Coco Gauff Took Home the US Open Title, and Her Speech Was Perfection

Tennis sensation Coco Gauff has officially secured her first Grand Slam title, and to make it even sweeter, it was on home soil. The 19-year-old won the 2023 US Open this weekend, making her the youngest American to do so since Serena Williams won in 1999 at age 17.

Gauff, now ranked third in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), beat Belarus's Aryna Sabalenka, who's ranked No. 1, in the final at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City.

Though her win was spectacular in itself, people can't stop talking about her speech — that is, the on-court interview that took place right after the final match. As many social media users have put it, they have "no notes" for Gauff.

"I don't pray for results, I just ask that I get the strength to give it my all, and whatever happens, happens," she said. "I'm so blessed in this life, so I'm just thankful for this moment, like I don't have any words for it, to be honest."

At one point, Gauff asked for the mic and — rightfully so — turned the interview into a sort of award acceptance speech. She thanked god, her team, everyone who put the tournament on, and her family, noting that it was the first time she'd ever seen her dad cry — "he doesn't want me to tell y'all that, but he got caught in 4K," she said, laughing.

She talked about coming to watch the US Open as a young girl, watching Serena and Venus Williams compete and the surreal nature of now being the one on that stage.

And she also thanked her haters: "Thank you to the people who didn't believe in me . . . I tried my best to carry this with grace, and I've been doing my best, so honestly to those who thought they were putting water on my fire, you were really adding gas to it, and now I'm really burning so bright right now." Finally, she thanked New York and her fans for helping to her pull through and encouraging her to fight.

The interviewer called it the "summer of Coco," and it truly is. Gauff has been on the pro tennis scene since she was 15, when she shocked the world by beating her idol, Venus Williams, in her Wimbledon debut. But now, at 19, Gauff is showing the world that she's just getting started. In early August, Gauff won the Mubadala Citi DC Open, grabbing her first big US singles title and becoming the youngest women's champion in that tournament's history. Shortly after, she went on to win the Western & Southern Open, becoming the first teenager to do so in more than 50 years. Her US Open win is only a continuation of this hot streak.

"The US swing is my favorite time of year. I love to build up to NY in Atlanta, DC, and Canada. These tournaments feel like home," Gauff told POPSUGAR in an interview just ahead of the Open.

And now she has the satisfaction of having brought home her first Grand Slam title, too. Watch her full on-court interview below.