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Coco Gauff admits there’s a ‘constant battle’ she’s facing which she’s expecting to have for the rest of her career

Photo by WUHAN OPEN OFFICIAL 2025/VCG via Getty Images
Photo by WUHAN OPEN OFFICIAL 2025/VCG via Getty Images
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Coco Gauff has opened up about the struggle she is currently facing and expects to deal with throughout the rest of her career.

Gauff suffered a heavy defeat to Amanda Anisimova in Beijing, where she was actually the defending champion before losing in just 58 minutes.

This result provoked a huge reaction, with the likes of Rennae Stubbs asking Gauff some big questions about her future.

Despite the current conversation surrounding the American, Gauff has responded emphatically at the Wuhan Open, but there is still something hanging over her.

Coco Gauff of the United States reacts against Moyuka Uchijima of Japan in the women's singles round of 32 match during day five of the 2025 Wuhan Open at Optics Valley International Tennis Center.
Photo by Wang He/Getty Images

Coco Gauff reveals the ongoing battle she faces on court

Gauff had her breakout at Wimbledon when she was just 15 years old, and six years later she is already a two-time Grand Slam champion.

However, with the high expectations she has created of herself from such a young age, Gauff has admitted that she sometimes finds it hard to manage that.

While Gauff is getting better at doing that, she admitted that she still thinks she is too hard on herself when speaking to Sky Sports.

“When I was growing up I definitely wanted to be the best tennis player in the world, that was my goal,” said Gauff. “I mean, it still is but at that time it was definitely the thing that consumed my mind the most.

“I still want to be the best player and reach number one one day and win more slams than I’m at. I’m definitely not close to being satisfied. But I think as an adult I now think of other aspects and other goals I have outside of the court, rather than strictly tennis.

“I try to be my best friend out there on the court and be positive and really believe in myself. Sometimes there are moments on tour where I am not necessarily believing that, so I think it’s going to be a constant battle for me in my career.”

Gauff would have found it difficult to find much critique in her latest performance, as she beat Moyuka Uchijima 6-1 6-0 to reach the third round of the Wuhan Open.

Coco Gauff should be feeling confident going into her next match at the Wuhan Open

Not only will Gauff likely be feeling confident about both her game and serve after making an emphatic start at the Wuhan Open, but she also has a dominant record against her next opponent.

That player is former Australian Open quarterfinalist Zhang Shuai, who has already collected wins over Emma Navarro and Sorana Cirstea in Wuhan.

Zhang has been ranked as high as world number 22, but is currently down at world number 142, and has lost every previous match she has played against Gauff.

YearTournamentResult
2022Miami OpenGauff beat Zhang, 7-6(1) 7-5
2022US OpenGauff beat Zhang, 7-5 7-5
2025United CupGauff beat Zhang, 7-6(4) 6-2

The most recent of those matches took place earlier this year at the United Cup, where Gauff went unbeaten en route to USA winning the title.

Gauff and Zhang will add the next chapter to their rivalry at the Wuhan Open on Thursday, October 9.