During Coco Gauff’s two-week journey to becoming the United States Open women’s champion, a video of her cheering at the Open more than 10 years ago began to make the rounds. What happened between that moment a decade ago and her victorious match Saturday is the stuff of storybooks.

It’s hard to imagine that Novak Djokovic or his 24th major victory – which placed him two Grand Slams ahead of Rafael Nadal – might be forced to share the spotlight. Yet the sensational Serb, who matched his devastating service returns with words of humility and grace, made room for one of the biggest young stars in tennis.

One year after Serena Williams’ swan song in Flushing Meadows, her proud understudy became the queen of Queens with a thrilling three-set victory over Aryna Sabalenka. Four years prior, she became a household name when she defeated Venus Williams in the first round of Wimbledon and has worked since to turn potential into something more tangible.

The realization of that promise is a story of community – of nature and nurture. Ms. Gauff made sure to celebrate other Black female major champions who influenced and inspired her career. “It's an honor to be in that [group] with Althea Gibson, Serena, Venus, Naomi [Osaka], Sloane [Stephens]. They paved the way for me to be here,” she said in her post-match conference.

In an age when parents in youth sports can be overbearing, Corey and Candi Gauff took a different path. Corey, who was his daughter’s longtime coach, took a step back and made room for both Pere Riba and Brad Gilbert on Team Coco. 

The results have spoken for themselves, and the Gauff family and their tennis team have shown the value of patience. There is no timetable for greatness. Yet this weekend, it arrived.