Right at the start of this year, Coco Gauff said, “one of the goals I wrote down on my vision thing, vision note, in my phone, was to win a medal in the Olympics.” It was her dream to represent her nation at the Olympics and win a medal. While she succeeded in the former, Gauff failed horribly in the latter! The youngest flag bearer for Team USA at the Olympics broke down in tears after her R3 exit from the singles. A lot of controversies floated in with her loss to Donna Vekic in the R3. Everyone hoped she’d bounce back with a medal in the other two events, but even there she failed. How does the 20-year-old cope with all these pressures and expectations surrounding herself? Hear the 20-year-old’s “perspective” yourself!

From becoming the first American teenager to win the US Open since Serena Williams (1999) to failing to live up to the expectations of her countrymen on a bigger stage, Gauff has seen a lot in the last few years. These ups and downs at such an early stage of her career have brought an enormous amount of maturity to this youngster. How does she look at her failures now? While giving an interview in Toronto, the current world number 2 revealed, “Yeah, it’s definitely difficult. I feel like a lot of times people play their best tennis against higher-ranked players, and that’s just because they have nothing to lose. So it’s definitely a difference.“

She thinks these matches eventually make her a better player. “If everybody’s playing me at their high level it can only make me better,” said the 20-year-old. Gauff further went on to add that getting success at such an early age makes the fans forget that she’s still in her developing stage. So, this is an external pressure that she feels the players have to manage efficiently to bring the best out of themselves. Reflecting on her debut at the Games, she said, “The Olympics was a great learning experience for me, and it really showed me that perspective a lot.“

Gauff wanted to come home with “something“, but she came empty-handed. She’s disappointed, but she doesn’t want to give up! She has already set her targets for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The American tennis star admitted that she’d love to yet again participate in all the three events over there and she’s hopeful that she’d be on the podium next time.

“I just feel like that’s what my life consists of, having a disappointing result and then the next time is the best thing in the world,“- this statement reflects a lot about her maturity and her willingness to never give up! Gauff’s precocious talent often overshadows her young age, making it seem as though she’s forgotten how old she is. And she rightly admits so herself!

“I definitely do forget my age a lot” – Gauff’s take on her maturity levels at such a young age

Once during an interview, Gauff said, “I’ve lived so many lives the last four years, that I just feel older than 19. I definitely do forget my age a lot.” Gauff made her professional debut in 2018, since then, she has won 182 matches and lost almost 80 matches in her career so far. Now why I’m mentioning this? The sole purpose of this is to tell the readers that irrespective of the results of all 262 matches, she has always ensured she learned something from each and every match. This perhaps has brought in so much maturity in her at 20. Several of her fellow tennis stars also acknowledge her incredible maturity at such a young age.

During the 2024 French Open, Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur reflected her love for the American stating, “I think she is really mature for her age and she’s really an amazing person as well.” Even Gauff’s compatriot who has seen her from a closer distance said the same. During a press conference ahead of the Canadian Open, her compatriot Jessica Pegula added, “I think she’s (Gauff) grown up a lot and matured over the last few years. I think now she’s much more sure of herself and kind of knows what she wants.”

What are your thoughts on these opinions? Do you agree or disagree with the assessments of Coco Gauff? Let us know in the comments section below.