At the end of a mesmerizing spring swing, it’s all come down to the best versus the second-best. No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Coco Gauff are going to battle it out for the 2025 French Open women’s singles crown at Court Philippe Chatrier. Whoever wins will lift their first-ever French Open trophy, while also breaking the three-year clay-court monopoly of Iga Swiatek. That in itself is a plot twist worthy of the Parisian stage. But before they step onto centre stage in Paris, a heartfelt message arrived from a champion of the past.
Sabalenka pulled off the upset of the tournament by taking down Swiatek in the semifinals, meanwhile, Gauff steamrolled through the World No.361 Lois Boisson, whose dream run ended with a semifinal appearance. This final is already a historic one. It’s been 12 years since the top two seeds squared off in the women’s final at Roland Garros. Back in 2013, it was Serena Williams beating Maria Sharapova. There have only been five top-two matchups in the women’s final in the last 35 years. The other three happened in the early ’90s: Steffi Graf vs Monica Seles (1990, 1992) and Graf vs Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (1995). That’s elite company, and one of those legends from the past just showed up with a touching message.
Monica Seles, the youngest-ever winner of the French Open, decided to share some wisdom. She won her first Roland Garros title in 1990 at just 16 years old, defeating Steffi Graf 7‑6, 6‑4. And she didn’t stop there. Seles went on to win the title again in 1991 and 1992, racking up eight Grand Slam trophies before she even turned 20.
Seles posted a clip of her iconic 1990 final on her Instagram Story with a heartfelt message for Sabalenka and Gauff. “Winning your first French Open Grand Slam title is an unparalleled feeling, while the pain of losing can unfortunately be replicated. It’s a mix of beauty and heartbreak, but as long as you give it your all, that’s all anyone can ask of you. Have a great match.”
It hits even harder when you know her story. In 1993, Seles was stabbed in the back by a deranged Steffi Graf fan during a match in Hamburg. She was just 19 and at the peak of her powers. The incident shook the sports world and changed her life forever. Seles didn’t return to the court for two years. And though she won the Australian Open in 1996, she was never quite the same player again. She openly battled depression and an eating disorder after the attack. Her last major final came at Roland Garros in 1998, where she beat world No. 3 Jana Novotná and world No. 1 Martina Hingis before losing to Sánchez Vicario in the final.
Despite all that, her words still carry power. And on Saturday, they might just echo through the minds of both Gauff and Sabalenka as they step out under the Parisian skies.
Image Credits: WTA/Instagram
Meanwhile, Coco Gauff is following a sunny philosophy of her own.
Coco Gauff reflects on pressure ahead of the French Open final
While Aryna Sabalenka is riding a wave of momentum, Coco Gauff is entering the final with a bit of déjà vu. She was just 18 when she played her first Grand Slam final, right here at Roland Garros in 2022. That run was huge for her, not because she won, but because of everything it taught her.
Before the 2022 final against Iga Swiatek, Gauff struggled with nerves and an overwhelming fear of failure. But she walked away with a fresh outlook on pressure. After her semifinal win this year, she recalled, “At first I thought it would be the end of the world if I lost, and the sun still rose the next day. So knowing, regardless of the result, the sun will still rise. Especially being in a city like Paris, I was walking around the next day, and no one knew that I lost [in 2022], and no one cared. Some people know who I am, but not a lot and not everyone. Just realising that however big the moment seems in our lives, [it] is not as big in the grand scheme of things.”
That’s a mindset that could prove vital in a match of this magnitude. Gauff has the experience of one final and a Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open under her belt. Sabalenka, on the other hand, has two Australian Open titles and one US Open title but is playing her first French Open final.
The world’s two best players are ready to write the next chapter of women’s tennis history. One will go home with their first Roland Garros trophy. Who’s your pick to win this blockbuster showdown on clay?
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