“The sun is going to rise tomorrow and you have a new chance to live a good day,” said Gauff, quoting her coach, Brad Gilbert.
The Australian Open reports that Coco Gauff‘s teenage chapter in her tennis career has come to an end, offering her a moment for self-reflection following a semifinal defeat to Aryna Sabalenka. While her dreams of securing the US Open and Australian Open double were dashed, Gauff remains pragmatic about her career, recognizing the success she has already achieved.
Despite the semifinal defeat, Gauff expresses pride in winning a Grand Slam as a teenager and sees herself on the right path for future success. She makes no excuses for her defeat, attributing it to a few crucial points and emphasizing her preference for a match where she played well overall. Departing the Australian Open at a career-high ranking of world No.3, Gauff maintains a big-picture outlook, focusing on the importance of continuing to have fun and not letting one match define her career.
“I think for me the most important thing is to continue that, having fun,” she said. “Even though tonight I lost, it was still a great competitive match. You know, I watched these matches growing up and watching Serena and watching Sharapova lose these matches. “It seems like when you’re in it, it feels like the end of the world. But then when you look at history, they didn’t let one match define their career… I’m going to dwell on it tonight, but as Brad [Gilbert] told me as soon as the match was over, the sun is going to rise tomorrow and you have a new chance to live a good day.”
As for her next move, Gauff shared, “Tomorrow, I don’t know, I’m going to try to go to the movies or something, be proud of myself.”
Cover Photo: Coco Gauff Reflects on Playing Her Last Grand Slam as a Teenager in Moving Speech/Gauff in action against Sabalenka / Credit: Australian Open