Coco Gauff Reflects on Pressure She Put on Herself Early in Career

The 18-year-old tennis star admitted that “I would think that people would only like me if I won.”

At only 18 years old, Coco Gauff has become quite the tennis phenom.

It all started when she beat Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019 as a 15-year-old. She instantly became one of the biggest American names in tennis.

Fast forward to 2022 and she made her first Grand Slam final at the French Open. She ended up losing to Iga Świątek, which left Gauff disappointed but also positive about the future of her tennis career.

Gauff recently opened up to The Telegraph to discuss the pressure she’s felt to succeed in her young career because of the incredible feats she’s already accomplished.

“People come up to me and say they support me regardless of whether I win or lose, and it almost brings me to tears,” Gauff said. “Because when I was younger, even 15 or 16, I would think that people would only like me if I won.” 

Even though Gauff has yet to capture her first Grand Slam title, she still has plenty of opportunity to do so. The French Open final was her first glimpse of what she could accomplish in her career, and now she’s ready to have a more positive outlook on her career.

The American admitted that she’s grown over the last few years after having such early success.

“I think I’ve learnt a lot over the last three years,” Gauff said. “That moment—beating Venus at Wimbledon—made me believe that my dreams were closer to reality than it felt. It was definitely a lot to deal with. The biggest thing I’ve learnt is you don’t have to care about what other people expect from you. Just enjoy the moment. I wasn’t enjoying the moment then.” 

Now, Gauff heads into the third major of the year at Wimbledon next week. According to SI Sportsbook, the 18-year-old has the second best odds (+1050) to win the tournament behind Świątek.

• Daily Cover: The Case for Drafting Jabari Smith No. 1