Coco Gauff on psychological problems: "I was just lost"
Cori "Coco" Gauff had to deal with psychological problems early on. The 16-year-old American wrote on the blog "Behind the racket". "I was just lost," wrote Gauff about the years 2017 and 2018: "In my life, I was always the youngest who achieved something that brought attention that I did not want."
by SID
last edit:
Apr 17, 2020, 03:45 pm
This attention "gave rise to the pressure that I had to be good quickly." That made the then 13-year-old doubt "I wasn't sure if I really wanted it. I always had good results, that wasn't the problem, I just didn't enjoy what I loved."
Gauff struggled with these thoughts for a year, even thinking about putting the tennis racket aside for the time being: "I don't think that it had anything to do with tennis itself, maybe just to get everything under one roof."
Gauff decided against an early end of his career, "obviously the right decision" for her. In 2018 she made her professional debut at the age of just 14, in 2019 she prevailed against her role model Venus Williams in the first round of the Wimbledon tournament. She also owes these successes to the difficult phase: "I came out of it more and know myself better than ever."
The 16-year-old can now also deal better with public attention. "I get used to the idea that some see me as a role model," although "it brings a little extra pressure." At the same time, however, she also likes to "play for more than just myself."