Coco Gauff should now adopt the same attitude she has for the Asian Swing for the entire year

The two-time Grand Slam champion now meets Sun Xinran at the China Open, ahead of which she spoke about her goals in the near future. Speaking candidly upon her arrival in Beijing, the WTA superstar certainly left open the possibility of applying her current approach to the entire year.

Coco Gauff should try and adopt her current approach all year

Speaking to the media ahead of her opening match at the Beijing Open, Gauff was asked what stands out for her towards the end of 2026 and looking forward to 2027, now that this year’s Grand Slams have concluded.

She replied: “Yeah, I think now that the Slams are over, I feel like a lot of the pressure is off. So, like I said, I just try to treat this more as a practice month for next year. Yeah, I think that’s also part of the reason why maybe I do do well at this part of the season, just because I feel a little bit more relaxed.

“I think being in China, there’s a lot of support here. I get a lot of gifts here. I think it just takes a bit of the load off. I think the main thing is the Slams being over, it’s a lot less chaos now.”

It’s clearly a very nice feeling for Gauff to have, having constantly come under close scrutiny throughout the majority of the season, and at Grand Slams in particular. That was especially true at the US Open, where she was both a home favourite and a former champion. But she can now afford to relax somewhat, which has equated to success at this stage of the season previously.

And while it is undoubtedly extremely hard to adopt such an approach before now, and particularly at Grand Slams, it is certainly an attitude that Gauff should try and adopt at all times. She understandably likes the lack of pressure on her young shoulders, which has often equated to success on the court. And while she clearly cannot afford to treat the earlier events as preparation for the new season, it is a mindset that wouldn’t go amiss when she feels the pressure is getting too much.

At the same time, however, she has already proven time and again that she is able to deal with the highest stakes of the sport. She won her home Grand Slam aged just 19, and added a second title to her honours list at the French Open last year. But she’s now chasing further success in the current Asian Swing, which she will be using as preparation for the WTA Finals, for which she looks very likely to qualify.

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