Coco Gauff is defending her title at Roland Garros. Gauff, at 22, is considered the biggest star in the women’s game. According to Sportico, Gauff was the highest-paid female athlete last year, earning $31 million in prize money and sponsorships.
Gauff’s On-Court Emotional Battles
To understand how Gauff’s day is progressing in her first-round match at the French Open against Taylor Townsend, observers should focus on her eyes, shoulders, and racket. During the Italian Open final against Elina Svitolina, Gauff hit herself on the head with her racket. She said it didn’t hurt because she “had big braids.”
After her quarterfinal loss to Svitolina at the Australian Open, cameras caught Gauff smashing her racket. She thought she had found a private spot, but she hadn’t. Her annoyance about that has led tennis tournaments to consider their strategy for the behind-the-scenes video that serves as catnip for fans.
For most of her career, Gauff has rarely displayed anything close to a meltdown. She has rarely appeared to wrestle with the emotional demons that so often undo tennis players. She has an uncanny ability to ride the wave, fist-pumping and screaming with elation on her biggest and best shots to raise her level, without succumbing to the spirals that can accompany and usually accelerate dips in performance.
Maintaining Elite Status and Technical Adjustments
Gauff has referenced off-court difficulties that have made staying in the moment on court harder. They have arrived as she has tried to maintain her lofty status among the sport’s elite, while remaking the two most important shots in the game, her serve and her forehand. That process, too, has nagged at her confidence and her resolve.
It has been a lot. Of late, the results have been going pretty well, even if getting to them has been all kinds of challenging.
Opening Match Victory
The opening match of her French Open title defense was a walk in the park by comparison. After a slowish start that had her down early against her friend and fellow American Townsend, Gauff settled in for a 6-4, 6-0 win.
Gauff said after her match that she had thoughts about what if she lose. Gauff said she didn’t allow herself mentally to get to that point where she felt like in the past she would.
Gauff is a perfectionist who is never truly satisfied unless she is lifting trophies. Still, since January, she has made two WTA 1000 finals, losing both in three hard-fought sets. Through it all, there has been plenty of harrumphing and thigh-slapping, a good bit of