‘It’s what I want for myself’ – Coco Gauff reveals ‘mentality’ shift in pursuit of being the ‘greatest’

Coco Gauff has revealed that she now has a true desire to be the “greatest” after a shift in “perspective” at the French Open.

“My goals are the same. But the mentality behind them is different. I want to enjoy the tough moments.

“For a long time, I was stepping onto the court trying to be the next great American whatever, the next Serena.

“But that’s not why I play tennis. I used to say I wanted to be the greatest because that’s what people wanted to hear. Now I say it because it’s what I want for myself.”

Gauff is preparing for her fourth appearance at her “favourite Slam” at Flushing Meadows. In 2019, a then-15-year-old Gauff reached the third round on debut at the tournament.

“It was a dream,” Gauff recalled of beating Venus on her Wimbledon debut in 2019. “I always wanted to play them [Venus and Serena], but I thought they’d be gone before I got on tour. Did I think I could win that match? No. Because Serena, Venus, Serena, Venus. All the time, in my head.

“Serena. Venus. Serena. Venus. Serena, Venus, Serena, Venus. That’s all I watched growing up.

“My coach and I only watched their matches. I didn’t really look up to anybody else.

Gauff added: “[After beating Venus] I said, ‘Thank you for everything’. I said, ‘I wouldn’t be playing tennis without your influence'”.

She believes it is important to keep using her platform for good.

“When I leave this world, I don’t want to be remembered as just being good at tennis,” Gauff explained. “I want to be remembered as a good person and a good advocate.

“[My dad Corey] told me, ‘You can change the world with your racket’. I never really knew what it meant when I was young.

“But tennis is a platform to reach more people. Tennis has never been a sport where people spoke out about certain things compared to other sports.

“I felt like it would be irresponsible of me not to say anything.”

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