The thrill of the chase drives US Open champion’s pursuit of another Grand Slam crown.
By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, March 6, 2024
In the pursuit of perfection, there is no finish line.
Coco Gauff knows she’ll never play the perfect match, but is driven to run down another Grand Slam dream.
The 19-year-old Gauff graces the cover of Vogue Magazine this month and shares insight on her achievements and aspirations. Read Vogue’s cover story on Gauff by Abby Aguire here.
The reigning US Open champion said she’s trying to find the balance between self-empowerment and self-criticism on court.
“By theory you’re always striving for more, because you’re never going to be perfect. The day I’ll play every match and win every point and not make any mistakes, that’s when I’ll reach perfection,” Gauff told Vogue Magazine. “Which will never happen…
“I’m trying to do more of, you know, accepting the good shots. And giving myself as much of a compliment as I do a critique.”
Rallying past Aryna Sabalenka in Flushing Meadows last September, Gauff landed her Grand Slam dream.
Winning is addictive and Gauff’s goal is to recapture the elation of her major high in New York.
“That was a feeling I’ll never be able to replicate no matter how many more matches I win. I want to win more so I can get as close to the feeling,” Gauff told Vogue. “I told my mom—I literally said, ‘It was an addictive feeling.’
“As soon as I felt that, I wanted to refeel it again. I said, ‘Now I see how people get addicted to drugs.’ That feeling was a drug. For the rest of my life, the rest of my career, I’m going to be chasing that high.”
Photo credit: Matthew Calvis
