PARIS — 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 clay-court Grand Slam’s women’s singles trophy again Saturday at 21 — this time against No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus — is the way she views the importance of the occasion.
Three years ago at Roland-Garros, the young American 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 said, she understands “how minuscule” the tennis result Saturday is in the scheme of things.
“Everybody is dealing with way bigger things in life than losing a final,” she said after beating 361st-ranked French wild-card entry Loïs Boisson, 6-1, 6-2, in the semifinals Thursday.
“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.”