Coco Gauff was in tears during and after her second-round US Open match but found a way through after seeking inspiration from Simone Biles in the crowd.
The former champion has been struggling with serving problems and is trying to change her action during the tournament with the help of biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan.
It is clearly putting a real strain on Gauff, who sat with her head in a towel after dropping serve at 4-4 in the first set of her clash with Donna Vekic, the TV cameras picking up the 21-year-old’s tear-stained face.
Gauff recovered her composure to win 7-6 (5) 6-2 but broke down again during her post-match interview as the crowd showed their support.
“Today was a tough match for me but I’m just happy with how I was able to manage,” she said. “It’s been a rough couple of weeks. That first set was tough for me but you guys stayed cheering for me.”
Gauff also gave credit to gymnastics great Biles, who was watching from the stands.
Biles overcame a mental block known as ‘twisties’ at the Tokyo Olympics, recovering to win three gold medals in Paris last summer.
“I saw her, she helped me pull it out,” said Gauff. “I was thinking, if she can go on a six-inch beam with all the pressures in the word, I can hit the ball in, I don’t even know how big this court is. It brought me a bit of calm knowing all the things she went through mentally.”
The American next faces Polish 28th seed Magdalena Frech, where she will hope to avoid the same drama.
“I think I just show people what it’s like to be a human, and I have bad days, but I think it’s more about how you get up after those bad moments and how you show up after that,” she said.
“I think today I showed that I can get up after feeling the worst I’ve ever felt on the court.”
