Gauff: "I think people are very critical of me"
The American defeated her compatriot Pegula and talked about how she faces pressure and criticism, with a reminder of one of her references, Venus Williams.
Cori Gauff has started her journey in the WTA Finals 2024 on a good note by defeating Jessica Pegula, who had been her nemesis in the semifinals of the last edition of the Masters Cup. This time, she has overcome her with a score of 6-3, 6-2. In the upcoming group stage matches, she will face Iga Swiatek and Barbora Krejcikova.
The season of Cori Gauff is coming to an end at these WTA Finals, where she arrives as the number three seed. Already in Saudi Arabia, the American has spoken to a media outlet from her country, The National, to assess how she deals with criticism and her season, in which she could not defend the titles of Washington, Cincinnati, or the US Open, although she had a successful Asian tour with a title at the WTA 1000 in Beijing.
- Dealing with Criticism
Gauff rose to fame prematurely at just 15 years old, so the expectations placed on her were very high, leading to criticism whenever she has a poor result: "I think people are very critical of me, maybe because of how I burst onto the scene. However, I see it as a compliment; maybe they are critical of those who they believe can do better, so I just try to improve."
"I am learning to cope with the pressure, something I was already doing, but after winning the 2023 US Open, I put a lot of pressure on myself. You're always going to be defending something; if you want to win, you will have to defend it the following year. I try to approach this as an evolutionary process."
- Venus Williams as a Role Model
The Williams sisters were role models for gender and racial equality: "Just because of her legacy, I hope to achieve half of what she did, not only in tennis but also in terms of economic prize equality, women's equality, racial equality, and all that. I admire Venus a lot in that respect."
- Adult Life and Choices in the United States
Recently, Cori Gauff has purchased a home to become independent from her parents: "I felt it was time to move out, I live alone, and I am learning to cook more, although I still live in the same city as my parents. Plus, they have a court at home, so I keep training there."
She also made a note about the upcoming elections in the United States, to be held on November 5: "I have voted; it is a crucial moment for our country. All I can do is encourage especially young people to vote. Many people do not see the power of the vote, but I do."
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Gauff: "Creo que la gente es muy crítica conmigo"