Coco Gauff is the youngest player in the Top 10, and while she knows that time is on her side, the American wants to win now as he gears up for a title defense in Cincinnati.
Gauff has won a fair share of matches in her career, but that hasn't translated into many trophies so far. She has a couple of those, including a Grand Slam title won last year at the US Open, but she wants more.
Being one of the best players in the world makes her fully aware of her capabilities, and that changes her perspective on winning. For Gauff, the goal is pretty clear.
Iga Swiatek, for example, explains it as trying to become a better player with every event she plays. Naturally, the better she is, the more likely she is to win a trophy. Gauff takes a direct approach: she wants to win now.
Being ambitious is a great trait because that ambition will drive her forward. On another note, she's the youngest player in the Top 10 on the WTA Tour and has time on her side.
That's not the case for some of her colleagues, but even if she has time, her goal is to win now. She did that at last year's Cincinnati Open and hopes to do that again this year.
"I’m really excited to be back in Cincinnati. I have a lot of great memories and great crowd support here. When you come back to a place where you’ve had success, you kind of feel like you’re finding yourself again."
"But I try not to look in the past. I want to continue to move forward. One thing I’ve learned is that I’ve had a lot of success so far in my career."
"I always put the pressure on myself to do more, but sometimes it’sjust good to say you did well. I think I’m trying to take a step back and just enjoy what I’ve done so far and use that experience to push me forward."
The American's last year's season turned out dramatically better at this time of year, and she would like something similar to happen this year. Her season lacks a big result so far, so getting a chance to compete for trophies again is something that she's aiming to do on home soil.
At 20, Gauff knows that she'll have plenty of years to win more trophies, but as one of the best players, she is not content with quarter-finals. She's good enough to challenge for trophies, and that's her goal.
"I’m 20, and I have a long way to go. Most of my competitors in the top 10 are 24 and older, except Iga. I have time. I want to win now because I’m used to winning so early, but I think I can take a step back and realize I have at least 10 more years in this sport. I want to enjoy it."