Coco Gauff doesn’t switch off, she just keeps competing. A friendly UNO session with family? She is always up for it. A book reading challenge with her beau? Well, even that’s a thrilling competition for Coco. That is just who she is, a fierce competitor. “It’s her competitiveness, her composure, and her refusal to leave the court,” Australian commentator Casey Dellacqua said last year, talking about the indomitable spirit of Coco. Displaying that again, the 20-year-old had a fun outing with her close circle, and her intensity kicked in turning the laid-back event into a battle. After all, for Gauff, every moment is a chance to win, even if it’s off the court.

The American tennis sensation started her 2025 season quite well, guiding Team USA to another United Cup title, but her campaign at the Australian Open was disappointing, as she lost to Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals. And, her form only spiraled down afterward. The 2023 US Open champion exited the Qatar Open, losing in the first round to Marta Kostyuk. She then participated in the Dubai Tennis Championships but fell short to McCartney Kessler in the opening round again. Despite the back-to-back setbacks, Gauff hasn’t let her spirit dampen.

When she reached Dubai after the Qatar defeat, Coco celebrated Valentine’s Day with her mother, enjoying sumptuous food in Dubai mall. She was unfazed by the first-round defeat in Qatar and her spirits remained the same even after suffering the same fate in Dubai. She got back home having completed her assignments in the Middle East swing and soon after, indulged in a fun session with her friends and family involving paintball. Gauff shared a short clip on her IG story featuring her paint gun. “Paintball is fun lol. If we have beef let’s squash it out here,” she wrote.

For anyone who knows Coco Gauff, she never backs down. Last year, she revealed a great deal about her competitiveness as she talked about a reading challenge with her boyfriend Jalen Sera. “So at first, my goal was to read 12 books, one per month. Then my boyfriend has this thing where he reads the amount of books as the year we’re in, so 24 in 2024, 23 in 2023. “So when he said he was going to read 24, I got super competitive and I doubled my goal to match his and I like trying to finish faster than him, I’m two books ahead, so I’m winning right now,” she said at the media day of Ecotrans Ladies Open last year.

Even Gauff’s peers are well aware of her winning mentality. During the 2025 AO, the American pro-Christopher Eubanks narrated his experience of attending an Escape Room challenge with Ben Shelton and Coco. Reflecting on his rough time, the ATP star said, “Coco, Ben, and I went to our usual escape room place here in Melbourne. All of a sudden Ben and I show up and Coco goes, ‘I made sure to reserve the hardest room this time.’ So we go, ‘Why on earth would you do that.’ But she is an escape room vet. ” 

Adding more, Eubanks revealed how he disappointed Gauff with one mistake. “I’m sure if you ask Coco about it, she is gonna be the first to say well, “Chris had one of the clues and he didn’t think it was a clue! So then we went away from it for 5 minutes.” I know she is gonna hang that over my head,” he concluded.

If Coco brings this sort of tenacity off the court, imagine the fire she unleashes when it truly matters- that is on the court.

Coco Gauff’s personality fuels her drive to win more titles

Gauff truly has the heart of a champion. When she clinched her maiden GS title with a thrilling victory over Aryna Sabalenka, she took a dig at the critics who doubted her potential. “To those who thought they were putting water on my fire, they were adding gas to it. Now, I’m burning so bright right now,” she said post her title triumph at the 2023 US Open.

Gauff’s winning mentality was clearly evident to Patrick Mouratoglou as well, who witnessed it when she joined his academy at 10. “She impressed me with her determination, athleticism, and fighting spirit. When she looks at you and tells you she will be number one, you can only believe it,” said the esteemed coach.

However, the biggest compliment about Gauff’s tenacity came from her grandmother Yvonne Lee Odom, who, during her granddaughter’s 2018 Roland Garros run, said “I have watched her for years and I have seen her practice, practice, and practice. Her competitiveness is enormous. I knew it was going to show itself at this championship. I have seen that fire and I know how good she is.”

Coco Gauff’s competitiveness assures that the setbacks only fuel her hunger for more titles. As she chooses to de-stress herself with her friends and family, she reignites her followers’ excitement for the upcoming tournaments. Are you backing Coco to bounce back?