Coco Gauff battles through injury concerns, shaky form, and serving adjustments, yet her relentless grit keeps her firmly alive at the Miami Open. The American carved her way into a first-ever semifinal with a hard-fought 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 win over Belinda Bencic. Despite inconsistency and four straight three-set tests, she continues to grind out results when it matters most.

“I think it just shows my mind, and it’s just all about mentality out there at the end of the day,” said Gauff at the post-match press conference. She stressed the importance of belief. Mental strength remains her biggest tool.

“I think I have to believe that I belong where I am. I think sometimes I can get impostor syndrome, and even when they’re saying my accomplishments during the warm-up, it doesn’t feel like me, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I actually do have a good career’. But it doesn’t feel like that sometimes in the moment, because you’re just working on things.”

She then addressed her serve. It has been a major focus in recent months. The doubts are still present.

“Especially with my serve, it just feels like I shouldn’t be where I am. But tennis doesn’t lie, the ball doesn’t lie, so I just have to believe in myself, and my coach has been reminding me: ‘Remember who you are, and you’re a good player.’ They’ve been putting that into my head. At moments I believe in it, at moments I don’t. So I’m just trying to believe it more.”

Her performance against Bencic stood out. It was her best of the tournament. She showed resilience throughout the match. Gauff retrieved difficult balls. She turned defense into attack. Her movement gave her the edge.

In baseline rallies, she stayed composed. She used variation effectively. Her drop shots made a difference. Her serve has faced criticism. She recently changed her motion. The adjustment came under coach Gavin Macmillan.

Macmillan is known for his work with Aryna Sabalenka. The goal is to improve consistency. Progress is still ongoing. Against Bencic, her serve held up well. She hit six aces. She also limited mistakes to five double faults.

The Miami Open has not been her strongest event. It was the only WTA 1000 where she had not reached a quarter-final. That made this run significant. Now, she faces Karolina Muchova in the semifinals. Gauff leads their H2H 5-0. Their last meeting came at the Australian Open.

Muchová enters in strong form. She has an 18-0 record this year against players outside the top three. She also won a WTA 1000 title in Doha.

Gauff knows what to expect. “It’s just who can outthink the other in the 30-all or deuce point,” Gauff said of their upcoming meeting. “That’s really how I view matches when I play someone over and over.”

Belief remains her biggest challenge. She has battled it since early in her career. Yet, her resilience continues to define her journey.

How Coco Gauff overcame self-doubt to win two Grand Slam titles

At the US Open 2023, Coco Gauff fulfilled long-standing expectations. The 19-year-old prodigy claimed her first Grand Slam title. It marked a defining moment in her career.

The journey was not simple. Gauff had to overcome more than court pressure. Self-doubt followed her for years.

She burst onto the scene at Wimbledon at just 15. She became the youngest player in the Open Era to reach the main draw. That early success raised expectations instantly.

Pressure built quickly around her. Many expected her to win a Grand Slam early. That weight stayed with her. “It’s been a long journey to this point,” Gauff said after the US Open win. Her words reflected years of struggle. The moment carried deep meaning.

“I think people put a lot of pressure on me to win, and I felt that I had to win a slam at 15. … I felt like I had a time limit on when I should win [a Slam], and if I won one after a certain age, then it wouldn’t be an achievement.” The expectations shaped her mindset. They created internal doubt.

Even after success, doubts remained. At the French Open last year, she faced another test. She defeated Aryna Sabalenka to claim the title. But the emotional impact ran deeper. “Waking up and starting to realize it was indeed not a dream,” Gauff wrote. She reflected on her journey.

“Losing in the finals here 3 years ago had created a lot of doubt in my head. I thought I could never overcome the pressure; I thought holding this trophy would never happen. I thought my dreams were so close to happening but would never come true,” she added in her Instagram. “So to be here…. means absolutely everything. The more I started to dig deeper into my thoughts, I realized deep down I didn’t truly believe any of those thoughts, deep down I realized that I can do it and I refused to let those thoughts consume me. the younger coco would have looked at me crazy because that girl never doubted a thing in her life especially when it came to tennis.”

“But needless to say, I learned having doubt enter your head is impossible to escape but not impossible to overcome. Yesterday was a result of that. I overcame… and if I can, so can you.🫶🏾“I ain’t never had a doubt inside me and if I ever told you that I did I ‘m lying.”

Now, a new challenge stands ahead. The Miami Open presents another opportunity. The question remains whether she can overcome what she calls “impostor syndrome” again and claim the title this time.