The 2025 French Open women’s final took place on Saturday in Paris, which saw Coco Gauff defeat the No. 1 ranked Aryna Sabalenka to win her second Grand Slam singles title.
Gauff mounted a stunning comeback to knock off Sabalenka, and in doing so, became the first American to win the French Open since Serena Williams in 2015.
The 21-year-old previously defeated Sabalenka in similar fashion to capture her first Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open.
Gauff has received congratulatory messages from many well-known figures on social media, including Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James:
I SECOND THAT!!! Congratulations my fellow flag bearer @CocoGauff 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🤎 https://t.co/DAWugITVZy
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 7, 2025
James and Gauff have mutual respect for each other as two of the greatest athletes in their respective sports, with the former dominating basketball for more than two decades and the latter being one of the brightest stars in tennis today.
LeBron and Coco also have the distinction of being the two flag bearers for Team USA at the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony in Paris.
It’s a very special honor given to athletes voted on by other Olympians to show the best representation of the country at the games.
The Lakers star said it was truly special to represent the USA in this fashion while adding that he is ‘super appreciative’ and ‘super humbled’ to have been selected to be the male flag bearer for his country.
LeBron James explains why kids don’t need basketball trainers
Given all that he has accomplished in a career that has spanned more than two decades, it is easy to forget LeBron James was once a rookie looking to find his way in the league.
During a recent episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast, James said his early training routine was simple and consisted of playing pickup games with friends as opposed to having a strict trainer.
James revealed that he didn’t get a basketball trainer until his fourth year with the Cleveland Cavaliers and that all of his on-court work before games was simply playing against teammates.
Among other topics discussed on his podcast appearance, James also explained what made him fall in love with basketball, noting that he was inspired by players such as Michael Jordan, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and Grant Hill.
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