World number four Coco Gauff responded to criticism of her performance this season, urging fans to accept the roller-coaster nature of tennis.
Gauff recently claimed an unexpected title at the China Open in Beijing and is on the verge of qualifying for the WTA Finals for the third consecutive year. Despite reaching two Grand Slam semi-finals and winning two titles in 2024, the 20-year-old has faced scrutiny following her unsuccessful title defense at the US Open last month.
“People don’t realize that athletes experience great moments and bad moments,” Gauff told reporters at the Wuhan Open, where she is set to face Viktoriya Tomova in the second round. “It doesn’t mean anything. I took inspiration from A’ja Wilson, who said it’s hard to stay winning all the time. You need to go through losses to evolve. Tennis fans need to be more accepting of that.”
In related news, China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, who has become a prominent figure in Chinese tennis after reaching the Australian Open final and winning gold in Paris, acknowledged the pressure that comes with her newfound status.
“There is a lot of activity for me, but I enjoy it. It’s insane to see pictures of me everywhere,” said Zheng, who celebrated her 22nd birthday on Tuesday. “People have big expectations of me here. I hope to maintain my success, but tennis is always tough to predict.”