Coco Gauff Confesses to Feeling Like an ‘Impostor’ As She Professes Love for Her Favourite Grand Slam

America’s WTA star Coco Gauff made a shocking revelation about her Grand Slam dreams. The reigning US Open champion had a bad Wimbledon experience last year as Sofia Kenin defeated her in the tournament’s first round. When she was asked whether she felt desperate to win this prestigious title, she dropped a straightforward “no”. This American youngster made her fans aware of her “terrible” feelings afterward.

Coco Gauff’s hard-court season was better than her Wimbledon performance last season. Apart from winning the prestigious US Open, her first Grand Slam title, she bagged the DC Open title and reached the Cincinnati Open’s semifinals. Despite that, she felt like a “fluke”. However, amid all the discussion, Gauff delved deeper into why the US Open tournament remains so special to her among all the Grand Slam titles.

 Gauff admits having “imposter syndrome” and “weird feeling” about winning US Open

Coco Gauff is currently participating in the Stuttgart Open or Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Before that, she attended a press conference and spoke about her last year’s hard court experiences in detail. The interviewer asked her about whether she felt dedicated to winning the Wimbledon title after a disappointing first-round exit last season. In her response, Gauff said- “Yeah, no, after Wimbledon I was feeling terrible, so I was, like, I just need to get through the rest of the year mentally and try to push through. My eyes were set on Australia and trying to win that.”

Gauff then spoke about progressing in both the DC Open and the Cincinnati Open last year. Thereafter, she mentioned having “imposter syndrome” throughout her US Open campaign. The 20-year-old player said- “I very often have imposter syndrome, so I didn’t have any hopes for anything. After I had a tough match against Laura Siegemund in the first round, I was like, well, I was happy to get out of the first round. I had a lot of tough matches that week at US Open, or two weeks. I can’t say that I confidently felt like I was going to win that tournament literally until I was in the final, and when I woke up the day to play the final, I just felt like no matter what happened I wasn’t going to lose that day. It was a weird feeling to have, but I just felt it.”

Coco Gauff’s revelation about last year’s US Open win showcases that every great player goes through mental turmoil of some form or the other while playing big tournaments. It was commendable to see the American WTA star shine gloriously after her shocking Wimbledon failure last year. On the other hand, she revealed why the US Open was so special for her.

Gauff reveals her love for “home country” Grand Slam

While being asked about her Grand Slam dream, Gauff started off by saying that the US Open was her favorite.  “US Open was always the main one I wanted to win just because it’s in my home country.” 

However, apart from the US Open, Gauff seemed charmed by the French Open too. It was for another reason. She said- “I’m going to go with French Open just because Paris is my favorite city. Been coming to France since I was 10 years old. It’s almost like a second home. I’m going to go with French Open.”

Coco Gauff’s revelation about her “imposter” syndrome represents that even a confident and hardworking player like her can feel demotivated. However, the way this American WTA star ensured her Grand Slam win last year shows her indomitable spirit to prove her naysayers wrong.