SINCE winning the US Open, Coco Gauff has been an Olympic flag bearer, launched a signature shoe – and appeared on the cover of a Wheaties box.
The American was also close to tears at the French Open and the games in Paris, as the pressure of being a Grand Slam winner took its toll last year.
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Gauff came of age after winning her first Grand Slam in New York last year at the age of 19, beating Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the final.
She became the youngest American champion at the US Open since Serena Williams in 1999.
The world was at Gauff’s feet when she increased her career income to eleven million dollars – and wanted to expand her growing business empire as the new face of American tennis.
But given her increasing fame and responsibility on and off the tennis court, Gauff has faced many challenges over the past twelve months.
Gauff is still number 3 in the world – and the highest-ranked American, both male and female.
However, she is going into the US Open despite a worrying dip in form over the last few months.
Gauff first showed signs of trouble at the French Open, although she reached the semifinals and won the women’s doubles.
During her semi-final loss to Iga Swiatek, she was overwhelmed by emotion as she was moved to tears during an argument with the referee.
Gauff was angry about referee Aurelie Tourte’s decision not to allow a serve by Swiatek that had initially been declared invalid.
She missed the return but told the umpire that she hit the ball after the line decision was made.
“He predicted it and then I hit it, I’m 1000 percent sure of that!” Gauff told Tourte.
“When he called it before I hit it, I saw my reaction – I didn’t even finish my backswing!
“Are you serious?! He predicted it before I met it.
“Can you ask him? You boo because you know you’re wrong! You boo because you’re wrong.
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“He said it before I hit the ball. I have the right to end my swing.”
“You are wrong, and this is the second time this has happened.
“It’s a Grand Slam semi-final, you know the rules.”
During the match, Gauff began to cry before she finally lost.
On a positive note, the 20-year-old was given the honor of being the flag bearer at the Olympic Games in Paris alongside basketball legend LeBron James.
For Gauff, who went home without a medal, however, this was the highlight of the Games.
Gauff was once again close to tears at Roland Garros when another argument broke out over an umpire’s indecision.
“I never dispute these decisions. But he called it before I hit the ball,” Gauff told the referee.
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“It’s not even a perception; it’s the rules. I always have to stand up for myself.”
She added: “This always happens to me here at the French Open. Every time.”
“This is about the fourth or fifth time this has happened this year.”
ESPN commentators Chris Evert and John McEnroe fear that Gauff is coming under increasing pressure.
“The thing about the tears is that I think you just don’t know how much expectations creep into your head,” Evert told reporters before the US Open.
“From day one, everyone thought Coco was the next Serena Williams, the next one to dominate. That stays in your memory for a long time.”
Her ESPN colleague McEnroe added: “She is delighted to be able to defend her title but is also baffled by some of the results.
“The pressure of expectation – she won the Open, (but) it’s getting more difficult in many ways.”
“People are after you. You are the bigger prize.”
“Everyone in her camp expects more and she expects more.”
Gauff also lost in the fourth round at Wimbledon, where she was seen gesticulating angrily in the stands towards her coach Brad Gilbert.
“We had a game plan and I had the feeling it wasn’t working,” Gauff said afterwards.
“I don’t always ask for advice out of the box, but today was one of those rare moments when I felt like I had no solutions.
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“I don’t want to say that I haven’t had any, because I think I can think of some.
“There was a lot going on mentally today. I felt like I wanted more direction.”
And she has suffered early-round losses in two US Open preparatory tournaments – the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open.
There are fears that Gauff may have taken on too much off the court as she tries to capitalise on her newfound fame.
This proved true after she played an honorary role at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
“When I watched her at the Olympics, leading the parade, leading the entire Olympics, it was raining and I saw her exchanging pins,” Evert said.
“She was photographing and meeting all her idols. I just thought, ‘Oh my God, this girl isn’t going to be able to act. She’s going to be so exhausted.’
“It has taken a big emotional toll on her. She is still a young girl.”
“She is in demand and everyone wants a piece of her.”
That Gauff is still a big star is shown by the fact that she appeared on the cover of a limited edition Wheaties box this week.
She also appeared on the cover of Vogue and launched her second signature shoe – the Coco GC2 – with New Balance.
But now she has to concentrate fully on her tennis again and prepare for the US Open as defending champion.
“It’s been a long year, but do I think (Coco) can turn things around?” Evert said.
“One hundred percent. What matters is who is the freshest for seven games.”
“She can still win it.”
