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Quote of the Day: Coco Gauff thanks haters for adding gas to her fire - "I'm really burning so bright right now"

"I tried my best to carry this with grace and I've been doing my best," said the newly crowned US Open champ in an unforgettable victor's speech.

ByBaseline Staff

Published Sep 09, 2023

Coco Gauff had plenty of thanks to dish out after celebrating her first Grand Slam title on Saturday with her 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback over Aryna Sabalenka at the US Open.

The 19-year-old began by thanking her parents for believing her from the start, then opted to use her platform to poke fun at dad Corey after sharing it was the first time she’s seen him cry.

“He doesn’t want me to tell you that, but he got caught in 4K!” laughed Gauff. “He thinks he’s so hard.”

After reflecting on coming to the tournament as a kid to watch Serena Williams and Venus Williams, the Delray Beach, Fla. resident thanked her team that includes Pere Riba, Brad Gilbert Stephane Dal Soglio, Maria Vago and Jarmere Jenkins among others.

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Gauff completed "The Summer of Coco" with an 18-1 record, winning 12 straight matches to close out the North American hard-court swing.

Gauff completed "The Summer of Coco" with an 18-1 record, winning 12 straight matches to close out the North American hard-court swing.

© 2023 Getty Images

Gauff then revealed she tried to FaceTime one of her brothers, “but he didn’t answer”, before also paying tribute to her grandparents.

But the soon-to-be world No. 3 saved her biggest thanks for last:

COCO GAUFF: Thank you to the people who didn't believe in me. Like a month ago, I won a 500 title and people said I would stop at that. Two weeks ago, I won a 1000 title and people were saying that was the biggest I was going to get. So three weeks later, I'm here with this trophy right now.

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're really adding gas to it. And now I'm really burning so bright right now.

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Not to be forgotten, Gauff acknowledged the boisterous crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. “Thank you to New York. You guys pulled me through this gas fire. The supporters that I have mean so much to me.”

A final round of appreciation went to tournament director Stacey Allaster and the legendary Billie Jean King, whose championing of equal prize money celebrated 50 years at the New York major this year.

“Thank you Billie, for fighting for this!” Gauff said, after receiving a $3 million payout for capturing the title.