American tennis prodigy Coco Gauff insists she ‘completely understands’ the pressure facing Emma Raducanu after playing at Wimbledon aged 15 in 2019 – as she urges her to ‘mute the noise’ and ‘focus on herself’
- Coco Gauff has sympathised with Emma Raducanu’s position in the spotlight
- Raducanu admits she wishes she never won the US Open due to the pressure
- Gauff has advised Raducanu to ‘mute the noise’ and ‘focus on herself’ instead
Wimbledon may miss Emma Raducanu this summer but at least one tennis prodigy will appear in Coco Gauff, the teenager saying yesterday that she feels the Brit’s struggles.
Raducanu has spoken of her brutal time on the tennis tour, admitting she sometimes wishes she never won the 2021 US Open amid the pressure placed on her.
It was in 2019 when Gauff, only 15 years old at the time, emerged from obscurity to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon. The American, now 19, has carried that weight of expectation ever since that stunning breakthrough at SW19.
She is still searching for her first Grand Slam title and speaking in Eastbourne yesterday, the world No 7 said: ‘I completely understand what Emma is going through.
‘A lot of people will say a lot of things in the media and won’t come up to you directly and say it – not just fans, but even like, you know, people commentating on matches.
Coco Gauff says she feels the struggles Emma Raducanu is facing after winning the US Open
Raducanu has been very open about the pressures of finding success at such a young age
Raducanu recently underwent surgeries on both hands and her ankle and will miss Wimbledon
‘I completely understand her point of view. For me, I hear a lot, so the best thing is to mute the noise and focus on myself and don’t focus on what other people are saying.’
Yesterday was Gauff’s first day working with a new coach, the 35-year-old Spaniard Pere Riba.
‘We’re doing a trial so I’m going to be with him this week and maybe at Wimbledon,’ Gauff said.
‘He got in today so it’s day one. It’s seeing if this is someone I’m going to want to spend all my time with or not, and right now, day one, yes, I really like him. We’ll see at the end of this.’
Gauff will face fellow American Bernarda Pera in the first round at Eastbourne, the quant town on England’s South Coast.
She says it is nice to escape the noise ahead of Wimbledon, which can get ‘really crazy’ with international media hanging on her every word in press conferences.
Sitting with only five reporters yesterday, Gauff said: ‘Eastbourne reminds me of where I live, Delray Beach in Florida.
‘It comes from a place in my heart but there’s not much going on! It’s a good break from the tour.’