Coco Gauff made her pro tennis debut in 2018. At the time, she was only 14 years old. Since then, Gauff’s rise in women’s tennis has been nothing short of spectacular. Right now, Gauff is ranked World No. 6 in singles and World No. 3 in doubles in the WTA rankings. Fans and experts expect Gauff to achieve big things, but surprisingly, Gauff herself is not always confident regarding her tennis credentials.
In a recent interview, Gauff reveals that from time to time, she struggles with imposter syndrome. She isn’t the first big name in the tennis world to experience the psychological occurrence.
Coco Gauff is working hard at overcoming imposter syndrome
Imposter syndrome involves people doubting their accomplishments, talents, and skills. People who experience it also tend to be afraid that they’ll be exposed as frauds. According to Gauff, she has to consistently fight the thoughts that come to her mind. She has to do it to ensure that imposter syndrome doesn’t get the better of her.
In her interview with the official WTA website, Gauff said, “I feel like when I step on the court the confidence is high, but I think throughout my life, even as a junior going into tournaments, I would get a lot of anxiety about where I was playing-wise”. She went on to add, “and then when I stepped on the court, I definitely feel like I can win the match.”
However, Gauff understands that she has to fight her negative thoughts in an attempt to fulfill both her own and the world’s expectations surrounding her. “I think it’s just fighting those thoughts and understanding that I belong here.”
She also said, “You know, imposter syndrome is a thing, so sometimes I get that, but it’s something that I’m working on to realize I’m here for a reason and my ranking is here for a reason and I definitely deserve that.”
When it comes to imposter syndrome in tennis, Gauff isn’t aloneImposter syndrome can be a debilitating occurrence, especially if people fail to put up a fight against the negative thoughts that come with it. However, Gauff would do well to learn from the likes of Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka. Both iconic tennis players were plagued by the occurrence, but they managed to overcome it.
The syndrome affected Serena more during her younger years than it did during her professional tennis career. When Serena was young, she would constantly try to copy her older sister Venus. Over time, however, Serena started to believe in herself. She eventually went on to become the Open Era’s most dominant tennis player.
Japanese Naomi Osaka also struggled with imposter syndrome in 2021, and it caused her to withdraw from the French Open. However, ahead of the 2021 US Open, she took to Twitter and shared a message. In it, she talked about the importance of drawing confidence from small victories in life.
