Coco Gauff Believes She Put ‘Too Much Pressure’ on Herself Winning: ‘I Realized Losing Isn’t All That Bad’

On the eve of the year’s first Grand Slam, the world’s third-best tennis player shared insight about her competitive mindset

Coco Gauff is eying Grand Slam play with a bit of a different approach.

On the eve of the Australian Open, the 19-year-old US Open champ told reporters on Friday that she has changed her mindset about the high stakes involved in winning the high-profile tournaments — but that’s not to say she doesn’t want to win “multiple” Slams.

“I think I put too much pressure on winning a Slam. I think I was feeling like I have to do it,” Gauff said. “When I went on the scene at 15, I felt like I had to win a Slam as a teenager because that’s what everybody thought.”

With her first win now under her belt, Gauff’s priority is to do the same as many more times as she can.

“Some players’ goal is to win a Grand Slam,” she said. “Once they reach that, it’s kind of, what’s next? For me, I always knew I wanted to win multiple.”

Looking back at her win in New York last September, Gauff said she didn’t “expect” to win the tournament, and that afterward, “it was kind of easy to forget about it.”

“Not ‘forget,’ I think that’s the wrong word,” she clarified. “Maybe just put it in the past and look forward to the future instead of dwelling on the past.”

Regarding her first-round loss at Wimbledon last year, Gauff said “The world didn’t end,” adding, “The sun still shines. I still have my friends and family.”

She went on to note, “I realized that losing isn’t all that bad, and that I should just focus on the battle and the process and enjoy it. I found myself being able to play freer and trust myself more.”

Earlier this month, the world’s third-best tennis player rang in the New Year with her family with an extreme outing.

While playing in the ASB Classic in New Zealand, the teenager leaped off of the country’s tallest building and bungee-jumped 53 stories down at a speed of almost 53 miles per hour.

“Jumping into the new year 🎊 #2024,” the tennis phenom wrote alongside her post on Instagram, which included footage of her plunge.

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