Still a teenager at that time, Coco Gauff was spotted wiping her tears after losing her final match to Iga Swiatek at the 2022 French Open final. It was a day of break and make for the youngster! How? She explained. “It felt like seeing your dreams kind of snatched away.” But at the same time, it reignited her hunger to come back stronger. Although she yet again went down to the same opponent last year in the SF by straight sets, this year she finally managed to get to the other side of the finishing line by defeating the current world number, Aryna Sabalenka, in a three-set thriller. Following this victory, she became the first American woman to lift the Roland Garros title since Serena Williams (2015). But amidst all these celebrations, Gauff is now seen time and again revisiting her memories from 2022.

With age comes wisdom! And Coco Gauff has now understood what really went wrong at that time. In a previous interview, she revealed that at that time, she was a bit too anxious about not wanting to disappoint people. Hence, she put a lot more added pressure on herself. “I was doubting myself, wondering if I would ever be able to circumnavigate it, especially my mentality going into that match. I was crying before that final and I was so nervous. I was like, ‘If I can’t handle this, how am I going to handle it again?’“ But this time, she claims she felt ready!

It was more about completing her “unfinished business” in 2025! In a recent interview with Nikki Ogunnaike on Nice Talk, she was asked about how she navigates these difficult times when she gets so close to winning. Replying to that, Coco Gauff said, “Yeah, honestly, after that 2022 final, I had no idea how to access these tools. I didn’t know how to center myself. I didn’t know how to meditate, didn’t know how to look at the positive side of things. So, I really sat in that disappointment for months, maybe up to a year, honestly, just sitting in that disappointment in myself.” 

And then afterward it got healed with time, but she realized, “I can’t sit in this if I want to accomplish my dreams, and I can’t be my biggest opponent first.” So, that’s when she realized that she has to look at the positive side of things and control her own narrative and not let the narrative control her.

That was the time when she felt that she was letting tennis control her emotions and everything, including how she was going to approach her life. “I realized it should be the opposite. So I started to welcome more friends in my life, more family, enjoying those experiences, taking trips, and going to concerts and things like that… And I think the more I did that, the more I found happiness on the court,” admitted Coco Gauff.

She paid full attention to every detail and felt the moment when she saw Iga Swiatek lift the title three years ago. From hearing the Polish anthem ringing around the iconic Philippe-Chatrier to witnessing an emotional moment while the USA anthem was played after her win this year, that sums up the transition of a rising star to a superstar! But with every success comes the burden of expectations, and with expectations, there is always a chance of facing severe criticism upon failure. How does Gauff manage this outside noise amid her chase for excellence?

Coco Gauff issues a bold message to all the doubters

The 21-year-old tennis star has now learned how to manage the negativities in a better way and bring more favorable outcomes from all those criticisms through her performances. So, doubters have now become literal motivators for Coco Gauff. Remember what she said after winning the US Open title in 2023? “Thank you to the people who didn’t believe in me. To those who thought they were putting water on my fire, you were really adding gas to it. Now I’m really burning so bright right now.“

Pressure has now become a privilege for the youngster, and talking about tackling her doubters in that same conversation with Nikki Ogunnaike, Coco Gauff said, “I realized it’s almost impossible to escape the noise. So I think for me it’s just trying to remember what my expectations of myself are, what expectations of the people around me have of me, and keeping those morals really close and important. And sometimes I do welcome the noise. I think it gives me a reason to prove people wrong or also prove people right. So, it’s something that is finding the right balance of doing both.“

For those who called Coco Gauff a one-slam wonder, her recent triumph at the Roland Garros is a perfect reply to silence those critics. But now the question is, after already securing her second major title in her career, can she land her third at Wimbledon?