Gauff hails relaxation and perspective after Beijing win

Coco Gauff says the realisation that success is about more than simply winning matches helped her as she found her best form again to win the title in Beijing on Sunday.

The 20-year-old played “obviously by far my best match in a while” as she beat Karolina Muchova 6-1, 6-3 to win her second WTA 1000 title and the eighth title of her career.

Having struggled with her game in recent months, the American said she was learning how to deal with the pressure that comes with being a top player.

“I was super relaxed going in,” she said. “I was just like, I don’t know, this match is not going to change my life. When you go into matches like that, it’s super relaxed.

“I think also the experience of winning a 1000-level title in the past (in Cincinnati in 2023, when she also beat Muchova). That tournament, it was great confidence. Again, it didn’t change my life.

“I knew regardless of the result today, I was proud. Honestly, I was just telling myself the whole match I’m proud of myself, how I was able to overcome and still work on things that I’ve been practising on, too, and stick to it.”

“70% of the world doesn’t know anything about whether I won or lost”

Gauff has been through a lot since she burst onto the scene in 2019 as a 15-year-old, beating Venus Williams in the first round at Wimbledon on her way to the last 16. She won her first slam title t the US Open last year but since winning in Auckland at the start of this year, has seen her form fluctuate.

“I think it’s (about) just being relaxed,” she said. “My first final, which is when I was 15, is kind of like the worst because you’re like, I’m never going to get this opportunity again, which is completely not true. That is how I felt in my first Grand Slam final, as well.

“I think the experience of winning in the past, I realise that, yes, winning is great. It feels great right now. But tomorrow I’m going to wake up and it’s a different day. 70 percent of the world doesn’t know anything about whether I won or lost. Probably even more…”

Gauff is the first woman to win eight of her first nine finals, an achievement she is rightly proud of. But the world No 6 said life is about more than just tennis.

“It feels great, it’s a personal achievement,” she said. “(But) I think I’m realising more and more each day that tennis is not a measure of my value as a person. I think the more you realise that, the more relaxed these tournaments become.

“I’m still going to experience pressure. It’s easier said than done. I’m sure at another tournament, I will be like, I felt so much pressure today. But it’s up and down.”

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