'The sun will still rise' – Coco Gauff more relaxed ahead of second French Open final
Coco Gauff says she has learned the lessons of her last French Open final as she prepares for another shot at the title.
Gauff reached the Paris showpiece in 2022 but was rolled over 6-1 6-3 by defending champion Iga Swiatek.
The 21-year-old feels she is now better equipped to add a maiden Roland Garros title to the US Open she won two years ago.
"My first final here I was super nervous, and I kind of wrote myself off before the match even happened," she said.
"Obviously here I have a lot more confidence just from playing a grand slam final before and doing well in one.
"I think going into Saturday I'll just give it my best shot and try to be as calm and relaxed as possible. Whatever happens, happens.
"I think just realising how minuscule it is, everybody is dealing with way bigger things in life than losing a final. And realising however many players wanted to be in this position.
"I'm sure there are hundreds of players who would kill to win or lose a final, so just knowing that makes me realise how lucky and privileged I am to be in this position.
"At first I thought it would be the end of the world if I lost, but you know, the sun still rose the next day. So knowing, regardless of the result, the sun will still rise.
"Especially being in a city like Paris, I was walking around the next day, and no one knew that I lost, and no one cared. I was just realising that how big the moment seems in our lives is not as big in the grand scheme of things."
Gauff's opponent is the same player she beat at Flushing Meadows, Aryna Sabalenka.
The Belarusian is a different prospect these days having taken over from Swiatek, whom she beat in the semi-final, as world number one.
The 27-year-old is a three-time grand slam champion but is also bidding for a first at Roland Garros.
"I have to go out there on Saturday and I have to fight and I have to bring my best tennis, and I have to work for that title," she said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The 42
2 hours ago
- The 42
'Of course it concerns me': McIlroy's nightmare round the worst possible prep for US Open
RORY MCILROY PLANS to spend the weekend testing new drivers after missing the cut at the Canadian Open with a disastrous second round of eight-over par 78. The world number two had a new driver in the bag this week in Toronto in a bid to get more control, but hit just four out of 14 fairways in his nightmare second round. One such miss came at the par-four fifth where he was right off the tee before firing his approach shot long and out of bounds, taking a quadruple-bogey eight that effectively condemned him to a first missed cut of the season. 'Yeah, of course it concerns me,' McIlroy told media afterwards when asked about the short turnaround to the third Major of the season, the US Open at Oakmont next week. 'You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today. Still I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't. Obviously going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways. [I'm] still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee. 'Obviously for me, when I get that part of the game clicking, then everything falls into place for me. Right now that isn't. Yeah, that's a concern going into next week.' McIlroy finished his round with four bogeys and a double as well as the quad at the fifth, and spent the latter part of Friday's round Advertisement 'I didn't hit enough fairways. I felt like I drove the ball better yesterday than I did today. 'I think once I made that big number on the front nine, I was always behind the eight ball a little bit. After nine holes, I sort of resigned myself to the fact that I'd be flying home to Florida tonight. 'Yeah, it was just about trying to think about — trying to make a few good swings, seeing where the misses were. You're trying to sort of learn as much as I could just looking ahead to next week. He explained: 'I think there's still learnings that you have to take from a day like today. Look, even though the last two days didn't go the way I wanted them to, there's still things that I can take from it, and there's still things that I can learn. I'm going to have to do a lot of practice and a lot of work over the weekend at home and try to at least have a better idea of where my game is going into next week.' Part of that work will involve figuring which driver to put in the bag as he bids to go one better after agonising near misses and runner-up finishes at each of the last two US Opens. 'I was saying to Harry [Diamond, his caddy] going down the last this is the second time this year I've tried the new version, and it hasn't quite worked out for me. 'So I'd say I'll be testing quite a few drivers over the weekend.' Irish eyes this week are firmly on Shane Lowry who backed up his brilliant opening round with a second-round 68 on Friday, moving to eight-under par and four shots off the lead held by America's Cameron Champ. Lowry will tee off at 6.10pm on Saturday evening alongside first-round co-leader Cristobal Del Solar of Chile, with Champ and Andrew Putnam — who is two shots back — out in the final group at 6.50pm.
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Rory McIlroy still searching for 'missing piece' off the tee as driver issues continue
Rory McIlroy admits there are still "learnings" to take after he missed his first cut at the RBC Canadian Open on Friday since the Open at Royal Troon last July. The Holywood man carded a quadruple bogey, a double and four other bogeys in an eight-over-par round that left him languishing 21 shots behind halfway leader Cameron Champ and admitted his "concern". McIlroy was hoping for more ahead of next week's US Open and felt the new driver choice was going to solve the issues off the tee that began when his club was deemed 'non-conforming' in a random check at the PGA Championship earlier this month. "Of course it concerns me. You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today. "Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't. "Going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways. Still searching for the missing piece off the tee. "Obviously, for me, when I get that part of the game clicking, then everything falls into place for me. Right now, that isn't. Yeah, that's a concern going into next week." Despite his concern going towards Oakmont, the Masters champion still believes he can take something from the somewhat disastrous second-round 78, where he only managed to find four fairways. "I think there's still learnings that you have to take from a day like today, "Even though the last two days didn't go the way I wanted them to, there are still things that I can take from it, and there are still things that I can learn. "I'm gonna have to do a lot of practice and a lot of work over the weekend at home to try to at least have a better idea of where my game is going into next week." McIlroy revealed that missing the cut will allow him to test different drivers and adds that he will prioritise speed off the tee over hitting fairways, which may be a tactic carried into the US Open if the issues can't be remedied. "I went back to a 44-inch driver this week to try to get something that was a little more in control and could try to get something a bit more in play. "But if I'm going to miss fairways, I'd rather have the ball speed and miss the fairway than not. "I said to Harry going down the last, this is obviously the second time this year I've tried the new version [of driver], and it hasn't quite worked out for me.
Irish Examiner
13 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Rory McIlroy has 'concerns' as he misses Canadian Open cut by country mile
Rory McIlroy's US Open preparations went spectacularly awry as yet another happy hunting ground turned on him in vicious fashion, the Masters champion missing the cut by a country mile in a Friday horror show at the RBC Canadian Open. Twice a winner in Toronto, McIlroy purred midweek about how this tournament has served as such a reliable springboard to the year's third major in recent years. The 2025 edition didn't follow suit in any way, shape or form, instead ejecting him out at the halfway mark as he missed a cut in North America for the first time in over two years. McIlroy admitted he'll be leaving with deep concerns, particularly after a driver change didn't go according to plan at all. 'Of course it concerns me. You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today,' said a visibly frustrated McIlroy. 'I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't. 'Obviously going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways. I'm still searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee. Obviously for me, when I get that part of the game clicking, then everything falls into place for me. Right now that isn't. Yeah, that's a concern going into next week.' Needing a second-round revival after a sluggish opener at TPC Toronto, McIlroy instead plumbed the depths with an utterly woeful 8-over 78, low-lighted by a quadruple bogey eight. Somehow, it could have been worse, a couple of late birdies saving him from finishing double digits over par. To blame it all on the bedding-in period for his new TaylorMade driver would be to ignore all the other parts of his game which coughed and spluttered. He left the course on 9-over with just three others in the 153-strong field below him. With the notoriously challenging Oakmont hosting next week's US Open, there's a laundry list of work-ons. 'I think there's still learnings that you have to take from a day like today. Look, even though the last two days didn't go the way I wanted them to, there's still things that I can take from it, and there's still things that I can learn,' he insisted. 'I'm going to have to do a lot of practice and a lot of work over the weekend at home and try to at least have a better idea of where my game is going into next week." How disorienting this must all feel, mere weeks removed from his drought-breaking, career grand slam-clinching victory at Augusta in April. In truth, it looks as though McIlroy hasn't yet figured out what golf will look like now that he achieved his holy grail. At the PGA Championship last month, hosted at a Quail Hollow course which he has made his own, he was also fitful and frustrated. At least there he made the cut. It was clear his trip north would be a short one after the disaster came early Friday afternoon. A wild second shot out of the right rough on the 5th hole ended up with a lost ball and from there little improved as he carded an ugly quadruple eight. Another bogey at the 8th left him on 6-over with the cutline disappearing over the horizon. 'I didn't hit enough fairways. I felt like I drove the ball better yesterday than I did today. I think, once I made that big number on the front nine, I was always behind the 8 ball a little bit. After nine holes, I sort of resigned myself to the fact that I'd be flying home to Florida tonight,' McIlroy said. It got worse, another wild drive on 10 the spark for another bogey and then a wet tee shot on the short 11th resulting in a double. Even the late brace of birdies was offset by one more bogey in between on the 17th. Look at the strokes gained data and there were only flashing red lights for the Holywood man. Most worryingly, he was 148th of 153 off the tee. After the driver he used to win at Augusta was deemed non-conforming in a pre-PGA check at Quail Hollow, McIlroy has been testing out a new big stick. So far it's a bit of trial and a lot of error. 'So I went back to a 44-inch driver this week to try to get something that was a little more in control and could try to get something a bit more in play. But if I'm going to miss fairways, I'd rather have the ball speed and miss the fairway than not,' he explained. 'I was saying to Harry going down the last this is the second time this year I've tried the new version, and it hasn't quite worked out for me. So I'd say I'll be testing quite a few drivers over the weekend.' The Irish challenge will instead be carried by Shane Lowry who followed Thursday's stellar 64 with a steadier two-under 68 to put himself in a halfway clubhouse tie for sixth, four shots back of leader Cameron Champ.
