Cori Gauff is preaching the importance of gratitude as she also revealed a piece of advice she received from former United States First Lady Michelle Obama. Gauff, 18, is one of the youngest players on the WTA Tour but she already accomplished some great and big things.
Gauff was just 15 when she stunned Venus Williams and went on to reach the Wimbledon round-of-16 in 2019. This year, Gauff made her maiden Grand Slam singles final at the French Open, made her WTA Finals debut and reached a career-high ranking of No 4 in the world.
In doubles, Gauff has two Grand Slam finals and this year she rose to a career-high ranking of No 1 in the world.
Gauff on her perspective, advice received from Obama
“Balancing tennis and life, there’s a lot going on.
Michelle Obama told me: ‘It’s ok to say no to things.’ The piece of advice my younger self would give to me is: everything that you’ve worked for happened, and remember that what you prayed for then is happening to you now.
It’s important that I remember that my younger self would be grateful. You want to push yourself, but I think you have to take a moment and accept it, be grateful for yourself. You show your best and worst parts on the court, and I think that reflects life.
Every person has their bad moments and I think in tennis you have to learn to accept those bad moments and move on if you want to win,” Gauff told the Billie Jean King Cup, as quoted on Eurosport. Gauff is widely viewed as one of the most promising and talented players in the game.
Many feel that Gauff has what it takes to win multiple Grand Slams and become No 1 in the future. This year, Gauff fell just short of winning her first Grand Slam as she ended runner-up to Iga Swiatek in the French Open final.
