PARIS – It’s easy to be in a hurry when you reach the fourth round of Wimbledon at the age of 15, beating one of your idols, Venus Williams, in your first match. It’s easy to be in a hurry when the sponsors and the platform are already in place, and you’ve been listening to the experts and the voice inside your own head that you have what it takes to be a champion.
But tennis is a more complicated game than most: a mix of the physical, the technical and the psychological with so much time to think between points and services and so many tournaments, time changes and defeats to navigate.
Coco Gauff, though only 18 years old, has had to be more patient than expected. But the potential of the young American and the actions under pressure are beginning to converge. On Saturday she will play her first Grand Slam singles final, facing No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek at the French Open for the title and the Suzanne Lenglen Cup.
“There’s a fine line between believing in yourself and almost pushing yourself too hard,” Gauff said Thursday after his 6-3, 6-1 semifinal victory over Martina Trevisan, sounding, as usual. , rather older than his age.
Gauff, the youngest Grand Slam finalist since Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004 at the age of 17, compared her expectations to those of a season ago, when she reached the quarterfinals of the French Open. He found himself unable to handle the pressure and critical points and threw his racquet through the clay in frustration as he lost to Barbora Krejcikova, the eventual champion without a seed.
“At the time, I wanted it too much,” he said. “But now I definitely want to. Yes, who wouldn’t? But also, it won’t be the end of the world if it doesn’t happen to me.”
The odds, we are not mistaken, are still very much against it. Gauff faces the toughest task of women’s tennis.
Swiatek, 21, extended his streak of wins to 34 games in Thursday’s first semifinal by beating 20th seed Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 6-1 in just over an hour.
This marker and dizzying pace have been typical of Swiatek, the powerful and increasingly imposing Polish star. He has not lost a game since February and has beaten Gauff in his previous two straight sets: winning, 7-6 (3), 6-3, on red clay in the semifinals of the Italian Open from last year and winning, 6-3, 6-1, on the hard track in the round of 16 of this year’s Miami Open in March.
“She’s definitely the favorite to get into the game on paper,” Gauff said. “But I think that when I enter, I will only play free and play my best tennis. I think anything can happen in a Grand Slam final. “
Gauff’s ability to extend points with his speed and defensive skills could force Swiatek to make more mistakes than usual. Under the guidance of Diego Moyano, the veteran coach who joined his team in April, Gauff has improved his tactics, according to his father, Corey Gauff, who has been his head coach since childhood.
“Playing with your strengths means not running all the time,” Corey Gauff said in an interview Thursday night. He added: “He’s able to tell you how he feels on the other side of the net when he’s doing something. He’s trying to make him understand why he’s making the decision and what the impact is. And he’s been quite effective. “Parents tend to be in command and control, and that doesn’t always work.”
But mud is still Swiatek’s favorite canvas. He won the French Open in 2020 at the age of 19. Gauff lost in the second round of this tournament to Trevisan, looking more and more bewildered as his number of double fouls increased. He finished with 19. On Thursday he finished with just two, his lowest total of this Roland Garros.
“He’s learning to manage emotions and understanding that double faults are part of the game and that you don’t have to overreact,” Corey Gauff said.
Although Coco Gauff was only 4-3 on clay this year before Roland Garros, he has not lost a set in six games. “I’ll be honest,” he said. “He hadn’t had the best results this year. So nothing was expected, really.”
Gauff graduated from online high school all year early this spring, celebrating his success with a photo taken in front of the Eiffel Tower before the French Open. Corey Gauff believes this has helped him fly higher in Paris.
“That release when you finish high school or college is real,” he said. “He’s always had a job to deliver, and he’s always in the back of your mind. I think this is the first tournament he’s played without homework.”
But he continues to follow the news, and on Thursday, after defeating Trevisan, he walked on the red clay for the signature, already usual, of the glass of the television camera and decided, quite spontaneously, he explained, make a statement about elementary school last month. shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 students and two teachers were killed.
“Peace. End gun violence, “Gauff wrote, drawing a chorus next to his name.
“That was just a message for people at home to see and for people around the world to see,” he said, adding: to change things “.
Gauff said she was influenced by athletes such as former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and fellow tennis star Naomi Osaka, who have been openly on social and cultural issues. But Gauff’s family also made it clear to him from an early age that he could reach far beyond the court.
“My dad told me I could change the world with my racket,” he said. “I didn’t mean that by just playing tennis. I meant talking about topics like this. The first thing my dad said to me after I left the court was, camera ‘”.
Corey Gauff said he first told his daughter the influence he could have when she was 6 or 7 years old.
“I’m glad he’s aware of what’s going on around him,” he said. “She has an 8-year-old brother and is in primary school. It’s not hard to get home. I’m glad he’s aware and that it draws attention and empathy. He’s not just hitting the tennis ball. She is a citizen of the world. “
Still, tennis is definitely a focus at Roland Garros. Gauff, the No. 18 seed, is guaranteed to reach No. 13, the highest of his career, and could rise to No. 8 if he defeats Swiatek. She not only points to the title of individuals. She and her partner, Jessica Pegula, are in the semifinals of the women’s doubles and on Friday they will face their American compatriots Taylor Townsend and Madison Keys.
Gauff’s younger brothers Cameron, 8, and Codey, 14, arrive in Paris on Friday morning after traveling from the family’s home in Delray Beach, Florida.
“They come in the singles final and hopefully in the doubles final as well,” Corey Gauff said.
Cameron’s birthday is Sunday.
“She went to Paris when she was 8 and left when she was 9,” Corey Gauff said with a laugh.
Cameron’s older sister has a chance to leave as Grand Slam champion.