'Power Of No': Gauff Reveals Valuable Lesson Learned From Michelle Obama
WTA
Coco Gauff hugely admires Michelle Obama, and she revealed a lesson the former First Lady of the United States of America taught her.
Like many in the United States, Gauff looks up to Michelle Obama. She's a fascinating person with a long history of advocating for important causes pertaining to women and minorities in the United States.
Gauff knows Michelle Obama personally and has met the Obamas a few times, including when they watched her at the US Open. That was a surreal experience for her and something she will never forget again.
The former First Lady told Gauff something she won't easily forget, and she advises others about it. According to Gauff, who spoke ahead of the 2024 Madrid Open, Obama told her about the power of 'no,' which many people struggle with after they reach a certain level.
"The biggest advice I would give them is that money is great, but you have to say no to some things. Michelle Obama told me this: 'The power of no is very important.' People are going to be approaching you about all these things, and every opportunity probably really looks cool."
"But at the end of the day, your craft is the thing that should be number one before all of these things outside of family, or religion, and all that. You want to continue at your craft. Tennis is my platform to get other things, and so basketball or soccer or whatever should be bigger platforms to other things."
People held this against Emma Raducanu after her US Open triumph. She was spotted more off the court than on the court, and many people didn't like it. However, according to her agent, Raducanu declined many opportunities as well, but as Gauff reminds, it's important not just to say 'no,' but also to choose those 'yesses' carefully.
"And just, be careful who you give your 'yesses' to, because you don't want to be mentally burnt out. Sometimes with the lights and the cameras, you just want to be in it all, but you just have to be a balance of that."
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