Look at her now: Coco Gauff enters new chapter of remarkable Wimbledon story
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Look at her now: a year after the disappointing loss at Wimbledon that made Coco Gauff feel upset, she is now moving forward and showing great potential as a possible champion. She started off strong with a win against Caroline Dolehide, another American player.
Five years after her impressive performance at Wimbledon when she was just 15 years old, Gauff played as the main event on Centre Court and showed she could win it all. She easily defeated her friend Dolehide 6-1 6-2 in only 64 minutes.
This win was definitely expected once Gauff got the first break in the game. The 20-year-old continued to play with confidence and assurance, allowing her strong and aggressive playing style to shine against her opponent, who was ranked 51st in the world. Gauff mentioned after the victory that she was focused on having a good time and enjoying the match.
It was very different from a year ago when everything changed with the match on Court No 1. Gauff shared that losing to Sofia Kenin at Wimbledon was tough and she felt upset for three weeks. However, she took that loss as a learning opportunity, went back to the basics, identified areas for improvement in her game, recognized the long journey ahead of her. This setback ultimately led to her winning her first grand slam title at the US Open.
During Wimbledon, Coco Gauff felt grateful for how she handled the disappointment of losing in the first round a year ago. She was world No 2 and a grand slam champion, and took a moment to reflect on her growth since then. "I wish the me from a year ago could see me now," Gauff said before the tournament.
Have you seen it? In Wimbledon on a Monday evening, Gauff captured everyone's attention on Centre Court. She showed off the significant progress she had to make in her game. The American started strong and maintained a high level of intensity throughout the match. She played with grace, using drop shots and powerful overheads strategically. She remained composed, demonstrating patience and serving exceptionally well.
Gauff mentioned how pleased she would have been to see her former self, the player who was eliminated in the first round a year ago. She admitted she was quite anxious before the match. She acknowledged that after performing poorly in a tournament, those negative feelings can resurface. However, she reassured herself that the worst had already happened last year, so if anything went wrong, she would just have to endure it again. This mindset helped her prepare for the match.
With Aryna Sabalenka's withdrawal from Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury, the competition is now even more favorable for Coco Gauff. Gauff was defeated by Sabalenka in the Australian Open semi-finals earlier this year and they were expected to face off again at Wimbledon. The highest remaining seed in Gauff's section is Maria Sakkari, who is ranked ninth.
It is impressive that Gauff, who is only 20 years old, is competing in her fifth Wimbledon tournament. Despite this, what stands out is that she has never advanced past the fourth round, which was when she made a memorable debut and eventually lost to the champion Simona Halep. Now that she is no longer a teenager, it is highly likely that Gauff will achieve greater success in 2024, and everyone will be eager to see how much progress she has made.
