After defeating Belinda Bencic to secure her inaugural spot in the Miami Open semi-finals, Coco Gauff revealed her ongoing struggle with feelings of inadequacy.
The 22-year-old, who boasts two Grand Slam titles, marks the youngest American woman to advance to the singles semi-finals at this competition since Serena Williams achieved the feat in 2004, coincidentally the year of Gauff’s birth.
Displaying her prowess, the world number four, Gauff, clinched victory with a 6-3 1-6 6-3 scoreline, spanning two hours and 15 minutes, by winning four consecutive games after initially dropping a service game in the decisive set.
Should Gauff advance to the championship match, she is projected to surpass previous world number one Iga Swiatek, ascending to the third position in the WTA rankings the following week.
Nevertheless, subsequent to her triumph against Switzerland’s 12th-seeded Bencic, she articulated that she continues to work on “internalizing the belief that I am deserving of my current standing.”
“Occasionally, I experience imposter syndrome, and even when my accomplishments are being announced as I enter the court or during the warm-up, it feels disconnected from me, and I find myself thinking, ‘oh, actually, you have indeed built a successful career’,” Gauff remarked.
“However, there are moments when that sensation eludes me. Particularly when I’m refining aspects of my game, especially my serve, it creates a feeling that I don’t truly belong at this level. Yet, the sport of tennis is unambiguous, the ball reveals all, so I am compelled to trust in my own capabilities.
“My coach consistently reinforces the message – ‘recall your identity, you are a proficient athlete.’ They have been implanting that notion into my mind. There are instances where I embrace this belief, and others where I falter. My goal is simply to foster that conviction more consistently.”
