Coco Gauff had a dramatic turnaround last year after Wimbledon, and she shared what changed behind the scenes.
There are a few things that contributed to the American’s amazing run last year, but most of that comes from within. Gauff described the early exit from Wimbledon as one of the lowest points of her career.
It certainly wasn’t a great moment after the clay season, which also wasn’t spectacular, but she would turn things around pretty quickly. It was a major surprise to everybody how things changed.
Part of that was due to her coaching change, but mostly, it’s about her own realization. She spoke about it after her winning start at the Madrid Open, where she had her first double bagel win.
“I guess after the loss at Wimbledon, I felt a lot of expectations from other people, and it took me a while to really dig deep within myself and realize why am I not enjoying it so much. I was playing for other people, and I realized that. It took a lot of soul-searching.”
The shift in mindset completely transformed Gauff, who was able to get out of her head a little bit after that and simply play. She would play wonderfully, winning some trophies, including her maiden Grand Slam at the US Open. On a more private note, it made her enjoy playing tennis much more.
“That was the switch after Wimbledon last year. I realized that I needed to play for myself and figure out why I started this sport, and it’s to make my goals come true. My results started after that. That’s the mindset that I try to remember and to keep it all the time. I’m just so much happier playing.”
Although this year she’s yet to win a big title, she still keeps winning, and with the way she played in Madrid, that may become her lucky place.
