By Janina Nuno Rios
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Coco Gauff said she felt more human allowing herself a moment of vulnerability under the primetime glare of Arthur Ashe Stadium, her tears and trembles visible to a crowd of 24,000 and millions watching at home, before reaching the U.S. Open third round.
After a three-set first-round victory that Gauff described as a mental battle, the 2023 champion once again faced a tough test against Donna Vekic on Thursday before claiming a 7-6(5) 6-2 second-round win.
A flurry of errors and persistent serving struggles left the third seed on the brink of dropping the opening set, as she wept into her towel after surrendering her serve in the ninth game.
The 21-year-old later spoke about the moment, describing it not as embarrassment but as a reminder of her humanity under the sport’s brightest spotlight.
“It feels human. Being an athlete, people kind of disregard that side of us, the human side of things,” she told reporters.
“People say so many things, you know, you are number three in the world, and you’re doing this or you’re playing like this, and you should be better and things like that.
“When I’m out there in that moment, I kind of give into the pressures, but I feel like that’s normal. I feel like every pro athlete who’s been on the pedestal that I’ve been on has felt that pressure at some point in their career where they showed it publicly like I did or privately.”
The two-times Grand Slam winner added that what mattered most was not the breakdown itself but the way she recovered, cutting her unforced errors from 13 to five and slashing her double faults from seven to just one.
“I have bad days, but I think it’s more about how you get up after those bad moments and how you show up after that.
“I think today I showed that I can get up after feeling the worst I’ve ever felt on the court.”
Gauff has been working on addressing her longstanding serve issues since arriving in New York, just days after parting ways with coach Matt Daly and enlisting biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in New York; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
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