Coco Gauff has undoubtedly established herself as a top gun on the women’s tour. The American tennis prodigy previously burst onto the tennis scene at a very young age when she outclassed the 7-time singles Grand Slam champion, Venus Williams, at the 2019 Wimbledon Championship. However, it wouldn’t have been possible without a bit of crucial advice from her compatriot and tennis veteran, Mary Joe Fernandez, as it changed her mindset completely.

In an interview with the Tennis Channel, the reigning US Open champion opened up about how a piece of advice from the former number 4 player has helped her to build a winning mentality. Gauff said, “If I went into every match of my career, which is something Mary Joe Fernandez, actually taught me before I played Venus, she told me, ‘Don’t go to see how many games you wanna win, and go into the match believing that you can win.’ And honestly, my mindset before that match was to see how many games I can get.”

Fernandez may have given that advice for that particular match against Williams, but Gauff has since applied it to everything she does, both on and off the court. The young WTA sensation said, “But when she told me that I was like, I have to go in to win and I think that’s what I end up taking that little thing and applying to everything I do, and every tournament that I go in. I just wanna make it to the quarterfinal, the semifinals, I go in believing that I can win. And if you don’t you just go back and work hard and try to make it again the next time. Even though she probably meant for just that match, I have taken it in life on and off the court.”

It has turned out to be advice that is still thrusting the current number 3 player to strive for ‘greatness’ on the tour despite a lackluster form this season.

“I just want to win as many Slams as possible”- Coco Gauff gets real about her goal amid all the skepticism

Despite being a top 3 player, Gauff has yet to reach a championship game this season after her triumphant run at the ASB Classic. Amid all the skepticism surrounding her current form, the American player made it clear that she is still striving for greatness on the court. In the same interview, Gauff was asked about her dream to be one of the tennis ‘GOATs,’ as she previously opened up about it after winning the Orange Ball at the age of 12.

She said, “Yeah, I think it is something that I definitely want to trend to. And yeah, I think for me, I just want to win as many Slams as possible.” After winning her first Grand Slam title in the previous season, the tennis prodigy now wants to add more major accolades to her trophy haul.  What do you think of the American tennis veteran’s advice that helped Gauff reach the top echelons on the tour? Let us know in the comments section.