‘Finding Herself Again’, Flag-Bearer Coco Gauff Embarks on Title Defense

By Richard Osborn

It was a scene right out of Delacrox’s Romantic-era masterpiece, Liberty
Leading the People, only it was Coco Gauff and NBA icon LeBron James,
proudly holding the Stars and Stripes aloft, leading Team USA down the
Seine in a rain-soaked-but-spellbinding opening ceremony at the Paris
Games.

“It was really cool. I wasn’t expecting to receive that [honor] at all,” said
Gauff at the Cincinnati Open, where the No. 2 seed is poised to set out on a
title defense. “Doing it alongside LeBron was very cool. Just playing the
Olympics, in general, representing my country, was a great experience.
Obviously, it didn’t go how I wanted, but it was an experience of a lifetime.
The people I got to meet, the lessons I got to learn, I think I’ll take for the
rest of my life.”

Gauff’s stay at Stade Roland Garros was cut short when she fell to eventual
silver medalist Donna Vekic of Croatia in the Round of 16, 7-6(7), 6-2. It was
another blow for the young American, who only a few weeks earlier suffered
a disappointing loss to fellow American Emma Navarro, also in the Round of
16, at Wimbledon. Being back stateside will surely lift her spirits. It was last
summer in Cincinnati, after all, that she claimed her maiden WTA 1000
crown. A few weeks later, she became a first-time Grand Slam champion at
the US Open. The two biggest trophies of her career, back to back.

“I’m really excited to be back here in Cincinnati. I have a lot of great
memories and great crowd support here,” she said. “When you come back to
a place where you’ve had success, you kind of feel like you’re finding
yourself again. But I try not to look in the past. I want to continue to move
forward. One thing I’ve learned is that I’ve had a lot of success so far in my
career. I always put the pressure on myself to do more, but sometimes it’s
just good to say you did well. I think I’m trying to take a step back and just
enjoy what I’ve done so far and use that experience to push me forward.”
When you play Top-10 tennis, pressure comes with the territory. Big-stage
losses like those can be devastating. But the ahead-of-her-years Gauff is
doing her best to keep things in perspective.

“I’m 20, I have a long way to go,” she said. “Most of my competitors in the
Top 10 are 24 and older, other than Iga [Swiatek, who is 23]. I have time. I
want to win now, because I’m used to winning so early, but I think I can take
a step back and realize I have at least 10 more years in this sport. I want to
enjoy it.”

In many ways, Gauff is like any other 20-year-old. (She says she hopes to
make a Target run while in the Queen City, maybe even hit up a Chick-fil-A.)
During the Olympics, she was a master pin-trader. (“She traded the most
pins I’ve ever seen. It was incredible,” teammate Tommy Paul attested.) But
she also sees the big picture. Asked about the political chaos of an election
year, she said she was comforted how her homeland came together to
support Team USA in Paris.

“It was nice to see the country united because of sports,” said Gauff. “I know
there’s a lot of political turmoil going on in the country. I hope that it stays as
peaceful and respectful as possible, regardless of who you want to win. It is
nice that the Olympic year is always an election year, because I feel like we
all need some peace during election time. One thing, as Americans, is we will
put all our differences aside to root for athletes. As athletes ourselves, I think
a lot of us know what is going on, especially athletes of color, we know
what’s going on. It’s nice to feel unified in one aspect when everything else
seems a bit crazy.”