Coco Gauff lost at the Australian Open, but her career is a win

Coco Gauff is a generational talent, but even she has to remember to give herself grace.

After a gritty win against Aryna Sabalenka in the 2023 U.S. Open final that ended with Sabalenka beating her tennis racket into the floor, Coco Gauff has been on a meteoric rise. Her talents landed her at the Australian Open, where she played in the semifinals against Sabalenka again.

This time, however, she didn’t have enough to overcome her familiar opponent. Gauff seemingly ran out of gas after a valiant but stressful win over Marta Kostyuk just days ago. When she took time to reflect upon her loss, she was particularly hard on herself.

Yet, her career, which includes a Grand Slam, seven singles titles and eight doubles titles — all before reaching her 20s — shows she has to be gentle with herself. Coco is more than just a moment. She’s given tennis fans and herself quite the journey, and there is more still to come.

Coco Gauff reflects on playing her last Grand Slam as a teenager & says she’s proud of herself:

“I tend to be hard on myself, so I feel like today I was, like, dang, but I think looking back of, like, overall this stage of my life, like, it was obviously a successful time. I saw… pic.twitter.com/3SlXsHZtmF

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 25, 2024