"I cried on the court": Coco Gauff opens up about the overwhelming pressure she faces ahead of 2026 US Open quarterfinal

Coco Gauff, the 22 year old tennis legend, has been busy in the 2026 US Open as she has advanced to the quarterfinals while being seeded No. 4 in the tournament. As Coco Gauff prepares to go against reigning French Open champion and No. 5 seed Mirra Andreev, her comments on handling pressure have resurfaced.Coco Gauff weighs in on the pressure she handles in court and how emotions overwhelm herIn an interview, the tennis legend Coco Gauff weighed in on her experience in the 2025 US as she said, “I cried on the court, everybody saw that. So yeah, that was the last time I cried. I think for me it just felt like so much pressure in that moment.”The World number 4 champion added, “But I’m kind of happy that I did it, because I felt like people got to see the vulnerability of being an athlete. And also because I created this agenda that I am calm, cool, and collected.”Coco Gauff continued, “And I don’t like when people say that, because it’s not true. So I got to show a little bit of that. But I would not want to feel like that again.”Over the last few years, Coco Gauff has been a force to be reckoned with on the court. The 22 year old star has made a name for herself and has often spoken about how both her parents have sacrificed their own careers to support her.For the unversed, Coco Gauff’s father became her primary tennis coach and gave up on his career in tennis to be by his daughter’s side.Both her parents are also often spotted attending all her matches and cheering her on as Coco Gauff has quickly turned into one of the most promising athletes in the world in the recent few years.Coco Gauff weighs in on her inspiration and Iva Jovic after her win in Round 4 of the 2026 US OpenA few hours ago, as Coco Gauff beat 18 year old American rising star Iva Jovic (6-1, 6-4) in an 80-minute showcase, she opened up about her win as she said, "Incredible player and incredible talent…”The 22 year old tennis star added, "Give it up for Iva … There was one game when I felt like I was running a marathon. First time I was out of breath on court in a long time."In an interview, Coco Gauff has also spoken about her inspiration as she said, “The WTA player that I admire the most is definitely Serena Williams. Why? I mean, she’s iconic. Everything to her on court fashion and how fierce a competitor she is, and just the representation that she presented for me. She’s an inspiration for me.” she said.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.