Coco Gauff had a life-changing experience last year, but according to her admission, her life didn't change that much.
Many would describe winning a Grand Slam trophy as a life-changing event. Whether it truly is remains specific to the person in question. Winning the US Open a few years ago was quite life-changing for Emma Raducanu, but it wasn't that life-changing for Gauff, at least not in her own words.
It certainly was career-changing, though, as it changed a few things. Now that she's a Grand Slam champion, that's her baseline goal. She's not content with a final or semi-final anymore, so in that sense, both the objective and the pressure rose.
However, it didn't really change all that much in her life. It changed a few things, but it wasn't as life-changing as she might have thought it would be, as she admitted after her most recent win at the 2024 Roland Garros.
"Yeah I will say that honestly after the US Open it changed but not that much. I felt like if I went in the previous times going into Grand Slams thinking my life would change in my first final, and then when I lost, the sun rose the next day, there was no demons, there was no fire, the earth wasn't on fire."
"Everything was fine. And the same thing when I won, there wasn't, I wasn't living in heaven. The next day even I was very happy, don't get me wrong, but my life didn't change."
It's an interesting situation for the 20-year-old American player, and many people are familiar with it. Not many of us win a Grand Slam, but we all have our goals that we want to achieve, and then, looking back, they may not seem so significant.
Still, the whole experience allowed Gauff to realize a few things and change her perspective. Although her career is important, it's not what defines her life.
"So that's why I think that moment made me realise that what I do on the court is great, but it doesn't captivate my whole entire life. I have learnt that from the losses and I have learnt that from the wins, I have learnt that from both situations."
0 Comments