Coco Gauff started her defense of her US Open title with a convincing 6-2, 6-0 victory over Varvara Gracheva in her first round. However, the American star isn’t shying away from admitting that being the defending champion comes with pressure, something that she has been managing… With the help of TikTok.
After her victory, she was asked about a comment she received on TikTok, where she has around 722,000 followers, which helped her regain her confidence. “Someone commented on my TikTok saying you’ve won in life, literally and figuratively, and there’s no point in piling pressure on yourself on a victory lap,” she explained.
“I’m just treating this tournament like that and if you defend something that means you won something. If you did it, that means you can do it again, so whether I do it again this year or not, I am going to do it again,” she said.
Coco Gauff is finding her top form after difficult few months
Gauff’s first round victory is not only positive for the results, but for her form. The 20-year-old star is coming from a difficult first-round loss in Cincinnati against Yulia Putintseva, after also losing in the second round of the Canadian Open to Diana Shnaider.
“There’s definitely a lot of pressure in this tournament but I’m just enjoying it. Last year was incredible so I’m just bringing those vibes. Whatever happens, happens,” she explained, adding that “her perspective” has changed a lot over the last week.
“I enjoyed it today and obviously it was straightforward, but even if it was tighter these are the moments you live for. I know the last few weeks have been a little bit tough and I think this has been the best tennis I have played in a while,” Gauff said.
Apart from her most recent losses, Gauff also didn’t have a great tournament at the Olympics, losing in third round to Donna Vekic, who eventually won the silver medal. If Gauff successfully defends her title, she would be the first woman to do so since Serena Williams did it in 2014, when she won her sixth title at Flushing Meadows.