Cori Gauff admitted that reaching a Grand Slam final at the French Open eased alleviated some of the pressure for a major result, but adds it also made her hungrier for more success.
Gauff, 18, reached her first Grand Slam final at this past French Open, before suffering a 6-1 6-3 loss to Iga Swiatek.
Gauff may be just 18, but she burst onto the scene in 2019 and she set very high standards for herself after reaching the Wimbledon last-16 as a 15-year-old.
When watching Swiatek lift the French Open title, Gauff visualized herself being in that position in the future.
“It definitely did,” Gauff said, per the WTA website. “But it definitely made me hungry for more.Ā I love Iga [Swiatek], but I watched her lift the trophy at the [Roland Garros trophy] ceremony and I said I want to take in this moment and just visualize and make me want to work harder for me to be the next person, or hopefully the next, to lift that trophy. So, yeah, it did relax me, but it definitely made me want it even more. I thought I wanted it more before then but I guess seeing it firsthand makes you want it even more.”
Gauff happy for Daria Kasatkina
Last month, Kasatkina came out as gay.
Russia is not really a country very open toward the LGBTQ+ community and Gauff is just hoping Kasatkina doesn’t face any problems in her native country.
“I’m just really happy for her and I wish her the best. I can only imagine how many people in her situation feel inspired by that. I think that’s why it’s another thing why it’s important to speak out about stuff like that. So I’m just super happy for her and I hope the situation gets better and I hope that this starts a conversation in her country,” Gauff said.