Coco Gauff of the United States celebrates her win against Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria in the women’s singles match at the Wuhan Open Tennis Tournament in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, October 9, 2024 (Photo by WANG Zhao/AFP)
World No. 4 Coco Gauff on Tuesday responded to criticism of her performance this season, saying everyone should embrace the roller-coaster nature of tennis.
Gauff is looking to qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals for the third consecutive year after winning an “unexpected” title at the China Open in Beijing last week.
Article continues after this ad
Despite reaching two Grand Slam semifinals and winning two titles this year, the 20-year-old Gauff has come under intense scrutiny, especially after her failed defense of the US Open last month.
Read: Coco Gauff breaks up with coach after winning one Grand Slam
“People don’t understand that in sports there are good moments and there are bad moments,” Gauff told reporters at the Wuhan Open, where she will face Viktorija Tomova in the second round on Wednesday.
Article continues after this ad
“It doesn’t mean anything. I was inspired by A’ja Wilson,” she said, referring to the Las Vegas Aces’ back-to-back WNBA basketball champion.
“She was like, ‘It’s hard to keep winning all the time.’ You have to experience losses to understand what you need to do to evolve.”
“Tennis fans need to embrace that more,” Gauff said.
Read: Coco Gauff’s newest star loses at US Open
Meanwhile, Chinese Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen said on Tuesday that he “feels responsible” as a newcomer to Chinese tennis and admitted he needs to find a way to deal with the pressure.
After reaching this year’s Australian Open final and winning gold in Paris, Chung has achieved superstar status in her home country.
“I have a lot of activities and I enjoy them, especially noticing that my pictures are everywhere. I mean, yes, it’s insane,” she said on Tuesday, celebrating her 22nd birthday. Mr. Chung said as he greeted the audience.
“People have high expectations of me here. I wish I could have stayed here longer. But tennis is always difficult to predict.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Subscription completed successfully.
“Of course there is pressure. I also feel a responsibility as a leader of a new generation, which means that what you say is under public scrutiny.”
