“Right before Wimbledon, I was struggling to figure out if this was really what I wanted”: When Coco Gauff opened up about dealing with excessive hype

Coco Gauff, now World No. 2 and a two-time Grand Slam champion, revealed in a 2020 *Behind the Racquet* post that she grappled with intense self-doubt and depression in the year leading up to her stunning 2019 Wimbledon run, where she became the youngest player to qualify for the main draw in the Open Era at 15 years and three months. “Right before Wimbledon, going back to around 2017/18, I was struggling to figure out if this was really what I wanted,” Gauff wrote, describing how the pressure of being a teenage prodigy took a toll on her mental health. The quote, resurfaced by @TrackerTennis on X on June 24, 2025, highlights her journey as she prepares for the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, starting June 30.

Gauff, then 13 to 14, faced overwhelming expectations as the youngest to achieve milestones, like winning the 2018 Roland Garros junior title. “Throughout my life, I was always the youngest to do things, which added hype that I didn’t want,” she said, per *CNN*. “It added this pressure that I needed to do well fast.” This scrutiny led to a year-long battle with depression, where she felt “really lost” and questioned her love for tennis, despite consistent results. “I just found myself not enjoying what I loved,” she admitted, contemplating a year off from the sport. After “many moments sitting, thinking, and crying,” Gauff chose to play for herself, not others, emerging stronger and more self-aware.

Her 2019 Wimbledon performance—defeating Venus Williams in the first round (6-4, 6-4) and reaching the fourth round before losing to Simona Halep—marked a turning point. Gauff credited this shift in mindset, saying, “Once I let that all go, that’s when I started to have the results I wanted.” Her poise on court, which she attributes to overcoming these low points, drew 5.2 million UK viewers for her third-round match, per *The Guardian*. She disliked comparisons to the Williams sisters, noting, “I’m not at their level yet,” but acknowledged their inspiration in her path.

Now 21, Gauff enters Wimbledon 2025 with a 39-10 record, fresh off a French Open title and backed by Tim Henman and Laura Robson to win her first SW19 crown. A recent second-round loss to Wang Xinyu in Berlin (6-3, 6-3) exposed grass-court struggles, but Gauff’s resilience, forged through past mental battles, fuels her ambition. “I’m going to approach it a lot more freer,” she told *WTA Insider* on June 9, 2025, aiming to surpass her career-best Wimbledon fourth-round runs.