"If I lose they'll say, she needs to focus on her tennis instead of doing shoots" - Coco Gauff on being judged by people for her outspokenness
Coco Gauff exited the Dubai Tennis Championships in the quarterfinal, losing out to Anna Kalinskaya 6-2, 4-6, 2-6. The youngster was one of the favorites to win the contest, but came up short against an inspired opponent.
A year ago, a loss like that would have taken a much bigger toll on Gauff mentally. She, however, has learnt to deal with the situations as she mentioned in her press conference after her Round of 16 win against Karolina Pliskova.
Gauff was asked whether being a Grand Slam champion puts her under the spotlight and makes her an easy target for criticism.
The youngster responded by saying that people are quick to criticize her after a loss, with many suggesting that she give up on off-court activities like photoshoots and other commitments.
Gauff, however, dismissed the views by saying she knows her priorities and makes room for non-tennis activities only after putting in adequate hours on the court.
"A lot of people like to criticize that," Coco Gauff said. "A lot of people like to say, maybe if I lose they'll say, She needs to focus on her tennis instead of doing this, doing even shoots and stuff."
"I always contemplated having A Day in My Life so people could see what I'm doing. I'm practicing three or four hours in the morning, then doing the shoot," she added.
Gauff reiterated that tennis was her top priority, but maintained that she has a life outside of the sport as well.
"Obviously tennis is the main priority. Once I step off the court, I'm a person. I'm not hitting strokes while I'm eating food and everything. I'm actually thinking," Coco Gauff said.
"I'm a person. I have opinions. I have thoughts. I feel like I have a responsibility with the platform tennis has given me to not use it in vain, so yeah." she added.
"They like to bring my age into it" - Coco Gauff on people passing judgements on her opinions
Coco Gauff said she’s found herself at the receiving end of people’s judgement far too often, noting that people like to use her age against her.
The youngster, however, added that her intelligence was not related to age, but came with perspective.
"Yeah, I mean, a lot of people, every time I say anything, a lot of people, especially they like to bring my age into it a lot," Coco Gauff said. "If anything in this world, age I feel like doesn't mean a lot."
"There's intelligent older people, intelligent young people. There are dumb older people, dumb younger people. It's all in perspective," she added.