“My little brother was crying & I felt so bad” – When Coco Gauff opened up on her family’s emotional reaction to French Open final loss to Iga Swiatek

Heartbreaking Family Moment: Coco Gauff on the Emotional Toll of Her 2022 French Open Final Loss

On June 4, 2022, at just 18 years old, American tennis sensation Coco Gauff stepped onto Court Philippe-Chatrier for her maiden Grand Slam final at the French Open, facing world No. 1 Iga Swiatek. What followed was a dominant 6-1, 6-3 straight-sets defeat, but beyond the scoreline, the match left an indelible emotional mark—not just on Gauff, but on her entire family. In the raw aftermath, Gauff opened up about the tears shed by her loved ones, revealing a poignant glimpse into the human side of high-stakes tennis. Her words, “My little brother was crying & I felt so bad,” captured the innocence and investment of her support system, turning a professional setback into a deeply personal one.

The Final: A Fairytale Run Ends in Heartbreak
Gauff’s path to the final was nothing short of magical. As the No. 18 seed, she stunned the field on the red clay of Roland Garros, navigating a grueling draw that included victories over qualifier Rebecca Marino, Alison Van Uytvanck, Kaia Kanepi, No. 31 Elise Mertens, compatriot Sloane Stephens, and Italy’s Martina Trevisan in the semifinals. It was her breakthrough moment, fulfilling a dream she’d harbored since breaking out at Wimbledon in 2019 as a 15-year-old qualifier.

But Swiatek, the defending 2020 champion and clay-court phenom, proved insurmountable. The Pole, then 21, dismantled Gauff’s game with laser-like precision—firing 28 winners to Gauff’s 12 and converting 3 of 4 break points. Gauff later reflected that she “wasn’t freaking out” during the match; Swiatek was simply “too good,” overwhelming her with depth and variety on a surface that favored the world No. 1’s all-court prowess. Post-match, Gauff buried her face in a towel, consoled by tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, before delivering a tearful on-court speech where she struggled to hold back sobs.

This loss marked the first of three consecutive French Open defeats to Swiatek for Gauff (including a 2023 quarterfinal and 2024 semifinal), cementing their lopsided head-to-head at 11-1 in Swiatek’s favor as of October 2025. Yet, it also fueled Gauff’s fire: she channeled the pain into her first Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open, defeating Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in a thrilling comeback.

The Family’s Raw Reaction: Tears and Perspective
Gauff’s composure on court masked the emotional whirlwind awaiting her off it. In a candid press conference immediately after the final, the teen phenom shared how the loss rippled through her family, who had traveled from Florida to cheer her on. Her younger brother, Codey (then around 10 years old), was particularly devastated—bursting into tears that tugged at Gauff’s heartstrings.

> “After the match, my little brother was crying and I felt so bad, because I was trying to just tell him, it’s just a tennis match,” Gauff said, her voice cracking as she recounted the scene.
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> “Everybody’s crying. I think for them to see me so upset, I think that’s what hurt them the most.”

She elaborated on the “roller coaster” of emotions from the two-week tournament: the highs of upsets, the pressure of expectations, and the sting of falling short in her first major final. “I don’t know how to handle the emotions, the tears just come,” she admitted, explaining her on-court breakdown as a release of pent-up feelings rather than defeat alone. Despite the pain, Gauff emphasized resilience, noting her family’s quick pivot to normalcy: “Tomorrow, or even tonight, we’re going to play cards again and we are going to laugh and we are going to be fine.”

Gauff’s parents, Corey and Candi—her father a former track athlete and her mother a coach—have been pillars in her career, relocating the family to Florida for better training. Their visible support during the final, coupled with Codey’s innocent devastation, underscored the sacrifices behind Gauff’s prodigious rise. In a tweet hours after the match, Gauff herself struck an optimistic note: “these past two weeks have been filled with so many emotions and i am so grateful for this moment… grand slam finalist…. i’ll bounce back.”

Echoes in the Tennis World and Gauff’s Growth
The story resurfaced in June 2025 amid Gauff’s strong clay-court form, drawing renewed empathy from fans and analysts. On X, posts highlighted the quote as a reminder of Gauff’s maturity beyond her years, with one user noting, “Coco’s been carrying that family pressure since she was a kid—her brother’s tears say it all.” It also contrasted sharply with her 2024 French Open semifinal tears, which stemmed from a controversial umpire call rather than the final itself.

Now 21 and world No. 4 (as of October 2025), Gauff has transformed that 2022 vulnerability into strength. She’s since added the 2023 US Open singles title, Olympic doubles gold (with Jessica Pegula in 2024), and multiple WTA 1000 crowns. Reflecting on the loss in 2025 interviews, Gauff said she was “super proud” of reaching the final and used it as a “challenging experience” to grow—both as a player and in managing the emotional weight of her journey.

In tennis, where family bonds often blur with professional dreams, Gauff’s story resonates as a testament to shared joy and sorrow. As she eyes another French Open run in 2026, one thing’s clear: the tears of 2022 were just fuel for the fire. 💪🎾