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Coco Gauff says she salvaged her ‘mental well-being’ after dismal Australian Open exit by accepting that she’ll ‘fail and make some dumb mistakes’… but adversity in Melbourne has motivated her to ‘come back stronger’
Accepting the fact that she’s “going to fail and make some dumb mistakes” as a teenage player rescued Coco Gauff’s state of mind after losing at the Australian Open.
Gauff broke down in tears after Jelena Ostapenko defeated her 7-4, 6-3, frustrated at another Grand Slam without a trophy.
But the 18-year-old from Atlanta has now managed to find a way to celebrate the small victories of progress so as not to destroy her mental state after each loss.
Coco Gauff, 18, was left in tears after her fourth-round singles elimination at the Australian Open.
The American star was defeated by Jelena Ostapenko but Gauff has found a way to accept the ‘mistakes’
“For your own mental well-being, you need to remind yourself that you will fail and make some dumb mistakes,” Gauff wrote in his latest post. BBC sports column.
You will make mistakes because you haven’t experienced life enough not to. I think that’s something I’m realizing this year.’
Gauff has put an incredible amount of pressure on herself since she burst onto the Wimbledon scene at the age of 15.
To save his ‘mental well-being’, Gauff is taking the ups and downs in equal measure.
She has put so much pressure on herself that she enjoyed no part of being in the 2022 French Open final, which she lost to Iga Swiatek, something she “regrets.”
However, the 18-year-old, who is through to the women’s doubles quarterfinals with fellow American Jessica Pegula, believes there were signs of progress in the singles, even going into a fourth round.
“I think I got better in this tournament and played some of the best stuff I’ve played in a long time,” he added.
“This experience will motivate me to come back stronger.”
Prior to his departure, Gauff had gotten off to a very strong start in 2023.
She still hopes to leave Australia with the doubles title, playing Jessica Pegula (left)
She earned eight straight wins and then lifted the WTA title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.
As it is, Gauff will move up to sixth in the world rankings when they update, due to Greece’s Maria Sakkari losing in the third round.
She is still hoping to leave Australia with some silver and will need Pegula to be at her best after she too suffered a disappointing outing in singles.
“I think it actually helps that I’m playing doubles tomorrow because I don’t have a lot of time to get angry and be in my feelings,” Pegula said after losing 6-4, 6-1 to Victoria Azarenka.