Venus Williams congratulates Coco Gauff after her big US Open win

From one tennis icon to another, Venus Williams is showing Coco Gauff the love after her U.S. Open win on Sept. 9.

After TODAY posted a video of co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb's interview with the 19-year-old on Sept. 9, Williams commented on YouTube, "congrats coco <3."

It was a full circle moment, since Gauff initially made her tennis mark in July 2019 by beating Williams at Wimbledon and becoming the youngest player to ever qualify for the main draw.

At the U.S. Open women's final Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York City, Gauff defeated Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka 6-2 in the last set.

"It's so crazy, I don't think I've gotten to digest. Even last night I was telling myself, 'You're a Grand Slam champion,'" Gauff told Savannah. "It doesn't feel real at all."

Hoda then pointed to an iconic moment when Gauff laid down on the court, asking how it felt to "take it all in."

The champion explained that "it hit all at once," but that she didn't allow herself to think about winning too much or she'd "start shaking," adding that she hasn't historically won on the first match point.

"I was a little bit shocked and I couldn't breathe either," she recalled with a laugh.

Gauff also revealed what she said on court when she dropped to her knees and appeared to say a prayer.

"I was just saying, 'Thank you,' and 'I understood all the tough times were just to make that moment even sweeter,'" she said. "I think if it came easy...I wouldn't feel as appreciative as I did in that moment, clearly."

The last time Gauff was in a Grand Slam final, she said she "couldn't sleep the whole night." But that changed this year — even if just for several hours — thanks to her boyfriend who stayed up talking to her until 1 a.m. the night before.

"I was like OK it's 1, so I have to go to sleep if I actually want to be productive tomorrow," she said, adding that talking to him helped her get some shut-eye.

When Hoda asked what they were talking about, Gauff replied, "Anything but (the game)."

However, that wasn't the only notable call Gauff made around the time of the match.

The tennis star told Savannah and Hoda that she attempted to call both of her brothers right after her win, but neither picked up the phone. She also called her grandma, and said that another person answered.

Unfortunately, when her one of her brothers returned her call, the closing ceremony was already underway.

She later shared a video of one of her brother's screaming reaction to her win on Twitter on Sept. 11.

"No wonder my brother didn’t answer the phone. legend says he’s still screaming to this day," she captioned the post.

Her historic victory as a young Black American is now being compared to Serena Williams, who remains the youngest player to formerly make it to the finals at age 17 in 1999.

On Sept. 7, after beating Karolína Muchová in straight sets, Gauff spoke to ESPN about the comparison.

“Serena is Serena. She’s the GOAT,” she said, using the acronym for the greatest of all time. “I’d hope to do half of what she did. But I’m not going to compare myself to her. She’s someone that I look up to.”

Though she didn't accept the notion of "taking the torch" from the 23-time Grand Slam title holder, Gauff said that she does regret missing the chance to play against Williams, who stepped away from her solo tennis career in 2022.

“Being in the same stat line as her means a lot to me,” Gauff said. “She’s my idol and I think the only regret I’ll have for the rest of my life is not being able to play her. There were so many tournaments where if we won an extra round or didn’t lose, I would’ve played her. But I’m still happy to just be a product of her legacy and be out here.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com