'Never That Important': Coco Gauff Enters Australian Open Without Any Pressure
News
Coco Gauff is entering the 2025 Australian Open extremely calm, not letting any pressure get to her.
Gauff stunned the tennis world quite a few times in her career. The first time, obviously, was when she broke through as a 15-year-old at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.
Since then, the young American player had many moments when she showed her brilliance. She did it at the 2023 US Open, and even though the vast majority of the 2024 season was not really successful for her, she returned to her bet at the end of the year again.
Gauff won the WTA Finals, and she started the 2025 season by winning the United Cup with Team USU. She didn't lose a single match throughout the week, even beating the WTA World No. 2, Iga Swiatek.
That week and win over Swiatek made many pundits pick her as the top favorite for the 2025 Australian Open, with some even picking her over Aryna Sabalenka, who is the World No. 1 player. Sabalenka has also won three of the last four hard-court majors.
The only one she didn't win was the US Open, which Gauff triumphed at, beating the Belarusian in the final. Now, the American player enters the "Happy Slam" in Melbourne without any pressure, or at least that's what she said ahead of the tournament.
"I think just being relaxed and being chill. I think for me, it's like, I know I've been playing well, but you can't play well all the time. I know there's going to be some tough moments in this tournament. Hopefully, I can get through them."
"But I think just going in, entering with no pressure, just trying to stay in the moment and enjoy it as much as possible. That's what I've been doing the last few tournaments. The results have obviously been good because of that."
Gauff also admitted that, at the moment, she feels more comfortable on the tennis court than she has ever felt, and that's also thanks to a slight change in her mindset.
"I feel more comfortable, like, now than ever I think at this point. I think not even from the fact of the changes. I think I just realized, like, the importance of winning or losing a match."
"As athletes, we get caught up and losing feels like the end of the world, and winning feels like something we should do, not something we should be grateful for. No one makes us feel like that except ourselves."
Gauff has realized that while she wants to win every match that she plays, at the end of the day, it's always just a tennis match, and there are more important things in life.
"I think I just realized it's never that important. If I can step off the court and say I tried my best, that's all I can ask for. I think every time I go onto the court, I just tell myself to try my best."
"If I miss a shot, most matches are decided by a few points. I think I just realize sometimes they're going to go my way and sometimes they're not."
Gauff will start her 2025 Australian Open journey against compatriot Sofia Kenin in the first round. She lost to her in the first round of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
