Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka battled it out for this year’s French Open title, with the American coming out on top.
Tracy Austin congratulated Gauff on her success at the French Open, which represents her maiden win at the clay court tournament.
The WTA number two is now a two-time Grand Slam champion, with Gauff having won the US Open in 2023.
Gauff was emotional after her French Open win, which arrived via a 6-7(5-7), 6-2, 6-4 victory over world number one Sabalenka.
The iconic Court Philippe-Chatrier played host to the women’s final, with the windy conditions having an impact on the match.
Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty ImagesJohn Isner agrees with Sam Querrey about French Open women’s final
But Gauff was able to manage such conditions as she came out on top, with former professionals Sam Querrey and John Isner having shared their verdicts on the weather in Paris.
Speaking on the Nothing Major Show, Querrey said: “The weather was garbage. They have a roof on the court. It did not rain, it was windy and yucky out. I think they should have closed the roof.
“I want to watch these women or men for that matter, whoever is playing, I want to watch them play in perfect conditions to bring out the best tennis in both the players.
“Both Coco and Sabalenka did not play their best and that’s because the wind was swirling around everywhere.”
Isner then shared this take: “I think certain players would want the roof closed and certain players wouldn’t.
“I think Coco was very happy that the roof was open. I think if they close that thing it would have been a lot tougher for her.
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“I’m not saying she couldn’t win. Close the roof as a fan, but there are rules in place that I don’t know what the rules are. Are they 35mph you close it? Or under 45 degrees you close it?
“There are rules in place and clearly it did not hit that threshold where you have to close the roof. I agree that it would be better for everyone but they had to adhere to the rule book, whatever it said.”
Sam Querrey angers Andre Agassi over Coco Gauff vs Aryna Sabalenka final claim
The discussion certainly didn’t end there, with another former professional, Steve Johnson, saying: “I would love as a spectator to watch it closed because you get the best tennis but as a competitor I was very bad, so I need the elements.
“I needed wind and I needed it to be gross. Of course, I would want it open. But as a spectator you want it to be closed.
“I don’t want to watch an NBA game with the guys outdoors. I want to see it indoors and you want to see the best tennis possible.
“We got that in the men’s final, in the women’s final it was windy and you could see the clay blowing up on the courts and them not being able to serve sometimes. It’s brutal out there when it was windy.”
Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images
Querrey then responded: “I was in the green room today. It was just me and [Andre] Agassi. I was like we should have closed the roof for the women’s final.
“I thought he was going to punch me in the face. He was like this is an outdoor tournament what are you talking about.
“I was like I know, I just want to watch them play at their best and he was like ‘what?’. People feel strongly both ways.”
It will never be known just how different the match would have played out if the roof was closed at Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Both players had to deal with the same conditions, and it was Gauff who seemingly managed her game better than Sabalenka on the windy day in the French capital.
That will be of very little significance to the American now, with Gauff likely still celebrating her superb success.
She only just lost to Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final, having then suffered the same fate against Jasmine Paolini in the Italian Open final.
But it was a sign of things to come from the 21-year-old, who has really taken her clay court game to another level.
Her focus will, however, quickly turn to grass, with Wimbledon set to get underway in London later this month.