watching, you know, players compete on this court."

Coco Gauff has won a WTA title at every level in 2023

Coco Gauff poses with the 2023 Cincinnati Open trophy

Coco Gauff has enjoyed a phenomenal 2023 season, winning 45 of her 58 matches on the Hologic WTA tour this year. She has won an event at each of the Grand Slam, WTA 1000, WTA 500, and WTA 250 levels.

The 19-year-old began her year in fine fashion at the 2023 ASB Classic, where she didn't drop a single set en route to the WTA 250 title. Gauff then had a quiet time on the women's tour, before going on an absolute tear to win the 500-level event in Washington.

Coco Gauff followed up on her Washington campaign with her maiden WTA 1000 triumph in Cincinnati, beating World No. 1 Iga Swiatek en route to the title. She would then carry the same rich vein of form to the New York Major, beating top-quality opponents like Aryna Sabalenka, Karolina Muchova, and Jelena Ostapenko to secure her career's biggest title.