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Coco Gauff becomes the US Open Champion over the weekend. The 19 year old tennis champion is the youngest American major winner since Serena Williams won her first in the 1999 U.S. Open. Fans asked what Gauff might do with her $3 million prize money, and her response is hilarious. Check out a gallery of the young multi-millionaire champion inside to celebrate.
Gauff has quickly become a fan favorite sports champion. She is ranked world No. 3 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association, and as world No. 1 in doubles. Over the weekend, the tennis star defeated Aryna Sabalenka at the 2023 US Open after what critics called a wild comeback.
Gauff has declared herself the future of American tennis. In three sets, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, Gauff defeated Sabalenka, winning 2023 U.S. Open and becoming the youngest American major winner since Serena Williams won her first title in the 1999 U.S. Open, at 17 years old.
As the respective winners in the men’s and women’s singles categories, Djokovic and Gauff were both awarded prize money of $3 million USD.
Gauff has celebrated the win with various TikTok videos and even commemorated the momentous occasion on Instagram Live, where fans asked what she might do with the prize money. Fans made suggestions like paying off debts. Gauff could hardly pronounce the word “debt” because it is so foreign to her. She shared that she has no debts and still lives comfortably at home with her parents. Gauff also laughed, sharing that she has no student loan debt to worry about either.
The entire exchange made many Americans feel many emotions. Some fans relieved for Gauff that she doesn’t have debt weighing on her like the rest of America. While others asked for some financial relief from the tennis player for themselves.
Gauff also had a word for the naysayers who doubted her journey, saying “Thank you to the people who didn’t believe in me. A month ago I won a 500 title & people said I’d stop at that. 2 weeks ago I won a 1000 title & people said that was as big as it’d get. 3 weeks later, I’m here.”
She added, “For those who thought you were putting water to my fire you were really adding gas to it. Now I’m really burning so bright right now.”
Whether people believe or not, Coco Gauff did it!
