Coco Gauff proudly lifted a trophy inside the same Paris stadium where she once felt overwhelmed.

Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz were the 2025 French Open champions and between them they now have seven Grand Slam singles titles, and they might just be ready to take the tennis world into a new era.

Coco Gauff played inspiring tennis at Roland Garros and had a perfect responseCredit: Getty

Where will tennis go without Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is the sport’s perennial question.

Who will replace Venus Williams and Novak Djokovic in a sport that has relied upon big names and bigger rivalries for decades?

It might have had its answer on the red dirt of Roland Garros.

Gauff fought back from a set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka, the all-conquering powerhouse who has dominated the women’s game for the last 12 months.

Relatable electricity.

Social-media cool blended with old-school poise.

Carlos Alcaraz kept fighting to win the men’s final in the 2025 French OpenCredit: Getty

Gauff met Serena Williams as a child and has been compared to herCredit: X@cocogauff

Rafael Nadal and Alcaraz both hail from SpainCredit: Getty

Modern brilliance.

“Congratulations my fellow flag bearer @CocoGauff,” tweeted NBA legend LeBron James, on top of a tweet from former United States President Barack Obama.

“Sports world is showing off lately!! What a great final @rolandgarros,” posted Burnley FC minority owner and former NFL superstar J.J. Watt.

Gauff was pure athletic inspiration on Saturday.

World No. 1 Sabalenka dominated early and had the power to erase Gauff in two quick sets.

Add in Gauff’s emotional French Open backstory – she was overwhelmed as an 18-year-old in the 2022 final – and tears were certain to flow.

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“It was a tough time, I was doubting myself,” said Gauff, while recalling a lopsided loss to Iga Swiatek.

“I was crying before the match and so nervous – literally couldn’t breathe and stuff.”

Sabalenka 7-6 (5) in the first set became Gauff 6-2 in the second.

Gauff kept staring straight-faced across the net, collecting points and respect in Paris.

Sabalenka couldn’t contain mounting frustration – constantly yelling into the stands and battling opponents who weren’t on the clay – then tried to undercut Gauff’s poise in the aftermath.

“It felt like she (Gauff) was hitting the ball off the frame, and somehow magically it lands in the court,” Sabalenka said.

Gauff persevered in the women’s final at Roland Garros and sent a message afterCredit: Getty

“I don’t think she won the match because she played incredible, just because I made all those mistakes.”

Gauff pre-empted Sabalenka’s hollow Instagram apology with the class of a two-time major champion who’s beginning to understand her sport-changing potential.

“I don’t agree with that. I’m sitting here,” said Gauff, who has 10 singles titles and whose net worth is estimated at $35 million.

“And last time I played, no shade to Iga or anything, but I played her and I won in straight sets, so I don’t think that’s a fair thing to say because anything can really happen.

“Honestly, the way Aryna was playing the last few weeks, she was the favorite to win, so I think she was the best person that I could have played in the final.”

And the better person won the women’s final.

Roger Federer and Nadal have been together for decades, on and off the courtCredit: GETTY

Twenty-four hours later, Alcaraz stretched the limits of time while refusing to relent.

It was 2-0 Jannik Sinner, the men’s No. 1, who was fresh off a three-month ban for doping.

Then Alcaraz became Nadal-like, pulling off a 3-2 stunner that echoed Federer and Djokovic at their athletic peaks.

“Today it was all about the belief in myself,” said Alcaraz, who has 20 titles and an estimated net worth of $40 million.

It was also about inspiring the next generation of tennis stars and casual weekenders, who could feel the power of Alcaraz’s surreal returns and cross-court burners from thousands of miles away.

Gauff started playing tennis at 6 and once had a poster of Serena on her bedroom wall.

Alcaraz is now linked with Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl, Andre Agassi and Nadal, and will soon return to southwest London to defend his Wimbledon crown.

Vacuums rarely exist in our nonstop sports world and, when they do, they are always filled.

The real world has been toying with disaster for months, and only became more chaotic while Gauff and Alcaraz were pushing tennis into its next era in France.

A 21-year-old and 22-year-old were the perfect reminders that the future is never that far away.

“Obviously there’s a lot going on in our country right now with … everything,” Gauff said