“She was already being talked about as a future major winner, just nobody thought it was going to happen at 17 at that US Open,” Pam Shriver, the ex-WTA pro and American icon, said back in 2021 on Serena Williams’ historic feat in 1999. The eventual 23-time slam queen won her maiden major trophy, defeating Martina Hingis at the US Open. Over her long career, Williams inspired many to pick up the racket. Among them was the current world No. 2 Coco Gauff, who, too, was a teenager—19 to be precise—when she won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open. And like her idol Serena, Gauff’s been expected to keep the winning habit intact. However, it seems the now 21-year-old is beginning to feel the heat.

Since Williams’ milestone in 1999, Gauff became the youngest American to win the US Open. Laurels have continued to come her way, with many of them having the tag of the ‘youngest’. In November last year, she became the youngest woman, aged 20, to lift the WTA Finals trophy since Maria Sharapova in 2004. Even when Gauff made her slam debut at the 2019 Wimbledon, she was the youngest qualifier ever, aged 15, to make it to the main draw of the tournament.

At the ongoing French Open, Gauff kicked off her campaign on Tuesday. She ousted Aussie Olivia Gadecki in the first round, continuing her fine form that was on display in Madrid and Rome. And as she tries to place her claim on her second Grand Slam title, the expectations of her are sky high. After all, if she manages to go all the way, she would be the first American since, again, Serena Williams in 2015, to win the French Open. Moreover, having won a Grand Slam title as early as she did, it should be a bit easier for her, right? But early success is hardly that simple. During the post-match conference, dated May 27, Gauff shared her honest thoughts. “I feel like for me it felt harder just because I felt like in my game and maturity wise I was nowhere near ready to win one (slam) in the early ages, like being a teenager, but everyone expected it because of that hype train around it.”

Throwing more light on the pressure of expectations on a young player, Gauff presented a valid point. She pointed out that in tennis, not many players reach their peak when they are young and just starting out. Giving an example, Gauff added, “I mean, look at Sabalenka, for like she, not later, because she’s still young. But people in our sport think of it like that. But any other sport, most people are peaking a bit later.”

Sabalenka, who is 27, is in a different stage of her career than Gauff, and she didn’t win her first Grand Slam (Australian Open) until she was 23. But she reached her peak last year, winning two slams, alongside other WTA titles, while maintaining her position at the No. 1 spot. Maybe it’s not about being young, but improving your game to become better with time. Right? Perhaps that’s what Gauff tried to convey.

Coming back to the part of pressure, she concluded, “It’s all situational for me. I think it just depends on when you first came on tour how much quote unquote hype it is, if the player’s able to knock all that out, because it is tough to sometimes.” Well, one thing is clear. She wants no pressure going forward to distract her from her goal. And that is to win the second major of her career in Paris this season. To take another step closer to it, she will step on the clay on Thursday in the second round.

Coco Gauff faces slam debutant Tereza Valentova in French Open

Similar to how Coco Gauff made her slam debut in 2019 as a teenager at Wimbledon, Czechia’s Tereza Valentova has entered the French Open as an 18-year-old. She defeated Simona Waltert in the qualifying stages, ensuring a spot for herself in the main draws of the 2025 Roland Garros.

With that, Valentova also confirmed her maiden slam campaign. And guess what? It started on a flying note as well. She beat Frenchwoman Chloé Paquet in the first round on Tuesday. The Czech national won her first-ever slam draw with a score line of 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Now, it’s time for her to compete against a much tougher opponent in Gauff. The latter didn’t face many obstacles against Gadecki in the first round, wrapping up the encounter in straight sets (6-2, 6-2). But she was nervous nonetheless, going into the round. Thankfully, the whole racket conundrum helped calm the nerves.

“I knew the conditions were going to be difficult,” reported WTA’s website on May 27. “It’s kind of one of those matches I went into knowing it wasn’t going to be pretty tennis all the time. I think it just, with that mindset going in, it just makes you feel better necessarily when you aren’t winning the points the way you kind of want to,” added Gauff.

Gauff’s first-round win was her 21st in French Open’s main draws. She would like to extend the streak further against Valentova on Thursday. What’s your prediction ahead of this face-off? Let us know in the comments below.