Coco Gauff makes startling ‘imposter syndrome’ confession as she reveals when she hit rock bottom
Coco Gauff’s win at last year’s US Open was an iconic moment in recent tennis history, yet the star who made it happen admits she didn’t believe it was possible just a few weeks before.
Speaking in a fascinating press conference ahead of her appearance at the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, world No 3 Gauff gave an insight into her mindset and admitted she has ‘imposter syndrome’ issues that undermine her self-belief.
It was after a desperate forst round defeat against fellow American Sofia Kenin at Wimbledon last July that Gauff concluded she would have to write off the rest of the tennis year, as she set her sights on trying to get ready for the 2024 Australian Open.
That mindset shifted as she suddenly began to find form and confidence with wins in Washington and Cincinnati before she struck gold at the US Open.
“After Wimbledon, I was feeling terrible, so I was, like, I just need to get through the rest of the year mentally and try to push through,” she said. “My eyes were set on Australia and trying to win that.
“Then, I don’t know, like, everything happened on hard court season. (Washington) D.C. happened. Then Cincinnati happened. You know, even though people were saying I was a contender, all the analysts and all that, I didn’t feel like one. I was, like, fluke, I don’t know.
“I very often have imposter syndrome, so I didn’t have any hopes for anything. After I had a tough match against Laura Siegemund in the first round, I was like, well, I was happy to get out of the first round.
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“I had a lot of tough matches that week at US Open, or two weeks. I can’t say that I confidently felt like I was going to win that tournament literally until I was in the final.
“When I woke up the day to play the final, I just felt like no matter what happened I wasn’t going to lose that day. It was a weird feeling to have, but I just felt it.”
Gauff also confirmed she is eager to win a clay court tournament before she heads into the French Open, after admitting clay is one of her favourite surfaces.
“I’m not looking at the French Open right now. I’m focused on Stuttgart,” she added.
“You know, I want to win, try to win Madrid or Rome or here, just because I can’t remember the last time I won a clay court title was, like, a couple years ago if I’m not mistaken.
“So I kind of just want to get a recent clay title under my belt. So any of the ones over the next couple weeks would be nice, but I’m always feeling confident about myself.
“Especially after US Open, I can be a contender. Semifinal in Australia, losing to Aryna who ended up winning. So I feel like I’m definitely a contender in all the tournaments, and it just comes down to the crunch-time moments and who can perform better.
“I think clay and hard are definitely my favourite surfaces. Again, I can play well on all of them depending on how I show up to a tournament, honestly. For the clay court season this year, I’m really optimistic.”
