Youngest American since Serena Williams, in 1999, to win the US Open. Youngest woman to clinch the WTA Finals trophy after Maria Sharapova did it in 2004. And on Thursday, Coco Gauff became the youngest player to reach the third round of the French Open for five successive years. At just 21, the World No.2 achieved a lot to say the least. But it’s all come at a cost. The fact that she’s so young to have accomplished multiple laurels has played an unwanted part in her tennis journey. Especially when traveling on tours, when loneliness is often the order of the day.
Last April, Candi Gauff reflected on the harsh realities her daughter faced while growing up. Despite being small, she used to outperform girls older than her age at tennis tournaments. While the future looked bright, Gauff’s growth somehow made her peers uncomfortable. “That led to loneliness at the tournaments, which leads to sadness, so for a period of time she was unhappy,” mother Candi told The New York Times back in 2020. “I don’t want to say the word ‘jealousy,’ but it was a spirit of, ‘Why is this young girl winning?’ So she was isolated.”
Gauff has found it tough to make friends on tours ever since she went pro and began traveling. She echoed these sentiments yet again at the ongoing French Open in Paris. After her second-round win over Tereza Valentova, she sat down for a press conference, dated May 29. Alongside her on-court prowess, she was also asked regarding the challengers on tours. Especially when it comes to feeling lonely as there’s no one to talk to in general. “I think just sometimes the solitude of it, and I am someone who enjoys to be alone, but you know you are alone a lot on tour. I mean, for me it was harder especially when I was younger just because there wasn’t anyone. I went from juniors with everyone being my age finding a way to relate to someone, doing something with friends and then going to tour and everyone being like 10 years.”
May 20, 2025, Paris, France, France: Coco GAUFF of United States during a training session of Roland-Garros 2025, French Open 2025, Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland-Garros Stadium on May 20, 2025 in Paris, France. Paris France – ZUMAm308 20250520_zsp_m308_084 Copyright: xMatthieuxMirvillex
Continuing further she added, “Obviously it’s not the case so much now but 10 years older you know it’s not like you can just be like, ‘Hey what are you doing tonight?’ And with someone, like, most people aren’t going to want to go to dinner with someone that young. So yeah that was the harder part for me with that transition just basically having friends on tour to not having friends any friends and trying to work through that.” Probably that’s the reason why she “tried to travel a lot with my parents and even then it’s tough because I don’t think anyone wants to spend as much time with their parents all the time. That’s what I had to do when I was younger.”
However, Gauff revealed that lately, she’s begun putting efforts to make more friends on tour, “like with Robin (Montgomery) and Alex (Eala) playing doubles too to just help build those friendships.” Moreover, she also tries to help others not go through the same lonely feeling like she did. “So I think whenever I go see younger players on tour, necessarily we don’t have to be friends cuz they might not want to,” she said. “But I definitely just try to reach that hand out or say ‘hello’ or just make the vibe better because I know that for the few players that did do it to me when I was coming up I appreciate it a lot,” added Gauff. Well, that’s how her partnership with Finnish sensation Alexandra Eala began.
One message that sparked a partnership between Coco Gauff and Alexandra Eala
Before the Italian Open earlier this month, Coco Gauff and Alexandra Eala hadn’t met each other. They only exchanged a passing greeting during the Madrid Open last month. In that event, the American reached the final. On the other hand, Eala faced an early exit after losing to Iga Swiatek in R64. “We did not know each other at all, really,” Gauff said as reported by the Olympics website on May 12. “Before in Madrid, I said ‘Hi’ to her for the first time.”
It was Eala’s doubles record that caught Gauff’s attention initially. After the Filipino reached out to her through direct messages, suggesting to play together, she said yes. “She slid in my DMs and asked me to play. And I was like, ‘Sure. Why not?’” said the 21-year-old. Praising Eala’s doubles stats, Gauff added, “She’s a killer in doubles — two junior slams, and probably future ones too”
Gauff emphasized that she’s “super happy to play with her.” At the Italian Open, the pair had a decent campaign while playing together for the first time. They reached the QF stage before losing against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani.
In Paris, however, Eala didn’t pair up with Gauff, doubling up with Mexico’s Renata Zarazúa, with whom she has reached the second round. And while the American is still competing in the singles, entering the third round, Eala’s already out. The 20-year-old sensation who made her slam debut at Roland Garros couldn’t make a lasting impression, losing to Colombia’s Emiliana Arango in the first round itself.
It will be interesting to see when Gauff and Eala will be back together. Are you excited to watch them play doubles again? Let us know in the comments below.
The post “There Wasn’t Anyone – Coco Gauff Unveils the Brutal Reality of Tennis Amid French Open Buzz appeared first on EssentiallySports.
