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Coco Gauff names her toughest defeat in tennis and how it helped her win the 2023 US Open

Coco Gauff names her toughest defeat in tennis and how it helped her win the 2023 US Open.

Coco Gauff will go for more Grand Slam glory when she competes at the US Open.

The 21-year-old has climbed back to number two in the world and she has found some form after reaching the Madrid and Rome finals.

The American is aiming to become the first player from her country since Serena Williams in 2015 to win the clay court Grand Slam.

Coco Gauff already knows what it takes to win a major and she wants to add to her haul in the French capital.

TENNIS-FRA-OPENPhoto by THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images

Coco Gauff names a defeat at the French Open as the toughest of her career so far

Gauff has had plenty of success on the WTA Tour despite being just 21 years of age.

She has achieved success at Grand Slam level and WTA 1000 level, and she recently returned to career-high ranking of number two

Gauff has achieved plenty of big wins throughout her career so far, but there have also been some crushing losses.

Ahead of her latest French Open campaign, Gauff said her loss to Iga Swiatek in the 2022 final on court Philippe Chatrier, is the most difficult defeat of her career so far.

“It was a tough feeling for me, I thought I had performed well below expectations in that final, not necessarily in terms of play, but mentally,” shared Gauff, who was just 18 at the time of that final.

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“I was very disappointed in how I approached that match, I thought I could never overcome it, so I turned it into motivation.”

Gauff lost that match 1-6, 3-6 and was in tears during the trophy presentation, but she was determined to reach another Grand Slam final, which she achieved the following year.

US Open Tennis Championship 2023Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images

How did Coco Gauff’s 2022 French Open final loss help her win the 2023 US Open?

Gauff gave herself another chance to win a Grand Slam when she advanced to the US Open final in 2023. Her opponent was Aryna Sabalenka and the Belarusian started well by claiming the first set.

But Gauff showed her resilience and began to frustrate Sabalenka with her movement and defensive skills, which forced the Belarusian into mistakes.

Gauff’s home crowd in New York also played a role as they cheered her on, and Gauff capitalised to complete a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback victory and lift her first major title.

Since then, Gauff has said her first Grand Slam final loss at Roland Garros helped fuel her to overcome the odds and win the biggest title of her career on home soil.

“I always had a hunch that I would be in a final again, so I wasn’t going to stay there, next time I’ll walk out with my head held high,” Gauff explained.

“That’s how I was able to face the US Open 2023 final differently, so I needed that defeat in Paris to reach that point.”

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