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The men’s and women’s finals at this year’s US Open were won by icons of freedom and faith — Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff.

Djokovic, formerly barred from the US over his vaccination status, won his match in straight sets to equal the most grand slam titles in history. 

Meanwhile Gauff, a teenager and outspoken Christian seen praying after her win, staged a thrilling comeback to secure her first major singles trophy.

Djokovic: Once Deported, Now Dominant

On a sweltering Sunday night in Queens, New York, Djokovic beat Russian Daniil Medvedev in straight sets 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3, to snatch a fourth US Open and his 24th grand slam title.

A member of the Serbian Orthodox Church and well known for his charitable work, in recent years Djokovic has been in the spotlight most for his views on medical freedom.

In 2022, the Serb was barred from entering the United States for his choice to remain vaccine-free, ruling him out of last year’s US Open.

Just months earlier, he was infamously deported from Australia for holding incorrect views on Covid-19 vaccines, locking him out of the 2022 Australian Open.

Then Minister for Immigration Alex Hawke used executive powers designed to combat terrorism to deport the tennis star, arguing that Djokovic’s mere presence in Australia could incite “civil unrest” and encourage anti-vaccine sentiment.

“I was never against vaccination,” Djokovic later explained in an interview with the BBC, also confirming he’d had vaccines as a child, “but I’ve always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body.”

In total, vaccine mandates deprived Djokovic of a potential prize pool of $13.38 million from eight events at which he was favoured to win.

Vaccine-Free Djokovic Vindicated

In his vindicating victory at the US Open over the weekend, the 36-year-old clinched an unexpected accolade: Djokovic’s match-winning play was named “Moderna Shot of the Day”.

It was an irony not lost on freedom advocates who took to X, formerly Twitter, to poke fun at the painful paradox.

The oldest male to win an American grand slam title in the open era, Novak Djokovic has now secured his dominance in men’s tennis. He has won two more titles than any other men’s player in history and now equals Margaret Court for the most titles of all time.

Following his victories at the Australian Open and the French Open earlier this year, Djokovic is also the first man to claim three grand slam singles titles in a season four times over, having also achieved the trifecta in 2011, 2015 and 2021.

Coco Gauff and Her Christian Faith

Known for her outspoken Christian faith, on Saturday Coco Gauff became the first American teenager to win the US Open since Serena Williams in 1999.

Riding the crest of a career-high 12-match winning streak, the 19-year-old Floridian rallied after a slow start to beat Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Gauff took advantage of Sabalenka’s 46 unforced errors, more than double her own total of 19, to take out her first grand slam title in front of a rhapsodic crowd.

As reported by Christian Post, Coco Gauff is a member of the historic Saint John Missionary Baptist Church in Boynton Beach, Florida, and has previously spoken about the importance of her faith and church family.

After the match, Gauff was asked by an ESPN analyst what the win meant to her. She responded:

Oh my goodness. It means so much to me. I feel like I’m a little bit in shock in this moment. That French Open loss was a heartbreak for me. I realised God puts you through tribulations and trials. This makes this moment even more sweeter than I could imagine.

The Prayer That Broke the Internet

When the interviewer asked further about her faith, Gauff explained: 

I don’t pray for results. I just ask that I get the strength to give it my all. Whatever happens, happens. I’m so blessed in this life. I’m just thankful for this moment. I don’t have any words for it, to be honest.

Moments earlier, Gauff was seen kneeling in prayer with her head bowed to thank God for her victory.

Social media was set alight by the incident, when ESPN’s SportsCentre posted a video of the sacred moment with a caption that missed the mark: “Coco Gauff took a moment to soak it all in after winning her first Grand Slam title.”

“I’m an atheist but even I can tell she’s praying here,” Australian journalist Rita Panahi hit back, in the first of many replies to issue the correction.

NFL Hall of Famer and NBC analyst Tony Dungy, also known to wear his Christian faith in public, reposted SportsCentre’s fumble with a gentle rebuke:

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