Coco Gauff began this year as part of the exclusive Grand Slam winners club, and getting there took a bit of mental engineering.
The American has been competing on the WTA Tour for a few years now, and while they say you never really stop improving and maturing, it took some mindset changes to really get into the state of mind that ultimately allowed her to win her maiden Grand Slam.
It wasn't an easy thing to do because just a few weeks before, Gauff was, in her own words, at the lowest point in her career. Snapping out of that required some work, but being able to do that made it even more impressive.
Ultimately, tennis is a game, and just relaxing and remembering to have fun can make a huge difference. A combination of remembering that and simply treating the final and every match until the final as just a tennis match helped her settle into them nicely and ultimately win.
In Melbourne, she wants to achieve the same at the 2024 Australian Open, and after her third-round win over Alycia Parks, the 19-year-old spoke about the mindset with which she wants to challenge for her second major.
"Have fun and relax. I think as you get later, the trophy obviously gets closer and closer. You have to treat it that it's as far away as it is if you're in the first round."
Since then, she didn't get a chance to channel the mindset at another major, but in Melbourne, she got a chance to enter her first Grand Slam main draw as a major winner.
"That's what I approached that final. I didn't approach it as I just need to win two sets and I have it. I approached it as I need to win seven matches again and then I'll get it."
So far this year, the 19-year-old managed to win a trophy in Auckland and she has recorded a few good wins in Melbourne. Let's see what happens in the coming days, as she'll certainly target her second Grand Slam.
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