Coco Gauff won her final match as a teenager on Monday, capping off what has been an astounding run.
Since bursting onto the scene with a win over Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019 – and becoming the youngest player in the tournament’s history to qualify for the main draw at just 15 years old – Gauff hasn’t stopped her ascent.
In the almost five years since, Gauff has won the US Open, been a finalist at the French Open, been named one of TIME’s Women of the Year, been a cover girl on Vogue and catapulted to third in the world rankings. She’s also made the semifinals or better in three of the four major tournaments, and has made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon twice.
She’s reached a world No. 1 ranking in doubles, in August 2022, alongside partner Jessica Pegula, and twice made the finals of a Grand Slam in doubles.
On Monday, her experience helped her shake off a slow start, with Gauff beating Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 7-6(5) in the third round at Indian Wells. And while it wasn’t always perfect, one thing Gauff has learned thus far in her career is how to win when she’s not always perfect.
“The mentality is the reason why I’m playing and the reason why I’m being successful,”…
