American tennis player Coco Gauff has become a major name on the WTA tour. At the young age of 15, she managed to beat players like Venus Williams and Naomi Osaka at the grand slams. Now, she’s 16. She also managed to win her first WTA title at the 2019 Linz Open.
American teenager Coco Gauff said she struggled to deal with the hype and mental pressure brought on by her rapid rise in tennis and had to rediscover her love for the game after becoming depressed.
Coco is certainly doing amazingly well especially when you consider her age but her journey to reach this stage was not a smooth one. She has described this journey in Noah Rubin’s ‘Behind The Racquet’. Check it out.
How Coco Gauff Reached The Top
Coco Gauff in her talk told that she felt that she had a lot of pressure on her. She said.
“Throughout my life, I was always the youngest to do things, which added hype that I didn’t want. It added this pressure that I needed to do well fast.”
She also said that once she let go of this pressure she started to get results. Moving on, she talked about a time when she contemplated what she wanted to. She said,
“Right before Wimbledon, going back to around 2017/18, I was struggling to figure out if this was really what I wanted. I just found myself not enjoying what I loved.
I realized I needed to start playing for myself and not other people. For about a year I was really depressed. That was the toughest year for me so far.”
Such times are difficult for many people and especially for Coco Gauff as she was very young. She was so confused that she contemplated taking a year off to focus on her life.
Gauff said she felt friendless due to her “dark mindset”. However, Coco did not take a year off that and she describes how. She said,
“Choosing not to obviously was the right choice, but I was close to not going in that direction. I was just lost,” she said. “I was confused and overthinking if this was what I wanted or what others did.
Coco Gauff, Venus Williams
“It took many moments sitting, thinking and crying. I came out of it stronger and knowing myself better than ever.
Everyone asks me how I stay calm on court and I think it’s because I accepted who I am after overcoming low points in my life.”
This story of Coco Gauff’s life is absolutely amazing. We all must appreciate how she overcame such obstacles to become a top tennis player. Let’s hope this story continues with her winning some major titles now and in the future.
