Tennis superstar Coco Gauff took home an “adorable” reminder of her first French Open title that was able to fit right into her carry-on bag on the plane.
Gauff showed off her tiny replica French Open trophy on "TODAY" on Monday — a keepsake she earned after knocking off Belarusian star Aryna Sabalenka in the championship match two days earlier at Stade Roland Garros in Paris.
“Most tournaments will have the original that they keep with them, and then they give you home a replica,” Gauff explained to Craig Melvin and Savannah Guthrie. “And I didn’t know it was going to be as small as it is.”
The Coupe Suzanne Lenglen trophy that tennis fans saw Gauff hoist over her head in triumph after the match is not the one that will be in a place of honor in her home. Champions are awarded a smaller version instead, which Gauff displayed on "TODAY."
“This is the replica trophy that we get to take home,” she said. “It is adorable. It’s mini-size, like the little mini-brands, so that’s what this is. It looks just like the real one, just smaller.”
Gauff also showed the difference between the actual trophy and the replica version in a TikTok video she shared Sunday while traveling on a plane. She re-enacted the same poses she made with the real trophy after her victory, but with the mini-version instead.
She giggled as she compared its size to a bottle of Perrier and a cup.
“That’s how small it is, but it’s the memories that matter the most,” she said in the video.
Gauff, 21, rallied from a loss in the first set to beat Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 to become the first American woman to win the French Open singles title since her idol, the legendary Serena Williams, did it in 2015.
“I always wanted to win this title,” she said on "TODAY." “I just felt like this was one that was just really meant to be, and to have it happen still feels so surreal.”
It marked Gauff’s second Grand Slam title in her career and her first since winning the U.S. Open in 2023.
“The first one, I felt a little bit more shock immediately after the match,” she said. “This one I just really felt deep down like it was meant to be, that I wanted to do it, and I could do it. So I think this one was more just proud than relief.”
Sabalenka initially drew controversy with her post-match remarks to reporters that Gauff only won the match “not because she played incredible, just because I made all of those mistakes.”
She then issued a statement on her Instagram story on Sunday.
“Yesterday was a tough one,” she wrote. “Coco handled the conditions much better than I did and fully deserved the win. She was the better player yesterday, and I want to give her the credit she earned.”
For her part, Gauff was eager to show that her breakthrough win at the U.S. Open was not a fluke by winning another major tournament.
“I just wanted to prove to people that I can do it again,” she said.
