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"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Newly crowned French Open champion Coco Gauff, the first Black American to win the title in a decade, said on Saturday her victory in Paris was for people back home who looked like her and struggled amid ongoing political turmoil.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gauff battled from a set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5) 6-2 6-4 and lift her first French Open crown and her second Grand Slam title after the 2023 US Open.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She is the first Black American to win the French Open since Serena Williams in 2015.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“It means a lot (to win the title), and obviously there’s a lot going on in our country right now with things – like, everything, yeah. I’m sure you guys know,” she said, smiling but without elaborating further.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“But just to be able to be a representation of that and a representation of, I guess, people that look like me in America who maybe don’t feel as supported during this time period, and so just being that reflection of hope and light for those people.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ongoing political turmoil in the US follows the election of President Donald Trump last year.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trump’s first few months in office have featured an unapologetic assault on diversity and inclusion efforts, unravelling decades-old policies to remedy historical injustices for marginalised groups in a matter of weeks.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In his second term, Trump revoked a landmark 1965 executive order mandating equal employment opportunities for all, slashed environmental actions to protect communities of colour and ordered the gutting of an agency that helped fund minority- and women-owned businesses.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The actions have alarmed advocates, who say they effectively erase decades of hard-fought progress on levelling the playing field for marginalised communities.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2753052\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/2219099141-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Gauff French Open\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" /> <em>Coco Gauff celebrates with the Suzanne Lenglen Cup after beating Aryna Sabalenka at Roland-Garros on 7 June 2025. (Photo: Frey / TPN / Getty Images)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I remember after the election and everything, it kind of felt a down period a little bit and my mom told me during Riyadh (in November 2024) ‘just try to win the tournament, just to give something for people to smile for’.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“So that’s what I was thinking about today when holding that (trophy).</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Then seeing the flags in the crowd means a lot. You know, some people may feel some type of way about being patriotic and things like that, but I’m definitely patriotic and proud to be American, and I’m proud to represent the Americans that look like me and people who kind of support the things that I support.”</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2722598\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/GettyImages-2210242606-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"What will the Antichrist look like?President Donald Trump smiles as he meets with President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador in the Oval Office of the White House April 14, 2025 in Washington, DC.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" /> <em>President Donald Trump. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)</em></p>\r\n<h4><b>Dumbstruck</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gauff was dumbstruck after her victory, admitting she did not think she had what it took to stop the Belarusian heavy hitter.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 21-year-old battled from a set down to beat the top seed in just more than two and half hours.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I didn’t think, honestly, I could do it,” the American world No 2, who claimed her second Grand Slam title, said between tears.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Three finals... I guess I got the most important win – that’s all that matters.\"</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She had lost the clay court finals in Madrid and Rome before her win in Paris.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I was going through a lot of things when I lost here three years ago,” Gauff, who was runner-up to Iga Świątek in 2022, said. “I’m just glad to be back here.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gauff, who benefited from her opponent’s 70 unforced errors, including six double faults, paid tribute to Sabalenka before posing for pictures with the ball kids.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I would like to thank my parents. You guys have done a lot for me, from washing my clothes to keeping me grounded and giving me the belief that I can do it,” she said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“You guys probably believe in me more than I do myself. I really appreciate and love you guys.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taking inspiration from American musician Tyler, the Creator, she said: “If I ever told you I have doubt inside me, I would be lying.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She has won both her majors after coming from a set down after her comeback win against Sabalenka at the US Open two years ago.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I would like to thank you guys, the crowd helped me today,” she told the 15,000-strong crowd who supported her throughout.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“You guys were cheering for me so hard and I don’t know what I did to deserve such support from the French crowd,” Gauff added, before dropping the lid of the Suzanne Lenglen Cup. </span><b>Reuters/DM</b>",
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"description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Newly crowned French Open champion Coco Gauff, the first Black American to win the title in a decade, said on Saturday her victory in Paris was for people back home who looked like her and struggled amid ongoing political turmoil.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gauff battled from a set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5) 6-2 6-4 and lift her first French Open crown and her second Grand Slam title after the 2023 US Open.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She is the first Black American to win the French Open since Serena Williams in 2015.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“It means a lot (to win the title), and obviously there’s a lot going on in our country right now with things – like, everything, yeah. I’m sure you guys know,” she said, smiling but without elaborating further.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“But just to be able to be a representation of that and a representation of, I guess, people that look like me in America who maybe don’t feel as supported during this time period, and so just being that reflection of hope and light for those people.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ongoing political turmoil in the US follows the election of President Donald Trump last year.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trump’s first few months in office have featured an unapologetic assault on diversity and inclusion efforts, unravelling decades-old policies to remedy historical injustices for marginalised groups in a matter of weeks.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In his second term, Trump revoked a landmark 1965 executive order mandating equal employment opportunities for all, slashed environmental actions to protect communities of colour and ordered the gutting of an agency that helped fund minority- and women-owned businesses.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The actions have alarmed advocates, who say they effectively erase decades of hard-fought progress on levelling the playing field for marginalised communities.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2753052\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"2560\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2753052\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/2219099141-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Gauff French Open\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" /> <em>Coco Gauff celebrates with the Suzanne Lenglen Cup after beating Aryna Sabalenka at Roland-Garros on 7 June 2025. (Photo: Frey / TPN / Getty Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I remember after the election and everything, it kind of felt a down period a little bit and my mom told me during Riyadh (in November 2024) ‘just try to win the tournament, just to give something for people to smile for’.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“So that’s what I was thinking about today when holding that (trophy).</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Then seeing the flags in the crowd means a lot. 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(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n<h4><b>Dumbstruck</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gauff was dumbstruck after her victory, admitting she did not think she had what it took to stop the Belarusian heavy hitter.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 21-year-old battled from a set down to beat the top seed in just more than two and half hours.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I didn’t think, honestly, I could do it,” the American world No 2, who claimed her second Grand Slam title, said between tears.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Three finals... 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Coco Gauff celebrates with the Suzanne Lenglen Cup after beating Aryna Sabalenka at Roland-Garros on 7 June 2025. (Photo: Frey / TPN / Getty Images)
President Donald Trump. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)