“I think the biggest thing was that winning the Australian Open was like the greatest but most exhausting thing that I have ever done in my career.” Madison Keys said last month, in a pre-event media interaction, ahead of a second Grand Slam campaign in 2025 – the French Open. It took the 30-year-old more than seven years (after 2017’s US Open final defeat) to fulfil her slam dream earlier this year at the Rod Laver Arena, against World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. But once the wish turned real, Keys found it challenging to handle the overwhelming spotlight, accompanied by tons of pressure and expectations going forward. You see, being a slam winner isn’t just a title – it can make you crumble under the pressure. But guess what? There are some who handle it like a pro, according to Keys’ honest confession.

Keys is set to go against none other than her compatriot and 2023 US Open winner Coco Gauff. The World No.8 and World No.2 will lock horns for a place in the semis at the French Open. While they both have played exceptionally so far on the Parisian clay, it will be interesting to see who emerges as the ultimate winner in an all-American showdown. What makes this upcoming battle even more interesting is the fact that Keys is someone who’s, time and again, admired the 21-year-old talent.

Despite leading 3-2 in H2H encounters, Keys believes Gauff is too experienced already for her age. On a previous occasion, she revealed, “Someone reminds me she’s 20 still, and it blows my mind.” She believes that Gauff has reached a “level of maturity that happens when you start so young.” Keys has once again showered praises on how well Gauff has grown as a player despite earning so much fame at a young age. And the best part? She doesn’t feel any pressure while continuing to do what she does best – perform consistently.

Ahead of her QF face-off at the Roland Garros, Keys sat down in a press conference. She was talking about her performance following the win over another compatriot Hailey Baptiste, in R16. Additionally, she also talked about her dynamics with Gauff. Seems like she’s in awe of how well the youngster copes under overwhelming pressure and exposure. “I think I’m always just really impressed with the fact that she handles it (pressure) so well.” Expanding on her point, she added, “Because she’s had even more success and more media attention than I had. And I know that it was definitely hard for me at times to handle it”.

Concluding her remarks, she said, “I feel like you watch her and she just takes it all in stride and continues to just be a hundred percent her and I’m always just really impressed by it.”

Gauff’s numbers simply outweigh her age. She won the US Open at 19, after shining brightly at the 2019 Wimbledon. She was just 15 when she bested WTA icon Venus Williams in the first round of the grass court slam. At 20, last season, she won the WTA Finals trophy and became the first American in a decade, after Serena Williams in 2014, to clinch the milestone. And this month at the Roland Garros, she’s become the youngest player to reach more than five slam QF rounds (at 21 years and 73) since Venus Williams (21 years and 71 days) in 2001’s US Open.

Gauff’s recent resurgence hasn’t been all that smooth, it’s been a challenging ride to say the least.

Coco Gauff on how she tries to overcome the pressure of expectations

During an interaction, five years ago, on “Behind the Racquet,” Coco Gauff reflected on her career. She was just starting back then, but the hype around her was huge. “It added this pressure that I needed to do well fast. Once I let that all go, that’s when I started to have the results I wanted,” she revealed.

Guess what? The pressure-situation surfaced once again earlier this season. After making it to the QF of the Australian Open, she was expected to keep up the consistency. However, what followed was a nightmarish phase. Gauff couldn’t even clear the first rounds in back-to-back WTA events. But still, she didn’t let outside noise upset her Zen. Citing her critics, she said, “Everybody makes a bigger deal than what it is… I lost two matches. I’ll lose more matches back to back, it’s going to happen.”

Lately, she’s been on the right path. After reaching back-to-back finals in Madrid and then Rome, she’s regained her confidence. However, it doesn’t mean she’s become perfect. It was evident from her second round battle against Czechia’s teenage pro Tereza Valentova. Gauff won this match 6-2, 6-4, but there were areas where she seemed weak against the 18-year-old. Especially in terms of the unforced errors – she committed 23.

Reflecting on her shortcomings and where she can improve, Coco Gauff admitted, “I think I mean I am someone who looks at sometimes more negative things than positive. So yeah, I feel like it’s just a taking it a match-by-match basis and figuring out what I can do better with each match.” Her only goal is to keep getting better now. Especially at this point, when she’s made it to the QF stage in Paris.

How do you think the 21-year-old will fare against compatriot Keys on Wednesday? Let us know in the comments below.