At the age of 20, Coco Gauff is forging a new path

This week, Coco Gauff dominated the Mutua Madrid Open and advanced to the third round, beating Dutch Arantxa Rus 6-0 in each sets, the first “double bagel” of her profession to date. After becoming the youngest person since Serena Williams in 1999 to win a Grand Slam title at the US Open, Gauff was not only hailed as tennis’ next big phenom, but additionally captured the attention and hearts of social media users and celebrities around the world . However, as she recently said Time magazine.she’s just getting began.

“I always knew I wanted to try to win a lot of Grand Slams,” said Gauff, who was honored by Time100 magazine as one of its 2024 Players of the Year. “Sometimes after winning, people lose motivation. It wasn’t a personal challenge for me.”

Following her historic victory, Gauff received praise and congratulations from the likes of Snoop Dogg, Magic Johnson, Spike Lee and Michelle Obama, who invited the 2023 Grand Slam champion to their home and reminded her that “When the demands of fame overwhelm you, it’s OK to say no.

Even though Gauff is only 20 years old, she’s no stranger to setting boundaries to guard her mental health. At the 2020 US Open, the budding tennis star lost in the first round after which lost in the second round of the French Open a few weeks later.

“I tried to live up to other people’s expectations. It kind of crossed my mind,” Gauff said, explaining how that mindset influenced her throughout 2022 as she reached her first major championship final. “It was like life or death. It was hard to breathe… I lost that match before I even stepped on the court.

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Throughout her life, Gauff overcame adversity each on and off the field. From skipping the crawling and walking stage at nine months old to beating Venus Williams at just 15, Gauff’s mindset has helped her meet the growing expectations of her profession.

“I tied my identity too much to tennis,” she told Time, reflecting on how her on-court losses were affecting her mental health. “It’s a lot easier to play for yourself than for other people. I spotted which you could’t please everyone.”

Now Gauff’s success takes her to the Paris Olympics, where she’s going to compete for the United States. Giving him “goosebumps (at the thought of) representing (his) country,” he admits that, like Serena Williams, he “wants to win gold so bad.” However, the tennis star is giving himself grace as he climbs the tennis rankings.

“If I could win every game, I would,” she said. “But I can’t. People don’t go to work and have a good day day-after-day. We just have to present one another grace.”

Building a repute each on and off the pitch, Gauff has landed quite a few brand deals, recognition and articles in publications resembling Vogue. Aside from her fame, the Grand Slam champion is just like every other young adult today: she enjoys time together with her boyfriend, watches TikToks and anime, and speaks out on sociopolitical issues.

“The best thing about Coco Gauff is just her ability to lead a life on and off the court,” she said in the film when asked to explain herself. “On the court he is quite energetic and intense, and off the court he is not mellow but giggly. I feel like I actually have two different personalities. I definitely appear to be I rarely smile when I’m on the court, but off the court it’s the exact opposite.”

She added: “I do tennis, but that’s not who I am. … I would like my legacy to be defined as someone who was obviously a great tennis player, but also someone who put just as much effort and work (into what he does off the court).”