Beneath the surface of her incredible prowess with a racquet lies Coco Gauff‘s warrior spirit: her unrivaled mental toughness that turned her from a prodigy with immense potential into a raging tennis sensation. The 20-year-old has been writing her own story of mental mastery since she first grabbed the limelight at the young age of 15. Fast forward to last year, when she overcame the odds by winning her maiden Grand Slam championship as a teenager, cementing herself as a force to be reckoned with.

While it’s not easy to handle defeats in sports, her maturity level at a young age has made her stand out from the crowd. Recently, she revealed how she was more mature than the kids her age when she played her first Wimbledon match against Venus Williams.

Coco Gauff’s maturity changed the whole game for her

In a recent conversation with TIME, the third-ranked tennis player revealed how she is always ready to take defeats on the chin. She stated, “I just think I was at a maturity level different from the kids around me. No one has their life figured out at 15. But I, for the most part, did.” 

The reigning US Open champion started receiving attention for the first time when she played a match against the seven-time Grand Slam champion when she was just 15 at Wimbledon. However, even after achieving fame at a young age, her maturity kept her feet firmly stuck to the ground.

Now, with every passing year, she uses the limelight for good, advocating for social justice or showcasing her talent on the court. As a result, the 20-year-old American’s maturity is evident to other well-known tennis personalities as well.

In addition, the 19-year-old American’s mindset surprised well-known sports journalist Tom Tebbutt, even back in her junior circuit days in her hometown of Atlanta. He stated, “I remember watching her in the juniors, I don’t know, it was 2019 at the US Open [and] she’s a terrific athlete, and very, very mature for her age.” However, on the other hand, she also believes that her US Open triumph was a testimony to the levelheadedness that she has carried with her since a very young age.

What does Gauff credit for her  Grand Slam victory? 

Last year, during the US Open, the young American tennis prodigy reflected on her formative years and how she maturely handled the expectations that her fans had for her.

She stated, “I think I just didn’t really believe that I had it in me. This time around, I have been focusing more on myself and my expectations of myself. I really believe that now I have the maturity and ability to do it.”

Since she first entered the scene, Gauff seemed destined to win majors on account of her on-court prowess; but, what really stands out is her incredible ability to manage the enormous and some would say unjust weight of expectations put on her at such a young age.

So, what is your take on the 20-year-old’s maturity to deal with pressure situations? Do let us know in the comment section below.