Gauff Opens Up About How She Took Over Decision Making In Her Career From Parents

Monday, 22 January 2024 at 02:15

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byZachary Wimer

Coco Gauff took over decision-making regarding her career from her parents and explained when that happened.

Gauff, of course, is no minor anymore as the 19-year-old is now legally considered an adult. That wasn't the case for a good part of her career, as she started playing tennis on the WTA Tour when she was 15.

By the time she was 17, Gauff was a seasoned pro, but her parents were still making the bulk of the decisions when it came to her career. That's not the case anymore, as she's taken over from them, and it was a gradual process

She always chimed in on the decision being made. As time passed, she became more vocal about what she wanted on and off the court.

She reflected on that following her win over Magdalena Frech at the 2024 Australian Open, admitting that it's been good to make the decisions herself because she knows herself pretty well.

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"As each season goes, I've definitely been more vocal about what I want on and off the court. Yeah, at first, like 15, 16, my parents were doing a lot of it for me just so I could focus on tennis."

"Now moving into more of the role. I'm getting older, having to make more decisions, all of that, on and off court. Yeah, I think for me, I know myself pretty well. I know what I need to do to succeed, not every single thing."

Obviously, she's not just making decisions without consulting others because, she said, she's self-aware and asks for advice from other people. If it's tennis, she asks coaches; if it's life, then she asks her parents or those who simply have experience with that.

"That's why we have coaches and people that advise me. As a player, I think all the great players kind of know what they need to do and need help from others. I think for me, I know what I need to do."

"It's just all about having the right team to guide me into that path on how I want to do it or how I want to train or how I want to, I don't know, work with certain brands, stuff like that."