Coco Gauff has officially qualified for her fourth consecutive WTA Finals, closing out another remarkable season with confidence and clarity.
Fresh off her victory at the Wuhan Open, where she defeated Jessica Pegula in the final 6-4, 7-5. The American responded to a recent interview where she referred to the great 2025 she has had.
But for Gauff, success is now about more than just results. “It feels like where I am now is where I’m supposed to be,” she said in an interview with the WTA before participating in the WTA Finals. “I feel like this is the life that I wanted for myself and that I work for. I definitely feel like for the first like four years of my career, I couldn’t believe that I was actually on tour and living the dream.”
Despite her fierce on-court demeanor, Gauff insists her expression doesn’t always match her emotions. “I’m usually always happy on the court,” she explained with a smile. “People don’t think so because I look so serious, but I am happy inside.” She shared that her happiest moments this season came from both her professional triumphs and personal connections: “Most recently, probably winning French Open, but also when I play with my brother, I’m pretty happy too.”
That balance—between ambition and contentment—is something Gauff has been consciously cultivating. “Accomplishing your goals, for sure, that’s the meaning of success, I guess on a tennis literal sense,” she said. “Obviously, on a life scale sense, I definitely think being happy is the biggest reward you can have.”
The 21-year-old continues to evolve both on and off the court. With a 47–14 record in 2025, including titles at Roland Garros and Wuhan, Gauff arrives at the season-ending event in Riyadh not just as a contender, but as the defending champion, having triumphed over Zheng Qinwen in the 2024 final.
A mature mindset beyond the rankings
Currently behind only Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek in the world rankings, Gauff still holds the same fiery ambition that fueled her rise as a teenager. “When I was growing up, I definitely wanted to be the best tennis player for sure in the world. That was my goal,” she said. “And I mean, it still is. I still want to be the best player. I want to reach number one one day and win more slams. And I’m definitely not close to being satisfied.”
However, her goals have broadened with age and experience. “I think as an adult, now I think about other aspects and other goals of life outside of the court,” she reflected. “Whereas when I was younger, I was strictly tennis.”
That maturity shows not only in her results but in her attitude. Gauff says she’s working on being her own greatest supporter, both mentally and emotionally. “I’m determined to be my best cheerleader, my best friend out there on the court and being positive and really believing in myself. Sometimes there’ll be moments on tour where I’m not necessarily believing that. So, yeah, I think it’s going to be a constant battle for me throughout my career.”
Faith and perspective keep her grounded
Even as her fame grows, Gauff remains deeply grounded in her faith. “The last thing I do before I go to sleep is pray,” she said. “It helps me stay grounded a lot. It just reminds me that there’s much bigger to life than tennis and the sport.”
She’s learned to separate her emotions from her match outcomes—a lesson many athletes struggle to master. “Being an athlete, you kind of feel like you’re wrapped into your results affecting your moods and your results affecting what’s considered a good week or a bad week,” Gauff explained. “I try to steer away from that. So that helps me just realize that I have so much to be grateful for outside of tennis and try to be the best person I can be and be the best reflection of my faith as I can.”
Known for her intensity, Gauff admits her expressions often mislead people. “Sometimes I have to remind my coaches that just because I can’t control my facial expressions, it doesn’t mean I’m in a bad mood,” she laughed. “When I focus, I kind of scrunch my eyebrows and it looks like I’m in a bad mood, but I’m not. I’m just trying to focus.”
Her friends, however, see a completely different side of her. “My friends definitely see me as regular, casual, funny person,” she said. “I would hope funny. I think I’m funny.” Ultimately, the version of herself that she values most is the one her inner circle knows. “I see a person that I’m proud of and reached a lot to get here and someone who wants to go a lot further in their career and also in life.”
