“I definitely do forget my age a lot,” Coco Gauff opens up on not being a “teenager” anymore as she grows into a formidable force in women’s tennis

Gauff will be facing Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk on Tuesday (January 23) in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.

“I definitely do forget my age a lot,” Coco Gauff opens up on not being a “teenager” anymore as she grows into a formidable force in women’s tennis

Coco Gauff (Image via X)

Coco Gauff has become a force to be reckoned with in the world of tennis despite being just a teenager right now. She has already lifted a Grand Slam title in 2023 when she defeated Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Gauff will be facing Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk on Tuesday (January 23) in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. It’s the first time she reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne.

YouTube video

Coco Gauff was born on March 13, 2004, and will turn 20 this year. She has seven WTA titles to her name, plus she climbed to the third position in the rankings in September 2023.

FS Video

After her easy fourth-round win over Poland’s Magdalena Frech in straight sets 6-1, 6-2, the World No. 3 was quizzed about how she feels after achieving so much in her career despite being just 19 years old. To this, Gauff said she sometimes forgets her age and feels older than 19.

Sometimes I forget. I know I'm not going to be a teenager anymore, but I just feel like I've lived so many lives the last four years, that I just feel older than 19. I remember when I'm looking at the other girls on tour who are 16, and now coming up, 16, 17, like they just feel so young and I just feel so old. I know I'm not that old. But, yeah, I definitely do forget my age a lot. Yeah, 100%.
Gauff said after her fourth-round match at the AO

How did Coco Gauff fare in Melbourne?

Last year, Coco Gauff had been breezing past her opponents at the Australian Open until she met Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko. Gauff defeated the likes of Katerina Siniakova, Emma Raducanu, and Bernarda Pera in the first three rounds. She then faced a heartbreaking defeat to Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round in straight sets 7-5, 6-3.

Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff (Image via X)

In 2022, her advancement to the second round was put to an end by China’s Wang Qiang. And before that year, Gauff went past Jil Teichmann in the first round, before getting thrashed by Elina Svitolina.

In 2020 also, Gauff impressed many by reaching the fourth round after conquering Venus Williams, Sorana Cirstea, and Naomi Osaka but then lost to her compatriot Sofia Kenin. The then 15-year-old Gauff was able to turn heads after beating Oskaka, who was the defending champion back then.

Coming back to 2024, the 19-year-old will play against Marta Kostyuk in the quarter-finals. The duo faced each other only one time, at the 2022 Adelaide International, with Gauff winning the match in three sets.

In case you missed it!