"I can play more freely": Coco Gauff feels weight lifted off her shoulders after maiden Grand Slam triumph
WTA
Tennis phenom Coco Gauff is reaping the benefits of her hard work as she's on a 15-match unbeaten run, and the American believes her victory at the 2023 US Open has enabled her to play with less pressure.
Gauff has been undefeated since the Cincinnati Masters in August, where she raced to the title. Subsequently, the Atlanta native triumphed at Flushing Meadows, winning her maiden Grand Slam title. Gauff is now into the quarterfinals of the China Open, and revealed her mindset entering Beijing
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US Open run has filled her with renewed confidence, says Gauff
The 19-year old saved multiple set points in her 7-6(5) 6-2 win over Veronika Kudermetova, and admitted a weight had been lifted off her shoulders following her win at Flushing Meadows.
"Having those victories makes me feel more confident now, especially because of how the US Open went," said Gauff after the match. "There is a lot more pressure in a Grand Slam, but I think I can handle emotions better thanks to the experience. Now it's like some weight has been lifted off my shoulders, I can play more freely."
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Gauff will face sixth seed Maria Sakkari for a spot in the semifinals, with the hope of improving to a WTA-leading 16 undefeated matches this season.
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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